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.
Nani azali lokola moto ya bwanya? Nani ayebi kolimbola makambo? Bwanya engengisaka elongi ya moto, mpe efungolaka elongi oyo ekangama.
2 I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God.
Nalobi: Tosaka mitindo ya mokonzi, pamba te olapaki ndayi liboso ya Nzambe.
3 Do not be hasty to go out of his presence. Do not persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,
Kolongwaka na lombangu te liboso ya mokonzi mpe kobundelaka likambo ya mabe te, pamba te mokonzi asalaka kaka makambo oyo esepelisaka ye.
4 for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Lokola liloba ya mokonzi ezalaka na bokonzi, nani akoki koloba na ye: « Ozali kosala nini? »
5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.
Moto nyonso oyo atosaka mibeko na ye akokweyela pasi te, mpe motema ya moto ya bwanya eyebaka tango ya malamu mpe lolenge ya malamu ya kosalela.
6 For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.
Pamba te, ezali na tango ya malamu mpe na lolenge ya malamu ya kosalela na likambo nyonso. Atako bongo, pasi ekweyelaka kaka moto.
7 For he does not know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?
Lokola moto moko te ayebi makambo oyo ekoya sima, nani akoki koyebisa moninga ndenge ekoyela ye?
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.
Ndenge moto moko te azali na bokonzi likolo ya pema ya bomoi na ye mpo ete akanga yango, ndenge mpe moto moko te azali na bokonzi likolo ya mokolo na ye ya kufa. Ndenge moto moko te apemaka na tango ya bitumba, ndenge mpe misala mabe ebikisaka te bato oyo basalaka yango.
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.
Namonaki makambo nyonso wana, tango natiaki mayele na ngai mpo na koluka koyeba makambo nyonso oyo esalemaka na se ya moyi. Ezali na tango oyo moto amatelaka bato mosusu mpo na konyokola bango.
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.
Mpe lisusu, namonaki ete bazali kokunda bato mabe; bongo bato oyo bazalaki kokende mpe kozonga na Esika ya bule bazalaki kokumisa bato mabe wana kati na engumba mpo na makambo oyo bazalaki kosala. Wana mpe ezali kaka pamba.
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.
Soki etumbu epesami noki te mpo na mabe oyo esalemi, mitema ya bato etondaka na makanisi ya kosala mabe.
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.
Atako moto oyo asalaka masumu asali mabe mbala nkama moko mpe awumeli tango molayi na bomoi, nayebi solo ete bato oyo batosaka Nzambe bakozala bato ya esengo; pamba te bazali na botosi liboso na Ye.
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.
Nzokande, lokola bato mabe batosaka Nzambe te, makambo na bango mpe ekotambola malamu te, mpe mikolo ya bomoi na bango ekowumela te lokola elili.
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.
Ezali lisusu na eloko moko ya pamba oyo elekaka na mokili: bato ya sembo bazwaka lifuti oyo ebongi na bato mabe, mpe bato mabe bazwaka lifuti oyo ebongi na bato ya sembo. Nazali koloba solo ete wana mpe ezali kaka pamba.
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.
Bongo, nakumisaki esengo, pamba te ezali na eloko moko te na se ya moyi oyo eleki malamu mpo na moto, soki kaka te kolia, komela mpe kosepela. Boye esengo esengeli kobila ye kati na mosala na ye mikolo nyonso ya bomoi oyo Nzambe apesa ye na se ya moyi.
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),
Tango natiaki mayele na ngai mpo na koluka koyeba bwanya mpe kososola mosala ya moto kati na mokili, —ata soki miso na ye ezwaka pongi te, ezala na moyi to na butu—
17 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he will not find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he will not be able to find it.
namonaki nyonso oyo Nzambe asala. Moto moko te akoki kososola makambo oyo elekaka na se ya moyi. Soki asali makasi mpo na koyeba, akotikala te kososola tina na yango; mpe ata soki moto ya bwanya abeti tolo ete ayebi, akotikala kaka kososola yango te.
