Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
Hena na ɔte sɛ onyansafo? Hena na onim sɛnea nneɛma te? Nimdeɛ te nnipa anim, na ɛbrɛ ne denyɛ ase.
2 I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God.
Mise: Di ɔhene mmaransɛm so, efisɛ wokaa ntam wɔ Onyankopɔn anim.
3 Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,
Mpɛ ntɛm mfi ɔhene anim. Nnyina mu mma obi asɛm a ɛnyɛ dɛ na onii no anyɛ nea ɔpɛ biara.
4 for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Esiane sɛ ɔhene asɛm boro obiara de so nti, hena na obetumi aka akyerɛ no se: “Dɛn na woreyɛ yi?”
5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.
Nea odi ne mmaransɛm so no renkɔ ɔhaw biara mu, na nyansa koma behu bere a ɛsɛ, ne ne kwan.
6 For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.
Nneyɛe biara wɔ ne bere a ɛfata ne kwan a wɔfa so yɛ, nanso onipa haw hyɛ no so bebree.
7 For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?
Esiane sɛ obiara nnim daakye asɛm nti, hena na obetumi akyerɛ ɔfoforo nea ɛreba?
8 There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.
Obiara nni mframa so tumi na waboa ano; saa ara na obiara nni ne wuda so tumi. Sɛ wonnyaa obiara wɔ ɔko bere mu no, saa ara na amumɔyɛ rennyaa wɔn a wodi amumɔyɛsɛm no.
9 All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.
Mihuu eyinom nyinaa bere a medwenee nneɛma a wɔyɛ wɔ owia yi ase no ho. Bere bi wɔ hɔ a onipa hyɛ afoforo so ma ɛdan ɔhaw ma no.
10 So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.
Bio, mihuu sɛ wɔasie amumɔyɛfo, wɔn a anka wodi akɔneaba wɔ kronkronbea hɔ de gye nkamfo wɔ kuropɔn a wɔyɛɛ saa no mu. Eyi nso yɛ ahuhude.
11 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.
Sɛ bɔne bi ho asotwe amma ntɛm a, nnipa dwene nhyehyɛe a wɔde yɛ bɔne ho.
12 Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.
Ɛwɔ mu sɛ omumɔyɛfo bi yɛ bɔne mpɛn ɔha nanso ɔtena ase kyɛ, nanso minim sɛ ebesi wɔn a wosuro Onyankopɔn no yiye, wɔn a wodi Onyankopɔn ni no.
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.
Nanso esiane sɛ amumɔyɛfo nsuro Onyankopɔn nti, ɛrensi wɔn yiye na wɔn nna renware sɛ sunsuma.
14 There is a vanity which is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
Ade bi nso a ɛyɛ ahuhude a esi wɔ asase so, ɛne sɛ, atreneefo bi nya akatua a ɛfata amumɔyɛfo, na amumɔyɛfo bi nya akatua a ɛfata atreneefo. Eyi nso, mise ɛyɛ ahuhude.
15 Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
Enti mekamfo wiase mu anigye, efisɛ biribiara nni owia yi ase a eye ma onipa sen sɛ obedidi, anom ama nʼani agye. Na afei obenya anigye wɔ nʼadwumayɛ mu wɔ nna a Onyankopɔn ama no wɔ owia yi ase nyinaa.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (even though eyes see no sleep day or night),
Bere a mepɛ sɛ mɛte nimdeɛ ase ne ɔbrɛ adwuma a onipa yɛ wɔ asase so a ɔnna awia anaa anadwo no,
17 then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.
mihuu nea Onyankopɔn ayɛ nyinaa. Obiara rentumi nte nea ɛkɔ so wɔ owia yi ase no ase. Ne mmɔdemmɔ nyinaa akyi, onipa rentumi nhu nkyerɛase da. Sɛ mpo onyansafo bi ka se onim a, ɔrentumi nte ase yiye da.
