Nothing Makes Sense
1 When the son of David was king in Jerusalem, he was known to be very wise, and he said:
2 Nothing makes sense!
Everything is nonsense.
I have seen it all—
nothing makes sense!
3 What is there to show
for all of our hard work
here on this earth?
4 People come, and people go,
but still the world
never changes.
5 The sun comes up,
the sun goes down;
it hurries right back
to where it started from.
6 The wind blows south,
the wind blows north;
round and round it blows
over and over again.
7 All rivers empty into the sea,
but it never spills over;
one by one the rivers return
to their source.
8 All of life is far more boring
than words could ever say.
Our eyes and our ears
are never satisfied
with what we see and hear.
9 Everything that happens
has happened before;
nothing is new,
nothing under the sun.
10 Someone might say,
“Here is something new!”
But it happened before,
long before we were born.
11 No one who lived in the past
is remembered anymore,
and everyone yet to be born
will be forgotten too.
It Is Senseless To Be Wise
12 I said these things when I lived in Jerusalem as king of Israel. 13 With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do. 14 I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind.
15 If something is crooked,
it can't be made straight;
if something isn't there,
it can't be counted.
16 I said to myself, “You are by far the wisest person who has ever lived in Jerusalem. You are eager to learn, and you have learned a lot.” 17 Then I decided to find out all I could about wisdom and foolishness. Soon I realized that this too was as senseless as chasing the wind.
18 The more you know,
the more you hurt;
the more you understand,
the more you suffer.
Ori Orivoya Taawi yi
1 Kwoi orivoya ata Taope'ba, ŋgwa Dawidi 'bädri'ba Yerusalema ya ro ro. 2 Taope'ba ekye: Ŋga cini orivoya awi, awi! Endaro ŋga cini orivoya taawi yi.
3 Ŋgase lidri kabe usuna ni losi cini ndaro se nda kabe oyena kitu dri ono yasi e'diya? 4 Kovole'bai efo gwo ago kovole'bai lävu gwo, oko 'bädri rigi 'du dri iro dri. 5 Kitu ka itu ago kitu ka oci, ago gote foroforo vose kabe itu ni kigye 'do ya. 6 Oli ka oli ŋgäṛiŋwadri, ago go gwo mä'dudri; ago ka oli ŋguluro ago go ego kpa gwo olivo ndaro yasi. 7 Goloŋwai cini ka udi gyi'desi ya, caoko gyi'desi ga ko twi; gyi na go ka udi vose goloŋwai keto idi beni kigyesi ya, ago ni nasi go eto udi kpa gwo to'di. 8 Ŋga cini orivoya rritiro; lidri ni ko tana atane; ondrena oko ojo mi ko, erina oko ojo bi ko. 9 Tase ka'dobe kyeno ogo a'dona kpa to'di, tase ayebe kyeno ago ayena kpa to'di; ŋga aza i'do to'diro 'bädri ya. 10 Inye'do ŋga aza gibe se 'diaza ri tana atane ekye: “Mindre ta ono orivoya to'diro ya?” Hwa, a'do ṛote kyeno, ṛo kyeno teinye dri ama utiako. 11 Ŋgase kyeno kai ayi tana kote, ca ŋgase ka oyebe ogo a'done ayina tana ko ndi se ka oyebe esone voigyesi 'do be.
Tauni Taope'ba ro
12 Ma Taope'ba ma'dote 'bädri'ba ro Yisaraele'bai dri Yerusalema ya. 13 Ago ya cini si male ŋgase cini ayebe 'bädri ono ya enane ago tazevona tenyine taunisi.
Lu 'ba kandrakozi rritiro te lidri ri ruutrine sina. 14 Mandre ŋgase cini ayebe 'bädri ya ono te, ago miti ämiri, vona cini orivoya taawi yi oso abe oli onja ronye. 15 Ŋgase gwa'digwa'diro änina kote edrene ŋgye, ago ŋgase aza i'do änina ko otine.
16 Matate andivo maro ri makye: “Mäni tavouni te para ndrani ànya se koriyibe 'bädri'ba ro Yerusalema ya käti ni märi drisi, ago drî maro orivoya twi tauni para tavouni robe ndi tauni be.” 17 Ago ma'ba drî maro te tavouni unine ago amaama ndi ŋgäbääbä be unine. Ago mandrete anjioko ono ma kpa ugu oli lanja. 18 Tana vose tavouni amba be rriti orivoya amba kigye, ago nda se kabe ugu tauni amba nda ka kpa ugu rueza amba.