Old Testament · Poetry and wisdom
Ecclesiastes chapter 8
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Who is truly like the ? Who else knows how to read what life means? lights up a person’s face — even the hardest expression softens.I say: respect the , especially because of the .Don’t be in a rush to . And don’t dig in on a — because the king does whatever he wants.Since the king’s word carries , who can challenge him and say, “What do you think you’re doing?”Whoever keeps the command will know no harm. The wise heart knows and .For every matter has its right time and its right way — even though the presses down hard.No one knows — who can tell anyone what will happen?No one has power over the to hold it back, and no one has power over the . There’s no in that war, and won’t rescue those who practice it.I’ve seen all this. I’ve applied my mind to everything done — where one person has , and it crushes them.And then I saw buried with honor. They used to come and go from , and they were praised in the very city where they did their damage. This too is .When the for a isn’t carried out quickly, the human heart fills with schemes to do more damage.Even though someone who does wrong commits a hundred offenses and still lives a long life, I also know this: it will go well for those who — who live with reverence before him.But it will not go well for the corrupt. Their days are that passes — because they don’t live with reverence before God.There’s something that happens on earth that seems completely wrong: people get what the corrupt deserve, and corrupt people get what the upright deserve. I say this too is .So I recommend — because there’s nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and experience gladness. This is what stays with you through all the of the days God gives you under the sun.When I set my mind to understand and to observe all the on earth — how people’s eyes never close for sleep, day or night —I saw , and I realized: no one can what happens . No matter how hard people search, they can’t find it. Even if the wise claim to understand — they can’t actually grasp it.