Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is as the wise man? and who knows the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
Ngubani onjengomuntu ohlakaniphileyo na? Ngubani oyaziyo ingcazelo yezinto na? Ukuhlakanipha kuyabukhanyisa ubuso bomuntu njalo kuguqula ukunyukubala kwabo.
2 I counsel you to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
Ngithi hlonipha umlayo wenkosi ngoba wenza isifungo phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he does whatever pleases him.
Ungawalazeli ukusuka phambi kwenkosi. Ungalumeli ulutho nxa lungaqondanga ngoba yona ingenza loba yini eyithandayo.
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say to him, What do you?
Njengoba ilizwi lenkosi lingaphikiswa ngubani ongathi kuyo, “Kanti wenzani?”
5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.
Lowo ohlonipha imilayo yayo akayikwehlelwa ngokubi, lenhliziyo ehlakaniphileyo iyasazi isikhathi lendlela yokwenza.
6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great on him.
Ngoba into yonke ilesikhathi esiqondileyo lendlela yokwenza eqondileyo, lanxa umuntu eyabe esindwa yizinkathazo zakhe.
7 For he knows not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
Njengoba kungekho muntu olaziyo ikusasa, ngubani pho ongamtshela okuzayo na?
8 There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Njengoba kungelamuntu olamandla phezu komoyo ovunguzayo Akulamuntu olamandla phezu kosuku lwakhe lokufa. Njengoba ibutho lingakhululwa ngesikhathi sempi, kunjalo ukuxhwala akuyikubakhulula labo abaphila ngakho.
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man rules over another to his own hurt.
Konke lokhu ngakubona lapho ngangihlolisisa ngengqondo yami konke okwenziwayo ngaphansi kwelanga. Kukhona isikhathi lapho umuntu aphatha khona abanye ngochuku kanti uyazilimaza yena.
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
Ngabona njalo ababi bengcwatshwa, labo ababehlala befika bahambe endaweni engcwele bazuze udumo kulelodolobho ababeganga khona. Khona lakho kuyize.
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.
Nxa isigwebo secala singenziwanga masinyane, abantu basuka bacabange ukuqhubeka ngokuganga kwabo.
12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
Loba umuntu ogangileyo engenza amacala alikhulu ajinge aphile okwesikhathi eside, ngiyazi ukuthi kuzakuba ngcono kulabo abamesabayo uNkulunkulu, abazithobayo kuNkulunkulu.
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he fears not before God.
Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi izixhwali kazimesabi uNkulunkulu, kakuzukuzilungela, lezinsuku zazo kaziyukweluleka njengesithunzi.
14 There is a vanity which is done on the earth; that there be just men, to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.
Kukhona njalo enye into eyize eyenzakalayo emhlabeni: abantu abalungileyo abazuza okufanele ababi, labantu ababi abazuza okufanele abalungileyo. Ngithi lokhu lakho kudida ingqondo.
15 Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun.
Ngakho-ke ngikhuthaza ukuzithokozisa empilweni ngoba kakukho okungcono emuntwini ngaphansi kwelanga kulokuzitika, unathe, uthokoze. Lapho-ke injabulo izahlala injalo kuye emsebenzini wakhe zonke insuku zokuphila kwakhe aziphiwe nguNkulunkulu lapha emhlabeni.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night sees sleep with his eyes: )
Ngathi ngibeka ingqondo yami ekwazini ukuhlakanipha lokunanzelela imisebenzi yabantu emhlabeni, umuntu engalali imini lobusuku,
17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yes farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
ngasengibona konke uNkulunkulu akwenzileyo. Kakho ongaqedisisa okwenzakalayo ngaphansi kwelanga. Loba umuntu ohlakaniphileyo angazitshaya owaziyo, kodwa angeke akuqedisise.
