1 Musu ta ono tana te amba ago madaro ago mänite anjioko Lu kani vo taoye tavouni'ba ro ndi taŋgye'ba robe ondrena, ca ŋgalu kode yaoso ànyaro. Ànya niyi tase mile ànyaro ya ko. 2 Tana kandrakado ndi kandrakozi be ka ṛo a'do vona cini ri, taŋgye'ba ri kpa taŋgyeako'ba ri, takado'ba ri kpa takozi'ba ri, 'dise kuni Lu be ri kpa 'dise kuni Lu ko ri, nda se kabe tori olo ri ago kpa nda se lo tori ko ri. Mano se kadoro ko kadopara ni takozi'ba ri; mano se kabe ruäṛu ko kadopara ni mano se käṛuru ko ri. 3 Ono ni ŋgase koziro kabe a'do 'bädri ya owo, kandrakozi ndi kandrakado be ka a'do 'dicini ri. Ori ànyaro 'bädri ya si; tausu ànyaro orivoya twi taundiro ndi amaama be, ago 'do vosi oko ànya ka odra. 4 Oko 'diaza se drigi orivoya lidriidriro 'dise cini lidriidriro 'bädri ono ya ono lako orivoya mio'ba be, tana kokye se lidriidriro orivoya kadopara ndrani ibi se avoro ri. 5 'Dise lidriidriro niyi ndi ànya ka oye odrane, oko avo ni ta aza kote, ago päläti aza te i'do ànyari; oko ije ta ànyaro te kpeye. 6 Ŋgalu ànyaro, yaoso ànyaro ndi mawi ànyaro be tana cini kyete, ago ànya te ta aza ako oyene ŋgase kabe ugu a'do 'bädri ono ya ono ta.
7 Nyugu oyi ri mileya, minya ŋgaonya miro ago nya'do riyä ro, mimvu vino miro yai'dwesi tana ŋgase nyabe oyena Lu letadrina teṛo nja. 8 Ondoalo mindrevo yai'dwesi ago riyä si. 9 Miri ori riyäsi toko nyulube be, tu cini ori awi miro se Lu kozobe miri 'bädri ono ya ono rosi, tana 'do ni ŋgase cini miri a'done sina ta rriti miro rota 'bädri ya owo. 10 Losi cini azaka se ko'dete drì miro ya, miye ànya mbara cini miro si; tana losi kode tavousu kode tauni kode tavouni i'do 'bädri avo ro, se nyabe ukyi ocine kigye ana ya.
11 Mandre ŋga aza kpate 'bädri ono ya, 'dise umuekye 'do 'de koni rri käti ca mbara'ba pe ŋga koni rri ṛe kyila ya. Ŋgaonya a'do ko toto alo tavouni'ba ri, ca ŋgadriamba a'do ko toto alo tauni'ba ri, ca 'desi a'do ko toto alo 'dise tauniuniro ri; oko kandrakozi ka ṛo a'do 'di cini ri. 12 Tana mano aza ni tu ndaro ko. Lidri ka o'de tu kozi ya ätruku'du, ondro kesate ànya dri owo, oso abe ti'bi uru kyimba si, ago oso ari kabe o'de iba ya ronye.
Tavousu ta Tavouni ndi Tavouniako be rota
13 Mandre taka'daro tavouniro kpate 'bädri ya, ago landrete tapara ro märi, 14 'bakici giṛiŋwa aza orivoya lidri fereŋwa be kigye, ago 'bädri'ba mbaraekye aza ikyite gotane. Nda mudrina te ago ederute tiṛina perene. 15 Oko mano tavouni'ba ati'baro aza orivoya kigye lau, ago tavouni ndaro si nda pa 'bakici ana te. Caoko 'diaza alo yi ta mano se ati'baro ana ro kote. 16 'Dooko ma ata makye anjioko tavouni orivoya kadopara ndrani mbara drisi, amawo tavouni mano se ati'ba ro ro gica, ago ati tana gica ko owo. 17 Orivoya kadopara ata tavouni'baro se kabe atana liyaro 'do ro erine ndrani 'dimiri'ba se kabe totre kporo si vo taäyiro amamai roya ri. 18 Tavouni orivoya kadopara ndrani lakazà kyila ro drisi, oko takozi'ba alodi unina ndi ŋgaamba se kadoro perene.
1 I thought long and hard about all this and saw that God controls the actions of wise and righteous people, even their love and their hate. No one knows anything about what lies ahead. 2 It makes no difference. The same fate comes to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the bad, to those who are religious and those who are not, to those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. A good person is no better off than a sinner; one who takes an oath is no better off than one who does not. 3 One fate comes to all alike, and this is as wrong as anything that happens in this world. As long as people live, their minds are full of evil and madness, and suddenly they die. 4 But anyone who is alive in the world of the living has some hope; a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, their passions, all died with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens in this world.
7 Go ahead—eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It's all right with God. 8 Always look happy and cheerful. 9 Enjoy life with the one you love, as long as you live the useless life that God has given you in this world. Enjoy every useless day of it, because that is all you will get for all your trouble. 10 Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead—and that is where you are going.
11 I realized another thing, that in this world fast runners do not always win the races, and the brave do not always win the battles. The wise do not always earn a living, intelligent people do not always get rich, and capable people do not always rise to high positions. Bad luck happens to everyone. 12 You never know when your time is coming. Like birds suddenly caught in a trap, like fish caught in a net, we are trapped at some evil moment when we least expect it.
Thoughts on Wisdom and Foolishness
13 There is something else I saw, a good example of how wisdom is regarded in this world. 14 There was a little town without many people in it. A powerful king attacked it. He surrounded it and prepared to break through the walls. 15 Someone lived there who was poor, but so clever that he could have saved the town. But no one thought about him. 16 I have always said that wisdom is better than strength, but no one thinks of the poor as wise or pays any attention to what they say. 17 It is better to listen to the quiet words of someone wise than to the shouts of a ruler at a council of fools. 18 Wisdom does more good than weapons, but one sinner can undo a lot of good.