Ecclesiastes 8
1 Mwet lalmwetmet mukena pa etu lah mea na pwaye kalmen ma uh. Lalmwetmet uh oru elos israsr srisrik ac tia ngetnget in sulung.
Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.
2 Oru ma tokosra el fahk, ac nik kom oru kutena wuleang ingunyar nu sin God.
I [say], Keep the king's commandment, and [that] on account of the oath of God.
3 Tokosra el ku in oru kutena ma el lungse, ke ma inge fahsr liki yen el muta we, ac nimet muta in acn sensen se inge.
Be not hasty to go out of his sight; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatever pleaseth him,
4 Tokosra el orekma ke ku lun wal lal; wangin mwet ku in kusen siyuk ke ma el oru.
because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Ke lusen na pacl kom akos sap lal, wangin ma koluk ac sikyak nu sum; ac sie mwet lalmwetmet el etu lah pia pacl wo, ac el ac oru fuka ma inge.
Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.
6 Oasr pacl wo se, ac inkanek pwaye se in oru kutena ma, tuh sriklana etu lasr!
For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;
7 Wangin sesr etu lah mea ac sikyak uh, ac wangin mwet in fahkma nu sesr.
for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?
8 Wangin sie mwet oasr ku la fin ngun, ac wangin sie ku in kolla len in misa lal. Pa inge sie mweun kut koflana kaingkunla. Kom ac tia ku in molla kom fin oru na ma koluk.
There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
9 Nga liye ma inge nukewa ke nga sang insiuk in arulana nunku ke ma orek fin facl se inge — sie facl su kutu mwet uh funmweti kutu, ac kewana ac keok.
All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.
10 Aok, nga liye ke mwet koluk uh pukpuki in kulyuk lalos, sruk ke elos moul elos uti utyak nu in acn mutal. Na ke mwet uh folok liki kulyuk uh elos kaksakin mwet misa inge in siti se na ma elos tuh oru ma koluk we. Ma inge wangin sripa.
And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from [the] holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.
11 Efu ku mwet uh pulaikna in oru ma koluk? Mweyen kaiyen ma koluk uh pahtla in orek.
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Sie mwet koluk el ku in orala ma koluk pacl siofok ac loesna moul lal. Tusruktu nga etu na pwaye lah, “Elos su sangeng sin God ac akfulatyal pa ac wo nu se,
Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;
13 a ac tia wo nu sin mwet koluk uh. Moul lalos oana sie ohk, ac elos fah fusr na misa, mweyen elos tiana sangeng sin God.”
but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.
14 Tusruktu ma inge wangin pac sripa. Liyewin ma sikyak fin faclu: kutu pacl uh kaiyuk mwet suwoswos uh oana mwet koluk, ac mwet koluk elos eis mwe insewowo ma fal nu sin mwet suwoswos. Nga ku in fahk mu arulana wangin sripa.
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous [men] unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked [men] to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
15 Ke ma inge nga arulana akkeye tuh sie mwet in engan ke moul lal, mweyen pwayena mwe akwoyal in moul se inge pa in mongo, ac nim, ac insewowo ke ma su oasr yorol. Pa inge ma el ku in oru ke pacl el orekma in moul se inge su God El sang nu sel fin faclu.
And I commended mirth, because there is nothing better for man 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 hath given him under the sun.
16 Pacl nukewa nga tuh srike in eis lalmwetmet ac lutlut ke ma orek fin faclu, nga akilenak lah mwet se ku in ngetngetna ac tia motul ke fong ac len,
When I applied my 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 ac tiana ku in kalem ke ma God El oru. Mwet se finne suk ke kuiyal, el tia ku in konauk. Mwet lalmwetmet uh ac ku in fahk mu elos etu, tusruktu elos tiana etu.
then I saw that all [is] the work of God, [and] that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek [it] out, yet doth he not find [it]; and even, if a wise [man] think to know [it], he shall not be able to find [it] out.
