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 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.
2 Nguga atĩrĩ, athĩkagĩra rĩathani rĩa mũthamaki, nĩ ũndũ nĩwehĩtire ũrĩ mbere ya Ngai.
Keep the king's command, because of the oath to God.
3 Ndũkahiũhage kwehera harĩ mũthamaki. Ndũgekage ũndũ mũũru, nĩgũkorwo we ekaga ũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩmũkenia.
Do not be hasty to go out of his presence. Do not persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,
4 Na tondũ uuge wa mũthamaki ũrĩ hinya-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩhota kũmũũria kĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa ũreka?”
for the king's word is supreme. Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
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.
Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.
6 Nĩgũkorwo ũndũ o wothe nĩ ũrĩ ihinda rĩrĩa rĩagĩrĩire, na njĩra ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire ya kũwĩka, o na gũtuĩka thĩĩna wa mũndũ nĩũmũritũhagĩra mũno.
For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.
7 Tondũ gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩmenya maũndũ marĩa makaamũkora-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩmwĩra maũndũ marĩa magooka?
For he doesn't know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will 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 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.
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 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.
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.
So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from the holy place. They went and were praised in the city where they did this. This also is 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 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.
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 lengthen days like a shadow; because he doesn't fear 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 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.
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 has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and 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.
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 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),
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 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.
