Kohelethu 8
1 Nũũ ũtariĩ ta mũndũ ũrĩa mũũgĩ? Ningĩ nũũ ũngĩmenya gũtaũra maũndũ? Ũũgĩ nĩguo ũtũmaga ũthiũ wa mũndũ ũkenge, na ũgatũma gũthita gĩthiithi gwake kũgarũrũke.
Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
2 Nguga atĩrĩ, athĩkagĩra rĩathani rĩa mũthamaki, nĩ ũndũ nĩwehĩtire ũrĩ mbere ya Ngai.
I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
3 Ndũkahiũhage kwehera harĩ mũthamaki. Ndũgekage ũndũ mũũru, nĩgũkorwo we ekaga ũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩmũkenia.
Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
4 Na tondũ uuge wa mũthamaki ũrĩ hinya-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩhota kũmũũria kĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa ũreka?”
Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Mũndũ ũrĩa wothe wathĩkagĩra watho wake ndakoona ũũru, nayo ngoro ya mũndũ mũũgĩ ĩkũũranaga gwathĩkĩra mũthamaki ihinda rĩrĩa rĩagĩrĩire, ningĩ na njĩra ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire.
Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
6 Nĩgũkorwo ũndũ o wothe nĩ ũrĩ ihinda rĩrĩa rĩagĩrĩire, na njĩra ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire ya kũwĩka, o na gũtuĩka thĩĩna wa mũndũ nĩũmũritũhagĩra mũno.
Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
7 Tondũ gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩmenya maũndũ marĩa makaamũkora-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩmwĩra maũndũ marĩa magooka?
For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
8 Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota gwatha rũhuho agirie rũhurutane; ũguo noguo gũtarĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota kũgirĩrĩria mũthenya wake wa gũkua. O ta ũrĩa gũtarĩ mũndũ ũheagwo rũũtha hĩndĩ ya mbaara, ũguo noguo waganu ũtangĩhonokia mũndũ ũrĩa ũwĩkaga.
There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath 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.
9 Maũndũ macio mothe nĩndamoonire, o ndĩĩrutanĩirie kũmenya ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa mothe mekagwo gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa. Nĩ kũrĩ hĩndĩ mũndũ agĩĩaga na ũhoti wa gwathaga andũ arĩa angĩ, nake agethũkia we mwene.
All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
10 O na ningĩ ngĩona andũ arĩa aaganu magĩthikwo, o acio maathiiaga na makoima handũ-harĩa-haamũre, nao magakumagio kũu itũũra-inĩ inene kũrĩa meekagĩra maũndũ macio. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo no wa tũhũ.
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.
11 Rĩrĩa gwĩka ũũru kwaga kũherithio narua-rĩ, ngoro cia andũ ikĩragĩrĩria gũthugunda gwĩka ũũru.
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.
12 O na mũndũ mwaganu angĩĩka maũndũ mooru maita igana na atũũre muoyo ihinda iraaya-rĩ, nĩnjũũĩ na ma atĩ andũ arĩa metigĩrĩte Ngai nĩmakona maũndũ mega, o acio mahooyaga marĩ mbere ya Ngai.
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:
13 No rĩrĩ, tondũ andũ arĩa aaganu matiĩtigagĩra Ngai-rĩ, matikoona maũndũ mega, na matukũ mao matikaraiha ta kĩĩruru.
But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
14 Na nĩ kũrĩ ũndũ ũngĩ wa tũhũ wĩkĩkaga gũkũ thĩ: naguo nĩ atĩ andũ arĩa athingu nĩmakoragwo nĩ maũndũ marĩa magĩrĩire gũkora andũ arĩa aaganu, ningĩ atĩ andũ arĩa aaganu nĩmakoragwo nĩ maũndũ marĩa magĩrĩire gũkora andũ arĩa athingu. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo, nguga atĩrĩ, no wa tũhũ.
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.
15 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngũgaathĩrĩria gĩkeno kĩa mũtũũrĩre, tondũ gũtirĩ ũndũ ũngĩ mwega wa mũndũ gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa gũkĩra kũrĩa, na kũnyua, na gũkena. Nakĩo gĩkeno gĩtũũre kĩrũmanĩrĩire nake wĩra-inĩ wake matukũ mothe ma muoyo marĩa Ngai amũheete gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa.
Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
16 Rĩrĩa ndeerutanĩirie kũmenya ũhoro wa ũũgĩ na kuona wĩra ũrĩa mũndũ arutaga gũkũ thĩ, tondũ nĩ kũrĩ mũndũ maitho make matoonaga toro mũthenya kana ũtukũ,
When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes: )
17 hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩkĩona maũndũ marĩa mothe Ngai ekĩte. Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota kũmenya ũrĩa gũthiiaga na mbere gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa. O na mũndũ angĩtuĩria na kĩyo gĩake gĩothe, ndangĩhota kũmenya gĩtũmi kĩa ũndũ ũcio. O na mũndũ mũũgĩ angĩĩtua atĩ nĩoĩ, ndangĩhota gũtaũkĩrwo kũna nĩ ũndũ ũcio.
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 labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
