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.
Who is a wise man? Who knows what the events in life mean? Wisdom in a man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
2 Asị m, debe iwu eze, nʼihi iyi ị ṅụrụ nʼihu Chineke.
I advise you to obey the king's command because of God's oath to protect him.
3 Emela ngwangwa isi nʼihu eze pụọ. Akwagidela ihe ọjọọ nʼihi na ọ ga-eme ihe masịrị ya.
Do not hurry out of his presence, and do not stand in support of something wrong, for the king does whatever he desires.
4 Nʼihi na okwu eze nwere ike ọ dịghị onye pụrụ ịjụ ya, Gịnị ka ị na-eme?
The king's word rules, so who will say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 Onye na-edebe iwu eze agaghị adaba na nsogbu. Onye maara ihe na-ama mgbe kwesiri na ụzọ kwesiri ime ihe.
Whoever keeps the king's commands avoids harm. A wise man's heart recognizes the proper course and time of action.
6 Ihe niile nwere oge kwesiri ya, ụzọ e si eme ha dịkwa, ọ bụ ezie na nsogbu mmadụ dị ukwuu nʼahụ ya.
For every matter there is a correct response and a time to respond, because the troubles of man are great.
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 is coming next. Who can tell him what is coming?
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.
No one is ruler over his breath so as to stop the breath, and no one has power over the day of his death. No one is discharged from the army during a battle, and wickedness will not rescue those who are its slaves.
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 have realized all this; I have applied my heart to every kind of work that is done under the sun. There is a time when a person oppresses another person to that person's hurt.
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.
So I saw the wicked buried publicly. They were taken from the holy area and buried and were praised by people in the city where they had done their wicked deeds. This also is uselessness.
11 Nʼihi na e nyeghị ntaramahụhụ mmehie mgbe o kwesiri, obi ndị mmadụ na-ejupụta nʼatụmatụ ime mmehie.
When a sentence against an evil crime is not executed quickly, it entices the hearts of human beings to do evil.
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.
Even though a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives a long time, yet I know that it will be better for those who respect God, for those who stand before him and show him respect.
13 Nʼihi na ndị ajọ omume adịghị atụ egwu Chineke, ọ gaghị adịrị ha na mma, ụbọchị ndụ ha agaghị agbatịkwa ogologo dịka onyinyo.
But it will not go well for a wicked man; his life will not be prolonged. His days are like a fleeting shadow because he does not honor God.
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.
There is another useless vapor—something else that is done on the earth. Things happen to righteous people as they happen to wicked people, and things happen to wicked people as they happen to righteous people. I say that this also is useless vapor.
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 recommend happiness, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and drink and to be happy. It is happiness that will accompany him in his labor for all the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
16 Mgbe m wepụtara obi m ịchọ amamihe na ịghọta ọrụ mmadụ nʼokpuru anyanwụ nke mere na ọ naghị ehi ụra ehihie na abalị,
When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to understand the work that is done on the earth, work often done without sleep for the eyes at night or in the day,
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 considered all of God's deeds, and that man cannot understand the work that is done under the sun. No matter how much a man labors to find the answers, he will not find them. Even though a wise man might believe he knows, he really does not.
