3:14 I also know that whatever God does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it.
God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.
7:14 In times of prosperity 1 be joyful,
but in times of adversity 2 consider this:
God has made one as well as the other, 3
so that no one can discover what the future holds. 4
8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes 5 and still live a long time, 6
yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people 7 – for they stand in fear 8 before him.
1 tn Heb “the day of good.”
2 tn Heb “the day of evil.”
3 tn Less probable renderings of this line are “God hath made the one side by side with the other” (ASV) and “God has set the one alongside the other” (NEB).
4 tn Heb “anything after him.” This line is misinterpreted by several versions: “that man may not find against him any just complaint” (Douay); “consequently, man may find no fault with Him” (NJPS); “so that man cannot find fault with him in anything” (NAB).
1 tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”
2 tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”
3 tn Heb “those who fear God.”
4 tn Heb “they fear.”