1Who is as the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

2I counsel you, "Keep the king's word, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3Do not be hasty to leave his presence. Do not take a stand in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him." 4Because the word of a king is that which has power, who may say to him, "What are you doing?"

5Whoever keeps the commandment shall feel no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment. 6Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great. 7For he does not know what shall be; for who can tell him when it shall be? 8There is no man who has power over the wind to restrain the wind; nor power over the day of death; and there is no discharge from war; nor shall wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9All this I have seen, and I gave 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.

10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the holy place. And they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This is also vanity. 11Because 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. 12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13But it shall not be well with the wicked, nor shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he does not fear before God.

14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth: There are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked ones to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15Then I commended pleasure, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry; for that shall go with him in his labor through the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth, for neither day nor night do men give sleep to their eyes, 17Then I looked at all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labors to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea, further, though a wise man thinks to know it, yet he shall not be able to find it.