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Ta ni ó dàbí ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn?
    Ta ni ó mọ ìtumọ̀ ohun gbogbo?
Ọgbọ́n a máa mú ojú ènìyàn dán
    ó sì máa ń pààrọ̀ ìrínisí rẹ̀.

Pa òfin ọba mọ́

Mo sọ wí pé, pa òfin ọba mọ́, nítorí pé, ìwọ ti ṣe ìbúra níwájú Ọlọ́run. Má ṣe jẹ́ kí ojú kán ọ láti kúrò ní iwájú ọba, má ṣe dúró nínú ohun búburú, nítorí yóò ṣe ohunkóhun tí ó bá tẹ́ ẹ lọ́rùn. Níwọ́n ìgbà tí ọ̀rọ̀ ọba ni àṣẹ, ta ni ó le è sọ fún un wí pé, “Kí ni ìwọ ń ṣe?”

Ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó bá pa àṣẹ rẹ̀ mọ́, kò ní wá sí ìpalára kankan,
    àyà ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn yóò sì mọ àsìkò tí ó tọ́ àti ọ̀nà tí yóò gbà ṣe é.
Ohun gbogbo ni ó ní àsìkò àti ọ̀nà tí ó tọ́ láti ṣe,
    ṣùgbọ́n, òsì ènìyàn pọ̀ sí orí ara rẹ̀.

Níwọ́n ìgbà tí kò sí ẹni tí ó mọ ọjọ́-ọ̀lá,
    ta ni ó le è sọ fún un ohun tí ó ń bọ̀?
Kò sí ẹni tí ó lágbára lórí afẹ́fẹ́ láti gbà á dúró
    nítorí náà, kò sí ẹni tí ó ní agbára lórí ọjọ́ ikú rẹ̀.
Bí ó ti jẹ́ wí pé kò sí ẹni tí a dá sílẹ̀ nígbà ogun,
    bẹ́ẹ̀ náà ni ìkà kò ní fi àwọn tí ó ń ṣe é sílẹ̀;
bí ó ti jẹ́ wí pé kò sí ẹni tí a dá sílẹ̀ nígbà ogun,
    bẹ́ẹ̀ náà ni ìwà búburú kò le gba àwọn tí ó ń ṣe é sílẹ̀.

Gbogbo nǹkan wọ̀nyí ni mo ti rí, tí mo sì ń múlò ní ọkàn mi sí gbogbo iṣẹ́ tí a ti ṣe lábẹ́ oòrùn. Ìgbà kan wà tí ẹnìkan ń ṣe olórí àwọn tókù fún ìpalára rẹ̀. 10 Nígbà náà ni mo tún rí ìsìnkú ènìyàn búburú—àwọn tí wọ́n máa ń wá tí wọ́n sì ń lọ láti ibi mímọ́ kí wọn sì gba ìyìn ní ìlú tàbí tí wọ́n ti ṣe èyí. Eléyìí pẹ̀lú kò ní ìtumọ̀.

11 Nígbà tí a kò bá tètè ṣe ìdájọ́ fún ẹlẹ́ṣẹ̀ kíákíá, ọkàn àwọn ènìyàn a máa kún fún ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ìmọ̀ láti ṣe ibi. 12 Bí ènìyàn búburú tó dẹ́ṣẹ̀ nígbà ọgọ́rùn-ún tilẹ̀ wà láààyè fún ìgbà pípẹ́, mo mọ̀ wí pé yóò dára fún ẹni tí ó bẹ̀rù Ọlọ́run, tí ó bẹ̀rù níwájú rẹ̀. 13 Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kì yóò dára fún ènìyàn búburú, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kì yóò fa ọjọ́ rẹ̀ gún tí ó dà bí òjìji, nítorí tí kò bẹ̀rù níwájú Ọlọ́run.

14 Ohun mìíràn tún wà tí kò ní ìtumọ̀, tí ó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ láyé olódodo tí ó ń gba ohun tí ó tọ́ sí òṣìkà àti ènìyàn búburú tí ó ń gba ohun tí ó tọ́ sí olódodo. Mo sọ wí pé eléyìí gan an kò ní ìtumọ̀. 15 Nítorí náà mo kan sáárá sí ìgbádùn ayé, nítorí pé kò sí ohun tí ó dára fún ènìyàn ní abẹ́ oòrùn ju pé kí ó jẹ, kí ó mu, kí inú rẹ̀ sì dùn lọ. Nígbà náà ni ìdùnnú yóò bá a rìn nínú iṣẹ́ ẹ rẹ̀, ní gbogbo ọjọ́ ayé ti Ọlọ́run tí fi fún un lábẹ́ oòrùn.

16 Nígbà tí mo lo ọkàn mi láti mọ ọgbọ́n àti láti wo wàhálà ènìyàn ní ayé. 17 Nígbà náà ni mo rí gbogbo ohun tí Ọlọ́run tí ṣe, kò sí ẹnìkan tí ó le è mòye ohun tí ó ń lọ lábẹ́ oòrùn. Láìbìkítà gbogbo ìyànjú rẹ̀ láti wá rí jáde, ènìyàn kò le è mọ ìtumọ̀ rẹ̀, kódà bí ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn rò wí pé òun mọ̀ ọ́n, kò le è ní òye rẹ̀ ní pàtó.

Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance.

Obey the King

Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(A) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(B)

Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(C)
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

Since no one knows the future,
    who can tell someone else what is to come?
As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
    so[a] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
    so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[b] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(D)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[c] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(E) with those who fear God,(F) who are reverent before him.(G) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(H) it will not go well with them, and their days(I) will not lengthen like a shadow.

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(J) This too, I say, is meaningless.(K) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(L), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(M) and be glad.(N) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(O) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(P)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(Q) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
  2. Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
  3. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten