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.
Ngubani onjengohlakaniphileyo? Ngubani-ke owazi ukuchasiswa kolutho? Inhlakanipho yomuntu iyakhanyisa ubuso bakhe, lobulukhuni bobuso bakhe buyaguqulwa.
2 I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God.
Ngithi: Gcina umlayo wenkosi, lanjengokwesifungo sikaNkulunkulu.
3 Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,
Ungaphangisi ukusuka phambi kwayo, ungemi edabeni olubi, ngoba yenza konke ekuthandayo.
4 for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Lapho okulelizwi lenkosi khona kulamandla; njalo ngubani ongathi kuyo: Wenzani?
5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.
Lowo ogcina umlayo kayikwazi into embi, lenhliziyo yohlakaniphileyo iyasazi isikhathi lokwahlulela.
6 For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.
Ngoba kulo lonke udaba kulesikhathi lokwahlulela, ngoba ububi bomuntu bukhulu phezu kwakhe.
7 For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?
Ngoba kakwazi ukuthi kuzakuba yini, ngoba ngubani ongamtshela ukuthi kuzakuba nini?
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.
Kakulamuntu olamandla phezu komoya ukubamba umoya, njalo kalamandla osukwini lokufa; njalo kakukho ukukhululwa kuleyompi, lobubi kabuyikukhulula abaninibo.
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.
Konke lokhu ngikubonile, nganikela inhliziyo yami emsebenzini wonke owenziwa ngaphansi kwelanga; kulesikhathi lapho umuntu abusa khona umuntu kube yikulimala kwakhe.
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.
Ngokunjalo-ke ngabona ababi bengcwatshwa, ababevela njalo baye endaweni engcwele, abasebekhohlakele emzini lapho ababenze khona okunjalo. Lokhu 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.
Ngoba isigwebo ngesenzo esibi singenziwa masinyane, ngenxa yalokho inhliziyo yabantwana babantu igcwele ngaphakathi kwabo ukwenza okubi.
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.
Lanxa isoni sisenza okubi izikhathi ezilikhulu, lensuku zaso zelulwe, kube kanti sibili ngiyazi ukuthi kuzabalungela labo abamesabayo uNkulunkulu, abesabayo phambi kwakhe.
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.
Kodwa omubi kakuyikumlungela; futhi kayikwelula insuku zakhe; unjengesithunzi ngoba kesabi phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
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.
Kukhona okuyize okwenziwayo emhlabeni, ukuthi bakhona abalungileyo abehlelwa njengokomsebenzi wababi, bakhona lababi abehlelwa njengokomsebenzi wabalungileyo. Ngathi: Lokhu lakho kuyize.
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.
Ngakho mina ngababaza intokozo; ngoba umuntu kalalutho oluhle ngaphansi kwelanga, ngaphandle kokudla lokunatha lokuthokoza, ngoba lokhu kuzahlala laye ekutshikatshikeni kwakhe ensukwini zempilo yakhe uNkulunkulu amnike zona ngaphansi kwelanga.
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),
Lapho nganikela inhliziyo ukwazi inhlakanipho lokubona umsebenzi owenziwa emhlabeni, (ngoba futhi ukhona ongaboni ubuthongo ngamehlo akhe emini lebusuku)
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.
ngasengibona wonke umsebenzi kaNkulunkulu ukuthi umuntu kalakho ukufumana umsebenzi owenziwayo ngaphansi kwelanga; ngoba lanxa umuntu etshikatshika ukukudinga, kube kanti kayikukufumana; yebo futhi, lanxa ohlakaniphileyo angathi uyazi, kayikuba lakho ukukuthola.
