¶ Who is as the¹ wise man? and who knoweth² the interpretation of a thing? a man's³ wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the⁴ boldness⁵ of his face shall be changed.

I counsel⁶ thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard⁷ of the oath of God.

Be not hasty⁸ to go out of his sight: stand⁹ not in an evil thing; for¹⁰ he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

Where the word¹¹ of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What¹² doest thou?

Whoso keepeth¹³ the commandment shall feel¹⁴ no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

¶ Because to every¹⁵ purpose there is time and judgment, therefore¹⁶ the misery of man is great upon him.

For he knoweth¹⁷ not that which shall be: for who can tell him when¹⁸ it shall be?

There is no¹⁹ man that hath power²⁰ over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge²¹ in that war; neither²² shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

¶ All this²³ have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is²⁴ a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

¶ And so²⁵ I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place²⁶ of the holy, and they were²⁷ forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.

Because sentence²⁸ against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully²⁹ set in them to do evil.

Though a sinner³⁰ do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely³¹ I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before³² him:

But it shall³³ not be well with the wicked, neither³⁴ shall he prolong his days, which are as a³⁵ shadow; because he feareth not before God.

¶ There is a vanity³⁶ which is done upon the earth; that there be just³⁷ men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Then I³⁸ commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

When I³⁹ applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that⁴⁰ neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)

Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man⁴¹ cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.