Who is like the wise person and who knows how to interpret things? A man’s wisdom lights up his face, and the boldness of his face is changed.

Who is like the wise man? and who knows the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.

Who is as [distinctive as] the sages, and who knows [(as he does)] the meaning of a thing? A man's wisdom will light his face, and the splendor of his countenance will transcend [(the faces of other men, so that they will come to fear him)].

My [advice to you is]: keep the King’s command, and do so because of the oath to God.

I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in the manner of an oath of God.

[Therefore,] I [need and prepared to] heed the mouth [i.e., the words] of the King according to the oath of G-d [into which we entered in Chorev, to observe His mitzvoth].

Do not hasten to leave His Presence do not persist in doing evil; for whatever pleases Him, He does.

Be not hasty to go out of his presence: stand not in an evil thing; for he does whatever pleases him.

Do not be hasty [to think] that you can escape Him [(for wherever you may go, there He reigns)]. Do not persist in [the doing of] an evil thing. For whatever He wishes He may do [(in exacting punishment of you)].

For the King’s word is all powerful; and who can say to Him, “What are You doing?”

For the word of a king has authority: and who may say to him, What doest thou?

For the King's word rules, and who can tell Him what to do?

He who preserves the commandment will know no evil; and [the significance of] time and judgment is known by the wise man.

He who keeps the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and method.

[But] the keeper of a mitzvah will not know an evil thing; and the heart of the wise one knows (of) the time of retribution [upon the wicked].

For every matter there is a time and judgement; when the evil of man overwhelms him.

For every matter has its time and method, though the misery of man is great upon him.

For every [evil] will [acted out] has a time [for punishment], when a man's evil is great upon him [i.e., when his "measure" of evil is full].

For he does not know what will be, for when it comes to pass who will tell him?

For he knows not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?

For [when the wicked man transgresses], he does not know what [punishment awaits him]. And when it arrives, who will tell him [(in the swiftness of its onslaught, what counsels to take)]?

Man has no power over the spirit, to retain the spirit, he has no power over the day of death, nor dispatch in battle; nor will wickedness save its perpetrator.

There is no man who has power over the wind to retain the wind; nor has he power over the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; nor shall wickedness deliver those who are given up to it.

No man keeps the spirit [i.e., the will of the L-rd's messenger] from depriving him [(the man)] of the spirit [(i.e., the breath of his body,) so that the Angel of Death not take it]. And [no king's] rule prevails [on the appointed] day of his death. [e.g., we always find “And King David did, etc."; but, on the day of his death, we find (I Kings 2:1): "And the days of David drew near to die."] And there is no deputation [(of another to serve as a stand-in)] in this war. And evil will not rescue its practitioner.

All this I have seen, and I applied my heart to [understand] all the work that is done under the sun; there is a time when man rules over man to his detriment.

All this have I seen, and have appointed my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when one man rules over another to his own hurt.

All of this [(the above)] I saw. And I [also] applied my heart to all the deeds [of men] done under the sun, seeing how one man lorded it over another to his [own] undoing.

And so I have seen how the wicked were buried and came forth anew [whereas the righteous] who were gone from the holy place were forgotten in the very city where they performed [righteousness;] this, too, is vanity.

And so I saw the wicked buried, and come to their rest; but those who had done right were gone from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity.

And then I saw [prophetically], wicked men [deserving to be] buried, who came [to destroy Israel], and who went from the holy place [(the Temple, which they had defiled], vaunting themselves in [their] cities for having done so. This, too, is vanity [(intended to try humankind, leading them to think — from the delay of punishment — that there is no judgment and no Judge.]

Because the execution of sentence against evil deeds is not done quickly; therefore, the hearts of men are filled with encouragement to do evil.

Because 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.

The fact that punishment for wrongdoing is not hastily executed fills the hearts of men within them to do evil

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged; nevertheless, I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before His Presence.

Though a sinner do 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:

in that [they see that] the sinner does evil a hundred [times] and that He withholds [punishment] from him. For [in spite of this] I know also that [in the end] it will go well for the fearers of G-d for fearing Him.

And it will not be well with the wicked, nor shall he prolong his days which are like a shadow; because he does not fear before the Presence of God.

but it shall not be well with the wicked, and, like the shadow, he will not prolong his days; because he does not fear before God.

But it shall not go well for the wicked one and his days will not be prolonged, [(but he will be)] like a shadow, for not having feared G-d.

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth: there are righteous men who suffer as if they had performed [the same] deeds as those who are wicked; and there are wicked men who receive [reward] as if they had performed the same deeds as the righteous; I said that this too is vanity.

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are just men, to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked; again, there are wicked men, to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

There is vanity [(confounding men)] that is done upon the earth — righteous men being visited [with evil,] which befits the deeds of the wicked, and wicked men being accorded [good,] which befits the deeds of the righteous. I said: This, too, is vanity [i.e., one of the vanities incident to the world].

I extolled [the concept of] rejoicing for there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat and drink and be joyful; and this will accompany him in his toil [all] the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

So I commend mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall accompany him in his labour during the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun.

And I praised the happiness [(of rejoicing in one's lot and occupying oneself with joy-giving mitzvoth and with shunning transgression)], there being nothing better for a man [all] the days of his life that G-d has given him under the sun than eating, drinking, and rejoicing [in this manner]. And it [(this joy)] will accompany him in his toil.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth—for neither by day nor by night does he see sleep with his eyes.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (how one sees no sleep with one’s eyes either by day or by night;)

When I set my heart to know wisdom and to see what is done upon the earth, that both day and night, he [(the wicked one, who is steeped in the pursuit of wealth and of lust)] does not see [i.e., does not attain the object of his desires],

And I saw all the works of God—that man cannot discover the work that is done under the sun; and though a man labor to seek it out he will not find it; and even though a wise man declares that he knows it, he, too, will not be able to discover it.

then I beheld all the work of God, that a man 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; furthermore; though a wise man think to know it, yet he shall not be able to find it.

Then I saw, of all the acts of G-d [that He revealed to men], that a man could not discover the full meaning of the deed that is done [by G-d] under the sun [e.g., the wicked prospering and the righteous failing]. For [I have seen] many men toiling to seek it and not finding it. And even if the sage claims to know it, he cannot know it, [(as even Moses could not know it), viz. Exodus 33:13, etc.]