1 I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. 2 I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good. 3 Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth.
4 I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. 5 I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; 6 I dug ponds to irrigate them. 7 I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want.
9 Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward. 11 Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind—of no use at all. 12 After all, a king can only do what previous kings have done.
So I started thinking about what it meant to be wise or reckless or foolish. 13 Oh, I know, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise can see where they are going, and fools cannot.” But I also know that the same fate is waiting for us all. 15 I thought to myself, “What happens to fools is going to happen to me, too. So what have I gained from being so wise?” “Nothing,” I answered, “not a thing.” 16 No one remembers the wise, and no one remembers fools. In days to come, we will all be forgotten. We must all die—wise and foolish alike. 17 So life came to mean nothing to me, because everything in it had brought me nothing but trouble. It had all been useless; I had been chasing the wind.
18 Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, because I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, 19 and he might be wise, or he might be foolish—who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. 20 So I came to regret that I had worked so hard. 21 You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn't had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn't right! 22 You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it? 23 As long as you live, everything you do brings nothing but worry and heartache. Even at night your mind can't rest. It is all useless.
24 The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from God. 25 How else could you have anything to eat or enjoy yourself at all? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to those who please him, but he makes sinners work, earning and saving, so that what they get can be given to those who please him. It is all useless. It is like chasing the wind.
1 Musutate makye: “Ma modo mojona 'da riyä oyene ago njäkyine.” Oko musu vona te anjioko ono kpa orivoya taawi yi. 2 Mänite anjioko läguugu orivoya ta amama yi, tana riyä unina ko takado aza oyene miri. 3 Maratate tavounisi riyä oyene vino si ago a'done kadoro. Musutate makye: Ono a'dona ni ori se kadopara lidri ri ori se tuna fereŋwa ono oriza 'bädri ono ya owo.
4 Maye losi 'dèsiro te; mabe zoi te ago mikyi'di ämvu konoro te andivo maro ri. 5 Maso ämvui te ago mede gyini'desi te andivo maro ri, ago mikyi'di doŋgo cini dritoto ice rote ànya ya. 6 Mä'di karaṛi te andivo maro ri gyi lodaza ice cini ri ugu ombaza. 7 Magye iyeäṛii àgoro ndi 'ditokoro be te, ago ma'dote iyeäṛii se ätite 'ba maro ya be; ma'dote äṛi koronyai 'ba ro robe amba, ndrani 'bädri'bai se koriyibe Yerusalema ya käti ni märi iyi drisi. 8 Motokala mo'di ro kpate ndi logo läguläguro be andivo maro ri ŋgaosa si ni 'bädri'bai wari amba ro rigyesi; ma'dote loŋgo oŋgo'bai be mànoagoro ago 'ditokoro ndi 'ditoko ogyeako liŋgyiekyero amba be.
9 Ma'dote para ago mälävu ànya se cini koriyibe Yerusalema ya käti ni märi iyi te; ago tavouni maro kye kote. 10 Musu ŋgase cini malebe te; ago mirita andivo maro kote ni riyä aza yasi, musu riyä 'desi te ni losi cini maro yasi, ago 'do ni päläti maro losi cini maro ro owo. 11 Ondro musu ta losi se cini drì maro koyebe te ndi losi se ma'dobe oyevoya mbarasi ono tana te oko, vona cini a'doro taawi ro oso abe ugu oli onja 'do ronye, ago endaro ŋga aza usune 'bädri ya i'do. 12 Ta'dota maza mi te tavouni, amaama ndi moreere be ondrene; oko 'bädri'ba ka iro tase 'bädri'bai käti koyeyibe 'do oyena ayani.
13 Ndi mänite anjioko tavouni orivoya kadopara ndrani moreere ri oso ŋgaeyi ka'dobe kadopara ndrani ŋgätini drisi ronye. 14 Lidri tavouni'bai niyi ndi vose ànya kayibe oyi kigye ondrene, oko amamai niyi kote ondrene; caoko mandrebe ŋga alodi ono odra ka a'do ànya riti ri ojoojoro. 15 'Dooko matate andivo maro ri makye: “Kandrakozi se kabe a'do amama ri a'dona kpa märi. Ka'do inye ŋgase musuna ni tavouni yasi ni e'diya?” Ago mazatadri andivo maro rote makye: “A'done tavouni be kpa orivoya taawi yi.” 16 Ayina ta mano tavouni'ba ro ko kpa oso mano amama ro ronye madaro. Tuse kabe ikyi iyi ya ta ànya cini ro ujena 'da. Mano tavouni'ba ro odrana kpa oso mano amama ro ronye. 17 Ta'dota ya maro osote ori lomvo, tana ŋgase cini ayebe noŋwa 'bädri ya ono orivoya rriti yi märi, tana ŋga cini orivoya taawi yi, oso abe ugu oli onja ronye.
18 Ya maro osote ŋgase cini maro maye losina be mbarasi 'bädri ya ono lomvo, mandrebe anjioko ma oye ànya e'bene 'dise ka oyebe esone mavosi ri, 19 kode 'dina 'do tavouni'ba yi kode amama yi a'di ni 'da niya? Caoko nda a'dona 'da ni 'desi ŋgase cini masobe ro ago ŋgase cini mayebe tavouni maro si 'bädri ya ono ro. Ono kpa orivoya taawi yi. 20 'Dooko mazamite gbikyi oko ma'dote märäyi ro ta losi se cini mayebe ruezasi 'bädri ya ono rota, 21 tana tu azakasi oko mano se kabe losi oye tavouni si, tauni si ago tauni a'do kyikyiro ŋga cini edero be si 'do beṛo ndäri ŋgana cini iyi e'bene mano se koye losi na ko 'do ri ni sinjäkyine sina. Ono kpa orivoya taawi yi ago orivoya koziro para. 22 Päläti se lidri ka'dona sina ta losi se cini nda koloyebe 'bädri ya ono rota e'diya? 23 Tana tu cini ori ndaro ro orivoya rriti si, ago losi ndaro orivoya rriti be; ca ŋgäkyi si drî ndaro loli kote. Ono kpa orivoya taawi yi.
24 Ŋga aza i'do kadoro lidri ri ndrani ŋgase nda kabe onyana ago umvuna drisi, ago njäkyine ŋgase nda ka'dobe sina si. Caoko mänite ono ka ikyi kpani Lu resi. 25 Tana ka'dobe teinye nda ako a'di unina ni ŋgaonyane kode riyä oyene ya? 26 Tana Lu kani tavouni, tauni ndi riyä be ozona 'dise tana kusi nda be ri. Oko nda ka takozi'bai o'ba losi oyene ŋgadriamba usuza ago ombane driigye, ta'dota ŋgase ànya kabe usuna nda kozo robe 'dise tana kusi nda be ri. Ono kpa orivoya taawi yi oso abe oli onja 'do ronye.