Ɔsɛnkafoɔ 8
1 Hwan na ɔte sɛ onyansafoɔ? Hwan na ɔnim sɛdeɛ nneɛma teɛ? Nimdeɛ te nnipa anim na ɛbrɛ ne denyɛ ase.
Who is like the wise? and who knoweth [as well] the explanation of a thing? a man's wisdom enlighteneth his face, and the boldness of his face will be lessened.
2 Mese: Di ɔhene ɔhyɛ nsɛm so, ɛfiri sɛ wokaa ntam wɔ Onyankopɔn anim.
I [counsel thee], Keep the king's command, and that which regardeth the oath [to him taken] by God.
3 Mpɛ ntɛm mfiri ɔhene anim. Nnyina mu mma obi asɛm a ɛnyɛ dɛ, na onii no anyɛ deɛ ɔpɛ biara.
Be not hasty to go out of his presence; engage not in an evil thing; for whatsoever pleaseth him, can he do;
4 Esiane sɛ ɔhene asɛm boro obiara deɛ so enti, hwan na ɔbɛtumi aka akyerɛ no sɛ: “Ɛdeɛn na woreyɛ yi?”
Because the word of a king is powerful; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?—
5 Deɛ ɔdi ne nhyɛ nsɛm so no renkɔ ɔhaw biara mu, na nyansa akoma bɛhunu ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ, ne ne kwan.
Whoso keepeth the commandment will experience no evil thing: and a wise man's heart knoweth both time and the just consequence.
6 Adeyɛ biara wɔ ne ɛberɛ a ɛfata ne ɛkwan a wɔfa so yɛ, nanso onipa haw hyɛ no so bebree.
Because for every pursuit there is a time and a just consequence; for the evil of man [resteth] heavily upon him.
7 Esiane sɛ obiara nnim daakye asɛm enti, hwan na ɔbɛtumi akyerɛ no deɛ ɛreba?
For he knoweth not that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?
8 Obiara nni mframa so tumi na waboa ano; saa ara na obiara nni ne wuda so tumi. Na sɛdeɛ wɔmma obiara nkɔ ahomegyeɛ wɔ ɔko berɛ mu no, saa ara na amumuyɛ rennyaa wɔn a wɔdi amumuyɛsɛm.
No man hath control over the spirit to detain the spirit; and there is no control over the day of death; and there is no representation in that war; and wickedness will not deliver those that practise it.
9 Mehunuu yeinom nyinaa ɛberɛ a medwenee nneɛma a wɔyɛ wɔ owia yi ase ho. Ɛberɛ bi wɔ hɔ a onipa hyɛ afoforɔ so ma ɛdane ɔhaw ma no.
All this have I seen, and directed my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when one man ruleth over another to his own injury.
10 Bio, mehunuu sɛ wɔasie amumuyɛfoɔ, wɔn a anka wɔdi akɔneaba wɔ kronkronbea hɔ de gye nkamfo wɔ kuropɔn a wɔyɛɛ saa no mu. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
Then also did I see the wicked buried, who had gone to their rest; but those who had acted correctly had to go away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. Also this is vanity.
11 Sɛ bɔne bi ho asotwe amma ntɛm a, nnipa dwene nhyehyɛeɛ a wɔde yɛ bɔne ho.
Because the punishment against evil deeds is not executed speedily, therefore is the heart of the sons of men filled up in them to do evil.
12 Ɛwom sɛ omumuyɛfoɔ bi yɛ bɔne mpɛn ɔha nanso ɔtena ase kyɛ, nanso menim sɛ ɛbɛsi wɔn a wɔsuro Onyankopɔn no yie, wɔn a wɔdi Onyankopɔn ni no.
But let a sinner do evil a hundred times, and [God] withhold long his punishment from him; still do I truly know for certain that it will be well with those that fear God, because they are afraid of him;
13 Nanso ɛsiane sɛ amumuyɛfoɔ nsuro Onyankopɔn enti, ɛrensi wɔn yie na wɔn nna renware sɛ sunsumma.
And that it will not be well with the wicked, and that he will not endure many days, like the shadow; because he is not afraid of God.
14 Adeɛ bi nso a ɛyɛ ahuhudeɛ a ɛsi wɔ asase so, ɛne sɛ, ateneneefoɔ bi nya akatua a ɛfata amumuyɛfoɔ, na amumuyɛfoɔ bi nya akatua a ɛfata ateneneefoɔ. Yei nso, mese ɛyɛ ahuhudeɛ.
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men, unto whom it happeneth in accordance with the deeds of the wicked; again, there are wicked men, to whom it happeneth in accordance with the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
15 Enti mekamfo ewiase mu anigyeɛ, ɛfiri sɛ biribiara nni owia yi ase a ɛyɛ ma onipa sene sɛ ɔbɛdidi, anom ama nʼani agye. Na afei ɔbɛnya anigyeɛ wɔ nʼadwumayɛ mu wɔ nna a Onyankopɔn ama no wɔ owia yi ase nyinaa.
Therefore do I praise joyfulness, that there is nothing better for man under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful; for this will adhere to him in his toil, during the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.—
16 Ɛberɛ 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 see the employment that is done upon the earth, how even neither by day nor by night sleep is seen in the eyes of some men:
17 mehunuu deɛ Onyankopɔn ayɛ nyinaa. Obiara rentumi nte deɛ ɛkɔ so wɔ owia yi ase no ase. Ne mmɔdemmɔ nyinaa akyi, onipa rentumi nhunu asekyerɛ da. Sɛ mpo onyansafoɔ bi ka sɛ ɔnim a, ɔrentumi nte aseɛ yie da.
Then did I see [in] the whole work of God, that a man is not able to find out the work that is done under the sun; inasmuch as though a man were to toil to seek for it, he would yet not find it; and even if the wise were to think to know it, he would yet not be able to find it.
