< Mhubiri 8 >
1 Ni mtu gani mwenye hekima? Ambaye anafahamu matukio yana maana gani katika maisha? Hekima ndani ya mtu husababisha uso wake kung'ara, na ugumu wa uso wake hubadilika.
The wisdom of a man shines in his countenance, and even the expression of a most powerful man will change.
2 Ninakushauri kuitii amri ya mfalme kwa sababu ya kiapo cha Mungu cha kumlinda yeye.
I heed the mouth of the king, and the commandment of an oath to God.
3 Usiharakishe kuondoka mbele ya uwepo wake, na usisimame kuunga mkono jambo lisilofaa, kwa kuwa mfalme anafanya chochote anacho tamani.
You should not hastily withdraw from his presence, nor should you remain in an evil work. For all that pleases him, he will do.
4 Neno la mfalme hutawala, kwa hiyo ni nani atakaye mwambia, 'Unafanya nini?
And his word is filled with authority. Neither is anyone able to say to him: “Why are you acting this way?”
5 Yeyote ashikaye amri za mfalme hukwepa madhara. Moyo wa mwenye hekima hutambua mwelekeo muafaka na muda wa kuenda.
Whoever keeps the commandment will not experience evil. The heart of a wise man understands the time to respond.
6 Kwa kuwa kila jambo lina jibu sahihi, na wakati wa kujibu, kwa sababu taabu ya mtu ni kubwa.
For every matter, there is a time and an opportunity, as well as many difficulties, for man.
7 Hakuna anaye fahamu kinacho fuata. Ni nani awezaye kumwambia nini kinacho kuja?
For he is ignorant of the past, and he is able to know nothing of the future by means of a messenger.
8 Hakuna mwenye uwezo juu ya roho aizuie roho; wala hana mamlaka juu ya siku ya kufa; wala hakuna kuruhusiwa katika vita vile; wala uovu hautamwokoa yule aliyeuzoea.
It is not in the power of a man to prohibit the spirit, nor does he have authority over the day of death, nor is he permitted to rest when war breaks out, and neither will impiety save the impious.
9 Mambo hayo yote nimeyaona, nikatia moyo wangu katika kila kazi iliyofanyika chini ya jua. Kuna wakati ambapo mtu mmoja anayo mamlaka juu ya mwenziwe kwa hasira yake.
I have considered all these things, and I have applied my heart to all the works which are being done under the sun. Sometimes one man rules over another to his own harm.
10 Hivyo niliwaona wabaya wakizikwa hadharani. Waliondolewa mahali patakatifu na kuzikwa mahali waliposifiwa na watu katika mji walipokuwa wamefanya matendo maovu. Hii nayo haifai.
I have seen the impious buried. These same, while they were still living, were in the holy place, and they were praised in the city as workers of justice. But this, too, is emptiness.
11 Wakati hukumu dhidi ya tendo ovu haihukumiwi haraka, hushawishi mioyo ya wanadamu kutenda ubaya.
For the sons of men perpetrate evils without any fear, because judgment is not pronounced quickly against the evil.
12 Hata kama mwenye dhambi afanye uovu mara mia moja na bado aishi kwa muda mrefu, bado ninafahamu itakuwa vyema kwa wale wanao muheshimu Mungu, wanaouheshimu uwepo wake walio nao.
But although a sinner may do evil of himself one hundred times, and by patience still endure, I realize that it will be well with those who fear God, who revere his face.
13 Lakini haitakuwa vyema kwa mtu mwovu; mkewe hatacheleweshwa. Siku zake kama kizuri kitowekacho upesi, kwa sababu hamuheshimu Mungu.
So, may it not go well with the impious, and may his days not be prolonged. And let those who do not fear the face of the Lord pass away like a shadow.
14 Kuna mvuke mwingine usio faa, jambo jingine linaofanyika juu ya dunia. Mambo hutokea kwa watu wenye haki kama yatokeavyo kwa watu waovu, na mambo hutokea kwa wenye haki kama yatokeavyo kwa waovu. Ninasema hili pia ni mvuke usiofaa.
There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are the just, to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the impious. And there are the impious, who are very secure, as though they possess the deeds of the just. But this, too, I judge to be a very great vanity.
15 Kwa hiyo nikapendekeza furaha, kwa sababu mtu hana jambo bora chini ya jua zaidi ya kula na kunywa na kuwa na furaha. furaha ndiyo itamfuata katika kazi zake kwa siku zote za maisha yake ambayo Mungu amempa chini ya jua.
And so, I praised rejoicing, because there was no good for a man under the sun, except to eat and drink, and to be cheerful, and because he may take nothing with him from his labor in the days of his life, which God has given to him under the sun.
16 Nikauweka moyo wangu kufamu hekima na kufahamu kazi inayofanyika juu ya nchi, kazi ambayo inafanyika mara nyingi pasipo kufumba macho usiku au mchana.
And I applied my heart, so that I might know wisdom, and so that I might understand a disturbance that turns upon the earth: it is a man, who takes no sleep with his eyes, day and night.
17 Kisha nika tafakari matendo yote ya Mungu, na kwamba mtu hawezi kuelewa kazi inayofanyika chini ya jua. Bila kujali mtu anafanya kupata majibu, hatayapata. Ingawa mwenye hekima anaweza kuamini anajua, kitu kweli hajui.
And I understood that man is able to find no explanation for all those works of God which are done under the sun. And so, the more that he labors to seek, so much the less does he find. Yes, even if a wise man were to claim that he knows, he would not be able to discover it.