1 Mìyi ta O'ba'ba amiro ro tu ombatò'diro amiro rosi, teinye tu koziro ri esaako ago ndroa koziro ri ishweako ti se 'dooko nyàtana 'da mikye: “Ama riyä aza ako ànya ya.” 2 'Doni tuse 'dooko ŋgaeyi kitu ro, imba ndi 'bi'bi be ro a'dona ndi fäyifäyiro owo, ago 'dikolo 'bu ro anaruna ko alona. 3 'Dooko kufui amiro se käti ami be iyi lä'bina 'da, ago miṛii amiro se yau mbararo ono, a'dona 'da mbaraako. Si amiro e'bena toto fereŋwa ŋgaonya onyaza, ago mi amiro a'dona 'da fäyifäyiro voondrevoya. 4 Bi amiro otona 'da ni taerivoya litiŋwai drisi. Mìnina ko kporo ŋgauyiro kuni si kode kporo loŋgo oŋgoro erine, oko ca loŋgo oŋgo ari ro upina mi amiro ndi ni u'duvoya. 5 Nyà'dona 'da turiro ni voi toŋgoro ri, ago aba a'dona rritiro ämiri. Drikyiri amiro onjena 'da, nyuguna ruose ndi rriti amba si, ago ŋgaleme cini okyena 'da.
Nyuguna oyi 'da vo loliro äduro ya, 'dooko ruṛu a'dona 'da litiŋwai drisi. 6 Nyori mo'di ro lekyena 'da, ago saani logo läguläguro ro lifuna 'da; iba se koro kala lekyena 'da, ago kuru gyi ro lifuna 'da. 7 Lomvo ogona 'da durufu gyini roya, ago lawalawa adri ro ogona 'da Lu se kozo beni 'do re. 8 Taawi yi, taawi yi, Taope'ba ekye 'do cini taawi yi.
Ogo Aree Ta Drisi
9 Oko Taope'ba orivoya tavouni'ba yi, nda emba lidri te ŋgase nda kunibe si, nda ugu taoni tenyi te ago ugu taŋgyena tenyina te ta oti 'desi si. 10 Taope'ba ojote ata se 'di i'dwero 'do topene ayani, ago tase nda kegyibe kai orivoya 'diri. 11 Ta ata tavouni'ba ro orivoya oso dofo gyoŋgoro se abe timele lekye sina ronye, ata topetope ndaro oso losomari se kocibe akpo ŋgärä 'do ronye. Lu, seni lekye'ba ama cini ro ono ozo ànya ni.
12 Ŋgwa maro, nya'do miomba be ta tase azaka ndrani kwoi drisi iyi ta. Egyi buku ro kye ko, ago tatenyi amba ndra 'do ka 'di o'ba rritiro.
13 Ta cini ono vosi tase atane toto orivoya alodi: Nyuturi Lu, ago nyäti ota ndaro; tana tase para a'ba lidri be tana ro ni wo. 14 Tana Lu ka oye ŋgase cini màbe oyena vurena opene, ca ŋgase cini màbe oyena dämbidämbiro iyi kadoro kode koziro.
1 So remember your Creator while you are still young, before those dismal days and years come when you will say, “I don't enjoy life.” 2 That is when the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars will grow dim for you, and the rain clouds will never pass away. 3 Then your arms, that have protected you, will tremble, and your legs, now strong, will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to chew your food, and your eyes too dim to see clearly. 4 Your ears will be deaf to the noise of the street. You will barely be able to hear the mill as it grinds or music as it plays, but even the song of a bird will wake you from sleep. 5 You will be afraid of high places, and walking will be dangerous. Your hair will turn white; you will hardly be able to drag yourself along, and all desire will be gone.
We are going to our final resting place, and then there will be mourning in the streets. 6 The silver chain will snap, and the golden lamp will fall and break; the rope at the well will break, and the water jar will be shattered. 7 Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God, who gave it to us.
8 Useless, useless, said the Philosopher. It is all useless.
The Summing Up
9 But because the Philosopher was wise, he kept on teaching the people what he knew. He studied proverbs and honestly tested their truth. 10 The Philosopher tried to find comforting words, but the words he wrote were honest. 11 The sayings of the wise are like the sharp sticks that shepherds use to guide sheep, and collected proverbs are as lasting as firmly driven nails. They have been given by God, the one Shepherd of us all.
12 My child, there is something else to watch out for. There is no end to the writing of books, and too much study will wear you out.
13 After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. 14 God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.