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Keep the Command of the King

¹ Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom ^(C1)illumines his face and causes his ^(C2)stern face to ^(F1)beam.

² I say, "Keep the ^(F1)command of the king because of the ^(C1)sworn oath ^(F2)before God.³ "Do not be in a hurry ^(C1)to go from his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases."⁴ Since the word of the king is powerful, ^(C1)who will say to him, "What are you doing?"

⁵ He who ^(C1)keeps a royal command ^(C2)experiences no evil thing, for a wise heart knows the proper time and custom.⁶ For ^(C1)there is a proper time and custom for every ^(F1)matter, though a man's trouble is multiplied upon him.⁷ If no one ^(C1)knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?^8 (C1)There is no man who has power to restrain the wind with the wind, and there is none who has power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and ^(C2)wickedness will not provide escape to its masters.⁹ All this I have seen and given my heart to every work that has been done under the sun wherein a man has ^(C1)power over another man to his calamity.

¹⁰ So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are ^(C1)soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is vanity.¹¹ Because the ^(C1)sentence against an evil work is not executed quickly, therefore ^(C2)the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.¹² Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may ^(C1)prolong his life, still I know that it will be ^(C2)well for those who fear God, who fear ^(F1)Him openly.¹³ But it will ^(C1)not be well for the wicked man, and he will not prolong his days like a ^(C2)shadow, because he does not fear ^(F1)God openly.

¹⁴ There is vanity which is done on the earth, that is, there are ^(C1)righteous men to whom it ^(F1)happens according to the works of the wicked. On the other hand, there are ^(C2)wicked men to whom it ^(F1)happens according to the works of the righteous. I say that this too is vanity.¹⁵ So I laud gladness, for there is nothing good for ^(C1)a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to ^(F1)be merry, and this will join with him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

¹⁶ When I ^(C1)gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the endeavor which has been done on the earth (even though one ^(C2)never sees sleep with his eyes day or night),¹⁷ and I saw every work of God, I concluded that ^(C1)man cannot find out the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not find it out; and ^(C2)though the wise man should say, "I know," he cannot find it out.