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] as the wise? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causeth his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
2 Mese: Di ɔhene ɔhyɛ nsɛm so, ɛfiri sɛ wokaa ntam wɔ Onyankopɔn anim.
I pray thee, the commandment of a king keep, even for the sake of the oath of God.
3 Mpɛ ntɛm mfiri ɔhene anim. Nnyina mu mma obi asɛm a ɛnyɛ dɛ, na onii no anyɛ deɛ ɔpɛ biara.
Be not troubled at his presence, thou mayest go, stand not in an evil thing, for all that he pleaseth he doth.
4 Esiane sɛ ɔhene asɛm boro obiara deɛ so enti, hwan na ɔbɛtumi aka akyerɛ no sɛ: “Ɛdeɛn na woreyɛ yi?”
Where the word of a king [is] power [is], and who saith to him, 'What dost thou?'
5 Deɛ ɔdi ne nhyɛ nsɛm so no renkɔ ɔhaw biara mu, na nyansa akoma bɛhunu ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ, ne ne kwan.
Whoso is keeping a command knoweth no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knoweth.
6 Adeyɛ biara wɔ ne ɛberɛ a ɛfata ne ɛkwan a wɔfa so yɛ, nanso onipa haw hyɛ no so bebree.
For to every delight there is a time and a judgment, for the misfortune of man is great upon him.
7 Esiane sɛ obiara nnim daakye asɛm enti, hwan na ɔbɛtumi akyerɛ no deɛ ɛreba?
For he knoweth not that which shall be, for when it shall be who declareth to him?
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.
There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness delivereth not its possessors.
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 I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that hath been done under the sun; a time that man hath ruled over man to his own evil.
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.
And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This also [is] vanity.
11 Sɛ bɔne bi ho asotwe amma ntɛm a, nnipa dwene nhyehyɛeɛ a wɔde yɛ bɔne ho.
Because sentence hath not been done [on] an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within 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.
Though a sinner is doing evil a hundred [times], and prolonging [himself] for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.
13 Nanso ɛsiane sɛ amumuyɛfoɔ nsuro Onyankopɔn enti, ɛrensi wɔn yie na wɔn nna renware sɛ sunsumma.
And good is not to the wicked, and he doth not prolong days as a shadow, because he is not fearing before 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 that hath been done upon the earth, that there are righteous ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have 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.
And I have praised mirth because there is no good to man under the sun except to eat and to drink, and to rejoice, and it remaineth with him of his labour the days of his life that God hath given to 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 gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that hath been done on the earth, (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),
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 I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that hath been done under the sun, because though man labour to seek, yet he doth not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.
