Ecclesiastes 8:8 - Easy To Read Version No person has the power to keep his spirit from leaving. No person has the power to stop his death. During war, a soldier does not have the freedom to go any place he wants to go. In the same way, if a person does evil, that evil won’t allow him to be free. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the breath of life, neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in battle [against death], neither will wickedness deliver those who are its possessors and given to it. American Standard Version (1901) There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it. Common English Bible No one has control over the life-breath, to retain it, and there’s no control over the day of death. There’s no release from war, and wickedness won’t deliver those who practice it. Catholic Public Domain Version It is not in the power of a man to prohibit the spirit, nor does he have authority over the day of death, nor is he permitted to rest when war breaks out, and neither will impiety save the impious. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version It is not in man's power to stop the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, neither is he suffered to rest when war is at hand, neither shall wickedness save the wicked. |
We will all die some day. We will be like water that is spilled on the ground. No person can gather this water back from the ground. You know God forgives people. God made plans for people who are forced to run away for safety—God doesn’t force them to run away from him!
The men went after the Aramean army as far as the Jordan River. All along the road there were clothes and weapons. The Arameans had thrown these things down when they hurried away. The messengers went back to Samaria and told the king.
Man’s life is limited.\par God, you decide how long a man lives.\par You set those limits for a man\par and nothing can change them.\par
If God decided to take his spirit\par and his breath of life away from people,\par
No person will live and never die.\par No person will escape the grave.\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [514]})\i0 \par
People who forget God are bad.\par They will go to the place of death.\par
During times of trouble, evil people are defeated. But good people win a victory even during death.
Who knows what happens to the spirit of a man? Who knows if a man’s spirit goes up to God while an animal’s spirit goes down into the ground?
Evil people don’t respect God, so those people won’t really get good things. Those evil people won’t live long lives. Their lives won’t be like the shadows that become longer and longer \{as the sun goes down\}.
A person never knows what will happen to him next. He is like a fish caught in a net—the fish does not know what will happen. He is like a bird caught in a trap—the bird does not know what will happen. In the same way, a person is trapped by the bad things that suddenly happen to him.
You people say, “We have made an agreement with death. We have a contract with Sheol—\{the place of death\}. So we will not be punished. Punishment will pass us without hurting us. We will hide behind our tricks and lies.”
Your agreement with death will be erased. Your contract with Sheol {\cf2\super [261]} will not help you.
You do bad things, but still you feel safe.\par You think to yourself,\par ‘No one sees the wrong things I do.’\par You think that your wisdom and knowledge\par will save you.\par You think to yourself,\par ‘I am the only one.\par No one is important like me.’\par
When the body is “planted,” it is without honor. But it is raised in glory. When the body is “planted,” it is weak. But when it is raised, it has power.
It is true that Christ was weak when he was killed on the cross. But he lives now by God’s power. And it is true that we are weak in Christ. But for you we will be alive in Christ by God’s power.