1 Only the wise know what things really mean. Wisdom makes them smile and makes their frowns disappear.
Obey the King
2 Do what the king says, and don't make any rash promises to God. 3 The king can do anything he likes, so depart from his presence; don't stay in such a dangerous place. 4 The king acts with authority, and no one can challenge what he does. 5 As long as you obey his commands, you are safe, and a wise person knows how and when to do it. 6 There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little! 7 None of us knows what is going to happen, and there is no one to tell us. 8 No one can keep from dying or put off the day of death. That is a battle we cannot escape; we cannot cheat our way out.
The Wicked and the Righteous
9 I saw all this when I thought about the things that are done in this world, a world where some people have power and others have to suffer under them. 10 Yes, I have seen the wicked buried and in their graves, but on the way back from the cemetery people praise them in the very city where they did their evil. It is useless.
11 Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough. 12 A sinner may commit a hundred crimes and still live. Oh yes, I know what they say: “If you obey God, everything will be all right, 13 but it will not go well for the wicked. Their life is like a shadow and they will die young, because they do not obey God.” 14 But this is nonsense. Look at what happens in the world: sometimes the righteous get the punishment of the wicked, and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I say it is useless.
15 So I am convinced that we should enjoy ourselves, because the only pleasure we have in this life is eating and drinking and enjoying ourselves. We can at least do this as we labor during the life that God has given us in this world.
16 Whenever I tried to become wise and learn what goes on in the world, I realized that you could stay awake night and day 17 and never be able to understand what God is doing. However hard you try, you will never find out. The wise may claim to know, but they don't.
1 A'di ni oso mano se tavouni'ba ro ronye se ni takaci ŋga cini ro toto ni ya? Tavouni lidri ro kani mi ndaro o'bana a'done tayi, ago läpi ŋgaondre mi kyitrikyitriro si te.
Miro 'Bädri'ba
2 Miro ota 'bädri'ba ro, tana mi'ba tao'banate Lu kandra. 3 Nyoyi ni nda milesi, nyeleye ko ondro ta ka'dote rritiro owo, tana 'bädri'ba ka ŋgase tana kusi nda be 'do oyena ayani. 4 'Bädri'ba ka ata drikaca si, ago 'diaza unina ko tase nda kabe oyena tana ejine. 5 Ndase kabe ota oro o'benadri ko rriti be, ago mano tavouni'ba ni tase oyero, ndi tu ŋgyena oyena robe ndi. 6 Tana tu ŋgye ago liti ŋgye ta cini oyero orivoya, rriti ka'do gica läŋgyiekye lidri dri owo. 7 Lidri ni ŋgase ka oyebe a'done ko, tana 'diaza i'do tana itine ànyari. 8 'Diaza i'do mbara be yi lagane ni odravoya, ago 'diaza i'do mbara be tu odra ndaro ro onane, 'do orivoya kyila yi mänina ko voopane ni rigye, ca ŋgadriamba unina ka ànya se ka'doyibe sina 'do opane.
Takozi'ba ago Taŋgye'ba
9 Ŋgase cini kwoi mandrete ayete 'bädri ya, ondro marite tavona usune oko mandrete, 'bädri ya lidri azaka orivoya mbara be ago lidri azaka ka rueza ànya zele. 10 Ndi mandre se lidri koziro se kyenona kayi aba vo alokado yasi iyi rote, äräṛu ànya te 'bakici modo se ànya koyeyi takozi be kigye 'do ya, 'do kpa orivoya taawi yi.
11 Tana taezaro se ozone ta takozi oyero ta 'do aye kote ndriro, ta'dota 'ba lidri gwo takozi oyene ndra. 12 Takozi'ba koye ŋgakozi aza ca perena kama alo ugu ori gi 'du madaro. Ca oko mäni ndi ànya se kabe Lu oro ta cini a'dona ndi kadoro ànyari, 13 oko ta unina ko a'done kadoro mano se takozi'ba ro ri. Ori anyaro labana oso lindri ronye tana anya ro Lu ko. 14 Taawi aza orivoya se ka ugu a'do 'bädri ya; tu azakasi mano taŋgye'ba go usu rueza takozi'ba ro ṛoni, ago mano se koziro go usu ŋgapäṛi mano taŋgye'ba ro ṛoni. Matate makye anjioko ono kpa orivoya taawi yi.
15 Ta'dota makye orivoya kadoro mano aza ri njäkyine tana ŋga kado aza i'do ndäri 'bädri ono ya, oko toto ŋgaonyane ŋgaumvune ago sinjäkyine. Nda unina ndi oyene oso inye ondro nda koye losina te tuse cini Lu kozobe oriza ndäri 'bädri ono ya si owo.
16 Ondro mojote a'done tavouni be tase kabe ugu a'do 'bädri ono ya unine ca miuŋbo ro ŋgäkyi si kode kitu si 17 mänite anjioko tase Lu kabe ugu oyena 'bädri ya ono 'diaza ni ko unine. Lidri kojo gica uṛine mbara cini si, unina ko usune. Mano tavouni'ba usuna ta gica tana unine, oko nda unina ko unine.