Mpitoriteny 8
1 Iza no toy ny hendry? Ary iza no mahalala izay anton-javatra? Ny fahendren’ ny olona mahamiramirana ny tarehiny, ary voaova ny fahadontoan’ ny endriny.
[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 Hoy izaho: Tandremo ny didin’ ny mpanjaka noho ny efa nianianana tamin’ Andriamanitra.
You solemnly promised God that you would obey what the king commands, so do that.
3 Aza malaky miala eo anatrehany; aza mikikitra amin’ ny fanaovan-dratsy; fa na inona na inona sitrany dia azony atao avokoa;
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 fa ny tenin’ ny mpanjaka dia misy hery, ka iza no mahazo manao aminy hoe: Inona no ataonao?
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 Izay mitandrina ny didy tsy mba mikambana amin’ ny fanaovan-dratsy; ary ny fon’ ny hendry dia mahalala fotoana sy fitsarana;
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 fa samy manana ny fotoany sy ny fitsarana azy avy ny hevitra rehetra, satria efa be ny heloky ny olona.
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 Fa tsy mahafantatra izay ho avy izy; fa iza no hampahafantatra azy izay hihaviany?
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 Tsy misy olona manan-kery hahatana ny ainy, na manan-kery ny amin’ ny andro hahafatesana; ary tsy misy fahafahana amin’ ny ady, ary ny ratsy fanahy tsy ho voavonjin’ ny faharatsiany.
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 Izany rehetra izany dia efa hitako avokoa tamin’ ny nampiasako ny foko nandinika ny asa rehetra atao atỳ ambanin’ ny masoandro. Misy andro anapahan’ ny olona ny namany ka ampidirany loza aminy.
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 Ary tamin’ izany dia hitako ny ratsy fanahy nalevina ka tafiditra; fa izay nanao ny marina kosa dia lasa niala tamin’ ny fitoeran’ ny masìna ka nohadinoina tao an-tanàna; zava-poana koa izany.
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 Saingy tsy tanterahina vetivety ny famaliana ny ratsy atao, dia izany no ikirizan’ ny fon’ ny zanak’ olombelona amin’ ny fanaovan-dratsy.
If evil people are not immediately punished, it causes [other] people [SYN] to [also] want to do evil things.
12 Eny, fa na dia manao ratsy injato aza ny mpanota ka ela velona ihany, dia fantatro kosa fa hisy soa ho an’ izay matahotra an’ Andriamanitra, dia izay matahotra eo anatrehany.
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 Fa tsy hisy soa ho an’ ny ratsy fanahy; fa ho toy ny aloka izy ka tsy haharitra ela, satria tsy matahotra eo anatrehan’ Andriamanitra.
[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 Izao koa no zava-poana izay atao atỳ ambonin’ ny tany: Misy olo-marina iharan’ izay tokony ho valin’ ny asa ratsy; ary misy olo-meloka mahazo izay tokony ho valin’ ny asa marina; hoy izaho: Zava-poana koa izany.
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 Dia noderaiko ny fifaliana, satria tsy misy mahasoa ny olona atỳ ambanin’ ny masoandro afa-tsy ny mihinana sy ny misotro ary ny miravoravo, ka hisy izany amin’ ny fisasarany mandritra ny andro hiainany, izay nomen’ Andriamanitra azy atỳ ambanin’ ny masoandro.
[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 Raha nampiasaiko ny foko hahalala fahendrena sy hahita ny raharaha atao atỳ ambonin’ ny tany (fa misy tsy mahita torimaso na andro na alina),
I thought about being wise and about people who work very hard, working day and night and not taking time to sleep.
17 dia hitako avokoa ny asan’ Andriamanitra, fa tsy takatry ny sain’ ny olona ny asa atao atỳ ambanin’ ny masoandro; koa na dia mikely aina hitady izany aza ny olona, tsy ho hitany; eny, na ny hendry aza no manao hahafantatra izany, dia tsy ho azony fantarina akory.
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.
