1Who 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
2Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
5Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
though a person may be weighed down by misery.
7Since no one knows the future,
who can tell someone else what is to come?
8As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
so8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so 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.
9All 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 own8:9 Or to their hurt. 10Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
11When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. 13Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
14There 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. This too, I say, is meaningless. 15So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night— 17then I saw all that God has done. 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.
1Nũũ ũtariĩ ta mũndũ ũrĩa mũũgĩ?
Ningĩ nũũ ũngĩmenya gũtaũra maũndũ?
Ũũgĩ nĩguo ũtũmaga ũthiũ wa mũndũ ũkenge,
na ũgatũma gũthita gĩthiithi gwake kũgarũrũke.
Athĩkagĩra Mũthamaki
2Nguga atĩrĩ, athĩkagĩra rĩathani rĩa mũthamaki, nĩ ũndũ nĩwehĩtire ũrĩ mbere ya Ngai.8:2 Andũ nĩmehĩtaga marĩ mbere ya Ngai atĩ nĩmarĩkoragwo marĩ ehokeku. 38:3 Koh 10:4Ndũkahiũhage kwehera harĩ mũthamaki. Ndũgekage ũndũ mũũru, nĩgũkorwo we ekaga ũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩmũkenia. 48:4 Esit 1:19Na tondũ uuge wa mũthamaki ũrĩ hinya-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩhota kũmũũria kĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa ũreka?”
5Mũndũ ũrĩa wothe wathĩkagĩra watho wake ndakoona ũũru,
nayo ngoro ya mũndũ mũũgĩ ĩkũũranaga gwathĩkĩra mũthamaki
ihinda rĩrĩa rĩagĩrĩire, ningĩ na njĩra ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire.
68:6 Koh 3:1Nĩgũkorwo ũndũ o wothe nĩ ũrĩ ihinda rĩrĩa rĩagĩrĩire,
na njĩra ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire ya kũwĩka,
o na gũtuĩka thĩĩna wa mũndũ nĩũmũritũhagĩra mũno.
7Tondũ gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩmenya maũndũ marĩa makaamũkora-rĩ,
nũũ ũngĩmwĩra maũndũ marĩa magooka?
8Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota gwatha rũhuho agirie rũhurutane;
ũguo noguo gũtarĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota kũgirĩrĩria mũthenya wake wa gũkua.
O ta ũrĩa gũtarĩ mũndũ ũheagwo rũũtha hĩndĩ ya mbaara,
ũguo noguo waganu ũtangĩhonokia mũndũ ũrĩa ũwĩkaga.
9Maũndũ macio mothe nĩndamoonire, o ndĩĩrutanĩirie kũmenya ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa mothe mekagwo gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa. Nĩ kũrĩ hĩndĩ mũndũ agĩĩaga na ũhoti wa gwathaga andũ arĩa angĩ, nake agethũkia we mwene. 10O na ningĩ ngĩona andũ arĩa aaganu magĩthikwo, o acio maathiiaga na makoima handũ-harĩa-haamũre, nao magakumagio kũu itũũra-inĩ inene kũrĩa meekagĩra maũndũ macio. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo no wa tũhũ.
11Rĩrĩa gwĩka ũũru kwaga kũherithio narua-rĩ, ngoro cia andũ ikĩragĩrĩria gũthugunda gwĩka ũũru. 128:12 Gũcook 12:28; Thaam 1:20O na mũndũ mwaganu angĩĩka maũndũ mooru maita igana na atũũre muoyo ihinda iraaya-rĩ, nĩnjũũĩ na ma atĩ andũ arĩa metigĩrĩte Ngai nĩmakona maũndũ mega, o acio mahooyaga marĩ mbere ya Ngai. 13No rĩrĩ, tondũ andũ arĩa aaganu matiĩtigagĩra Ngai-rĩ, matikoona maũndũ mega, na matukũ mao matikaraiha ta kĩĩruru.
148:14 Ayub 21:7; Koh 7:15Na nĩ kũrĩ ũndũ ũngĩ wa tũhũ wĩkĩkaga gũkũ thĩ: naguo nĩ atĩ andũ arĩa athingu nĩmakoragwo nĩ maũndũ marĩa magĩrĩire gũkora andũ arĩa aaganu, ningĩ atĩ andũ arĩa aaganu nĩmakoragwo nĩ maũndũ marĩa magĩrĩire gũkora andũ arĩa athingu. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo, nguga atĩrĩ, no wa tũhũ. 158:15 Thab 42:8; Thaam 32:6Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngũgaathĩrĩria gĩkeno kĩa mũtũũrĩre, tondũ gũtirĩ ũndũ ũngĩ mwega wa mũndũ gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa gũkĩra kũrĩa, na kũnyua, na gũkena. Nakĩo gĩkeno gĩtũũre kĩrũmanĩrĩire nake wĩra-inĩ wake matukũ mothe ma muoyo marĩa Ngai amũheete gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa.
16Rĩrĩa ndeerutanĩirie kũmenya ũhoro wa ũũgĩ na kuona wĩra ũrĩa mũndũ arutaga gũkũ thĩ, tondũ nĩ kũrĩ mũndũ maitho make matoonaga toro mũthenya kana ũtukũ, 178:17 Ayub 28:23; Arom 11:33hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩkĩona maũndũ marĩa mothe Ngai ekĩte. Gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩhota kũmenya ũrĩa gũthiiaga na mbere gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa. O na mũndũ angĩtuĩria na kĩyo gĩake gĩothe, ndangĩhota kũmenya gĩtũmi kĩa ũndũ ũcio. O na mũndũ mũũgĩ angĩĩtua atĩ nĩoĩ, ndangĩhota gũtaũkĩrwo kũna nĩ ũndũ ũcio.
