1 W ho is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his countenance is changed.

Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is changed. Obey Authorities for God’s Sake

2 I counsel you to keep the king’s command, and that in regard to the oath of God.

I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

3 B e not panic-stricken and hasty to get out of his presence. Persist not in an evil thing, for he does whatever he pleases.

Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

4 F or the word of a king is authority and power, and who can say to him, What are you doing?

Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 W hoever observes the command will experience no harm, and a wise man’s mind will know both when and what to do.

He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

6 F or every purpose and matter has its time and judgment, although the misery and wickedness of man lies heavily upon him.

Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly.

7 F or he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how and when it will be?

For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur?

8 T here is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the breath of life, neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in battle, neither will wickedness deliver those who are its possessors and given to it.

No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

9 A ll this have I seen while applying my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his own hurt or to the other man’s.

All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt. Death Comes to All

10 A nd so I saw the wicked buried—those who had come and gone out of the holy place, and they are forgotten in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!

Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

11 B ecause the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

12 T hough a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who revere and worship Him, realizing His continual presence.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

13 B ut it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear and worship God.

But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 H ere also is a futility that goes on upon the earth: there are righteous men who fare as though they were wicked, and wicked men who fare as though they were righteous. I say that this also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 T hen I commended enjoyment, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be joyful, for that will remain with him in his toil through the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16 W hen I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the business activity and the painful effort that take place upon the earth—how neither day nor night some men’s eyes sleep—

When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night,

17 T hen I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun—because however much a man may toil in seeking, yet he will not find it out; yes, more than that, though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, yet will he not be able to find it out.

then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.