All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.

10 In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place,(A) and they were praised[a] in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. 11 Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly,(B) the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil.

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Footnotes

  1. 8:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Theod, Sym; other Hb mss read forgotten

All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[a] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(A)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[b] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  2. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten