- 1
- Who is as the Wise man?
and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a mans wisedome maketh his face to shine, and the boldnes of his face shalbe changed.
- 2
- I counsell thee, to keepe the kings commandement, and that in regard of the oath of God.
- 3
- Bee not hastie to goe out of his sight: stand not in an euill thing, for he doeth whatsoeuer pleaseth him.
- 4
- Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say vnto him, What doest thou?
- 5
- Whoso keepeth the commandement, shall feele no euill thing: and a wise mans heart discerneth both time and iudgement.
- 6
- Because to euery purpose there is time, and iudgement;
therefore the misery of man is great vpon him.
- 7
- For hee knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him, when it shall be?
- 8
- There is no man that hath power ouer the spirit to retaine the spirit;
neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that warre, neither shall wickednesse deliuer those that are giuen to it.
- 9
- All this haue I seene, and applied my heart vnto euery worke that is done vnder the Sunne: there is a time wherein one man ruleth ouer another to his owne hurt.
- 10
- And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come, and gone from the place of the Holy, and they were forgotten in the city, where they had so done: this is also vanitie.
- 11
- Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily;
therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe euill.
- 12
- Though a sinner doe euill an hundred times, and his dayes be prolonged;
yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that feare God, which feare before him.
- 13
- But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall hee prolong his dayes which are as a shadow;
because he feareth not before God.
- 14
- There is a vanitie which is done vpon the earth, that there be iust men vnto whom it happeneth according to the worke of the wicked: againe, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the worke of the righteous: I said, that this also is vanitie.
- 15
- Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing vnder the Sunne, then to eate and to drinke, and to be merrie: for that shall abide with him of his labour, the dayes of his life, which God giueth him vnder the Sunne.
- 16
- When I applied mine heart to know wisedome, and to see the busines that is done vpon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleepe with his eyes.)
- 17
- Then I behelde all the worke of God, that a man cannot finde out the worke that is done vnder the Sunne: because though a man labour to seeke it out, yea further though a wise man thinke to know it, yet shall hee not be able to finde it.
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