Ecclesiastes 8:2-11

²I counsel thee: keep the king's command, and that in regard of the oath of God.

³Be not hasty to go out of his presence; stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

⁴Forasmuch as the king's word hath power; and who may say unto him: 'What doest thou?'

⁵Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerneth time and judgment.

⁶For to every matter there is a time and judgment; for the evil of man is great upon him.

⁷For he knoweth not that which shall be; for even when it cometh to pass, who shall declare it unto him?

⁸There is no man that hath power over the wind to retain the wind; 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.

⁹All this have I seen, even applied my heart thereto, whatever the work that is done under the sun; what time one man had power over another to his hurt.

¹⁰And so I saw the wicked buried, and they entered into their rest; but they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city; this also is vanity.

¹¹Because 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;