Ekiliziastis 8
1 Onye dị ka onye amamihe? Onye maara nkọwa ihe? Amamihe na-enyekwa ihu ya ihe, na-emekwa ka mgbarụ nke ihu ya gbanwee.
[I will tell you about] those who are truly wise [RHQ] with the result that they can explain why everything happens. Being wise enables people to be happy [MTY] and enables them to smile.
2 Asị m, debe iwu eze, nʼihi iyi ị ṅụrụ nʼihu Chineke.
You solemnly promised God that you would obey what the king commands, so do that.
3 Emela ngwangwa isi nʼihu eze pụọ. Akwagidela ihe ọjọọ nʼihi na ọ ga-eme ihe masịrị ya.
Do not quickly disobey the king. And do not join those who want to rebel against him, because the king will do what he wants to do.
4 Nʼihi na okwu eze nwere ike ọ dịghị onye pụrụ ịjụ ya, Gịnị ka ị na-eme?
We need to obey what the king says more than we need to obey what anyone else says; no one can say to the king, “(Why are you doing that?/You should not be doing that.) [RHQ]”
5 Onye na-edebe iwu eze agaghị adaba na nsogbu. Onye maara ihe na-ama mgbe kwesiri na ụzọ kwesiri ime ihe.
If you obey what the king commands, he will not harm you. [So] be wise, and know the correct/right time to do things and the right way to do them.
6 Ihe niile nwere oge kwesiri ya, ụzọ e si eme ha dịkwa, ọ bụ ezie na nsogbu mmadụ dị ukwuu nʼahụ ya.
Although people experience many troubles/difficulties, there is a right/correct time to do things, and there is a right/correct way [to do them].
7 Ebe ọ bụ na o nweghị onye mara ihe na-aga ime, onye pụrụ ịgwa ibe ya ihe gaje ime?
No one knows what will happen in the future, so there is no one [RHQ] who can tell us what is going to happen.
8 Ọ dịghị onye nwere ike igbochi mmụọ mmadụ mgbe ọ chọrọ. Ọ dịghị onye nwere ike igbochi ụbọchị ọnwụ ya. Dịka o si sie ike izighachi mmadụ azụ nʼoge agha, otu a ka o si sie ike ajọ omume ịtọghapụ ndị na-eme ihe ọjọọ.
We cannot control the wind, and we cannot control when we will die. Soldiers are not permitted to go home during a battle, and evil people will not be saved by [doing what is] evil.
9 Ihe ndị a niile ka m hụrụ, mgbe m na-atụgharị uche banyere ihe niile a na-eme nʼokpuru anyanwụ. Mgbe ụfọdụ, mmadụ na-emegide ibe ya si otu a wetara onwe ya nsogbu.
I thought about all those things, and I thought about all [HYP] the other things that happen on this earth. I saw that [sometimes] people cause those whom they control to suffer.
10 Ọzọkwa, ahụrụ m ebe e liri ndị ajọ omume, ndị na-abata na apụkwa site nʼebe dị nsọ, a na-etokwa ha nʼobodo ebe ha mere ihe ndị a. Nke a bụkwa nnọọ ihe na-enweghị isi; ihe efu.
I also saw that [sometimes] after evil [people] die, they are highly honored at their funerals by the people in the cities where they had done [evil] deeds. It seemed to be difficult to understand why that happens.
11 Nʼihi na e nyeghị ntaramahụhụ mmehie mgbe o kwesiri, obi ndị mmadụ na-ejupụta nʼatụmatụ ime mmehie.
If evil people are not immediately punished, it causes [other] people [SYN] to [also] want to do evil things.
12 Onye ajọ omume nwere ike mee narị mmehie bikwaa ogologo ndụ, ma amara m na ọ ga-adịrị ndị na-atụ egwu Chineke mma karịa, bụ ndị na-atụ egwu nʼihu Chineke.
But even if sinful people commit 100 crimes, and [even if they] live for a long time, I know that things will go better for those who greatly respect and revere God.
13 Nʼihi na ndị ajọ omume adịghị atụ egwu Chineke, ọ gaghị adịrị ha na mma, ụbọchị ndụ ha agaghị agbatịkwa ogologo dịka onyinyo.
[I also know] that things will not go well go for those who are evil, because they do not revere God. Shadows [do not last a long time]. Similarly [SIM], evil people will not live a long time.
14 Ọ dị ihe ọzọ na-enweghị isi nʼụwa: ndị ezi omume na-anata ntaramahụhụ dịrị ndị na-emebi iwu. Ndị na-emebi iwu na-anata ụgwọ ọrụ ruru ndị ezi omume. Nʼezie, ihe ndị a niile bụ ihe efu, ha enweghị isi.
Another thing that [sometimes] happens on this earth is that bad things happen to righteous people, and good things happen to evil people. It is difficult to understand why that happens.
15 Ya mere, ana m ekwupụta, na ikpori ezi ndụ dị mma, nʼihi na ọ dịghị ihe ka mma nye mmadụ nʼokpuru anyanwụ, karịa iri, na ịṅụ, na inwe obi ụtọ. Mgbe ahụ ọ ga-enwe obi ụtọ nʼọrụ ọ na-arụ nʼụbọchị niile nke Chineke nyere ya nʼokpuru anyanwụ.
[So] I decided that I would recommend that people be happy while they are alive, because the best thing that people can do here on this earth is to eat and drink and be happy. Enjoying doing those things will help people while they do their work, all the time that God has given to them to remain alive here on the earth.
16 Mgbe m wepụtara obi m ịchọ amamihe na ịghọta ọrụ mmadụ nʼokpuru anyanwụ nke mere na ọ naghị ehi ụra ehihie na abalị,
I thought about being wise and about people who work very hard, working day and night and not taking time to sleep.
17 mgbe ahụ ka m chọpụtara ihe Chineke mere. O nweghị onye pụrụ ịghọta ihe na-aga nʼokpuru anyanwụ. Otu ọbụla mmadụ siri gbalịa o nweghị ike ịchọpụta ihe ọ pụtara. Onye maara ihe pụrụ ị sị na a amatala ya, ma nʼezie ọ maghị ya.
Then I thought about everything [HYP] that God has done, and I realized that no one can understand everything that happens here on this earth. Truly, people are not able to fully understand everything [that God understands], even if they try hard to do that. Even if wise people claim that they understand it all, they cannot.
