Ecclesiastes

8 Who be like man wey get sense? Who know how to solve problem?* The sense wey man get de make im face dey bright and de make im strong face dey soft.

2 I talk say: “Obey the things wey the king command because you don swear to God. 3 No rush comot from im front. No support any bad thing; because e fit do anything wey e like, 4 because wetin the king talk na final; who go fit tell-am say, ‘Wetin you de do?’”

5 The person wey de obey the commandment no go enter problem, and the heart of person wey get sense go know the correct time and way to do things.* 6 Every matter get time and way to handle-am,* because the problems wey man de face too much. 7 As nobody know wetin go happen, who go fit tell-am how e go happen?

8 Just as nobody get power to control the spirit* or hold the spirit back, na so nobody get power to control the day wey death go come. Just as them no de allow anybody to go when war dey, na so wickedness no go allow people wey de do wicked things escape.*

9 I don see all this things and I don put my heart for everything wey them don do under the sun, for all the time wey man don rule man to suffer-am.* 10 And I see as them de bury wicked people, people wey be de go the holy place and de come out from there, but small time them forget about them for the city where them be de do wicked things. This one dey useless too.

11 Because say punishment for bad thing never quick come, people heart don strong more-more to de do bad thing. 12 Even though say sinner fit do bad thing one hundred times and still continue to live long, I still know say e go better for people wey de fear the true God, because them de fear-am. 13 But e no go better for wicked person, and e no go fit make im life wey be like shadow long pass as e suppose be, because e no de fear God.

14 E get something wey dey useless* wey de happen for the earth: E get righteous people wey them de treat like say them do wicked thing, and e get wicked people wey them de treat like say them do righteous thing. I say this one dey useless too.

15 So my advice to people na say enjoyment good, because e no get anything wey better pass for man under the sun than to chop and drink and enjoy; this one na wetin e suppose still de do as e de work hard for all the days of im life, wey the true God don give-am under the sun.

16 I try to get sense with all my heart and to see all the things* wey de happen for the earth, I no even sleep day and night.* 17 Then I think about all the things wey the true God don do, and I see say people no go fit understand wetin de happen under the sun. No matter how people try reach, them no go fit understand-am. Even if them claim say them get sense reach to know, them no go fit really understand-am.