Who is like the wise person and who knows the meaning of a matter? A person’s wisdom ^ailluminates his face and makes his ^bstern face ¹brighten up.

2 I say, “Keep the ¹command of the king because of the ^aoath ²before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry ^1ato leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4 Since the word of the king is authoritative, ^awho will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 One who ^akeeps a royal command ^bexperiences no ¹trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6 For ^athere is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a person’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7 If no one ^aknows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8 ^aNo one has authority over the wind to restrain the wind, nor authority over the day of death; and there is no military discharge in the time of war, and ^bevil will not save ¹those who practice it. 9 All this I have seen, and have applied my ¹mind to every deed that has been done under the sun at a time when one person has exercised ^aauthority over another person to his detriment.

10 So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they are ^asoon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility. 11 Because the ^asentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore ^bthe hearts of the sons of mankind among them are ¹fully given to do evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may ^alengthen his life, still I know that it will go ^bwell for those who fear God, who fear ¹Him openly. 13 But it will ^anot go well for the evil person and he will not lengthen his days like a ^bshadow, because he does not fear God.

14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are ^arighteous people to whom it ¹happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are ^bevil people to whom it ²happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for ^aa person under the sun except to eat, drink, and be joyful, and this will stand by him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 When I ^adevoted my ¹mind to know wisdom and to see the business which has been done on the earth (even though one should ^2bnever sleep day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that ^aone cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though a person laboriously seeks, he will not discover; and ^beven if the wise person claims to know, he cannot discover.