Ɔsɛnkafo 8
1 Hena na ɔte sɛ onyansafo? Hena na onim sɛnea nneɛma te? Nimdeɛ te nnipa anim, na ɛbrɛ ne denyɛ ase.
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 Mise: Di ɔhene mmaransɛm so, efisɛ wokaa ntam wɔ Onyankopɔn anim.
I advise you to obey the king's command because of God's oath to protect him.
3 Mpɛ ntɛm mfi ɔhene anim. Nnyina mu mma obi asɛm a ɛnyɛ dɛ na onii no anyɛ nea ɔpɛ biara.
Do not hurry out of his presence, and do not stand in support of something wrong, for the king does whatever he desires.
4 Esiane sɛ ɔhene asɛm boro obiara de so nti, hena na obetumi aka akyerɛ no se: “Dɛn na woreyɛ yi?”
The king's word rules, so who will say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 Nea odi ne mmaransɛm so no renkɔ ɔhaw biara mu, na nyansa koma behu bere a ɛsɛ, ne ne kwan.
Whoever keeps the king's commands avoids harm. A wise man's heart recognizes the proper course and time of action.
6 Nneyɛe biara wɔ ne bere a ɛfata ne kwan a wɔfa so yɛ, nanso onipa haw hyɛ no so bebree.
For every matter there is a correct response and a time to respond, because the troubles of man are great.
7 Esiane sɛ obiara nnim daakye asɛm nti, hena na obetumi akyerɛ ɔfoforo nea ɛreba?
No one knows what is coming next. Who can tell him what is coming?
8 Obiara nni mframa so tumi na waboa ano; saa ara na obiara nni ne wuda so tumi. Sɛ wonnyaa obiara wɔ ɔko bere mu no, saa ara na amumɔyɛ rennyaa wɔn a wodi amumɔyɛsɛm no.
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 Mihuu eyinom nyinaa bere a medwenee nneɛma a wɔyɛ wɔ owia yi ase no ho. Bere bi wɔ hɔ a onipa hyɛ afoforo so ma ɛdan ɔhaw ma no.
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 Bio, mihuu sɛ wɔasie amumɔyɛfo, wɔn a anka wodi akɔneaba wɔ kronkronbea hɔ de gye nkamfo wɔ kuropɔn a wɔyɛɛ saa no mu. Eyi nso yɛ ahuhude.
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 Sɛ bɔne bi ho asotwe amma ntɛm a, nnipa dwene nhyehyɛe a wɔde yɛ bɔne ho.
When a sentence against an evil crime is not executed quickly, it entices the hearts of human beings to do evil.
12 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ omumɔyɛfo bi yɛ bɔne mpɛn ɔha nanso ɔtena ase kyɛ, nanso minim sɛ ebesi wɔn a wosuro Onyankopɔn no yiye, wɔn a wodi Onyankopɔn ni no.
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 Nanso esiane sɛ amumɔyɛfo nsuro Onyankopɔn nti, ɛrensi wɔn yiye na wɔn nna renware sɛ sunsuma.
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 Ade bi nso a ɛyɛ ahuhude a esi wɔ asase so, ɛne sɛ, atreneefo bi nya akatua a ɛfata amumɔyɛfo, na amumɔyɛfo bi nya akatua a ɛfata atreneefo. Eyi nso, mise ɛyɛ ahuhude.
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 Enti mekamfo wiase mu anigye, efisɛ biribiara nni owia yi ase a eye ma onipa sen sɛ obedidi, anom ama nʼani agye. Na afei obenya anigye wɔ nʼadwumayɛ mu wɔ nna a Onyankopɔn ama no wɔ owia yi ase nyinaa.
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 Bere a mepɛ sɛ mɛte nimdeɛ ase ne ɔbrɛ adwuma a onipa yɛ wɔ asase so a ɔnna awia anaa anadwo no,
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 mihuu nea Onyankopɔn ayɛ nyinaa. Obiara rentumi nte nea ɛkɔ so wɔ owia yi ase no ase. Ne mmɔdemmɔ nyinaa akyi, onipa rentumi nhu nkyerɛase da. Sɛ mpo onyansafo bi ka se onim a, ɔrentumi nte ase yiye da.
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.
