It Is Senseless To Be Selfish
1 I said to myself, “Have fun and enjoy yourself!” But this didn't make sense. 2 Laughing and having fun is crazy. What good does it do? 3 I wanted to find out what was best for us during the short time we have on this earth. So I decided to make myself happy with wine and find out what it means to be foolish, without really being foolish myself.
4 I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards. 5 I had flower gardens and orchards full of fruit trees. 6 And I had pools where I could get water for the trees. 7 I owned slaves, and their sons and daughters became my slaves. I had more sheep and goats than anyone who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 Foreign rulers brought me silver, gold, and precious treasures. Men and women sang for me, and I had many wives who gave me great pleasure.
9 I was the most famous person who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was very wise. 10 I got whatever I wanted and did whatever made me happy. But most of all, I enjoyed my work. 11 Then I thought about everything I had done, including the hard work, and it was simply chasing the wind. Nothing on earth is worth the trouble.
Wisdom Comes from God
12 I asked myself, “What can the next king do that I haven't done?” Then I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. 13 And I discovered that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 Wisdom is like having two good eyes; foolishness leaves you in the dark. But wise or foolish, we all end up the same.
15 Finally, I said to myself, “Being wise got me nowhere! The same thing will happen to me that happens to fools. Nothing makes sense. 16 Wise or foolish, we all die and are soon forgotten.” 17 This made me hate life. Everything we do is painful; it's just as senseless as chasing the wind.
18 Suddenly I realized that others would someday get everything I had worked for so hard, then I started hating it all. 19 Who knows if those people will be sensible or stupid? Either way, they will own everything I have earned by hard work and wisdom. It doesn't make sense.
20 I thought about all my hard work, and I felt depressed. 21 When we use our wisdom, knowledge, and skill to get what we own, why do we have to leave it to someone who didn't work for it? This is senseless and wrong. 22 What do we really gain from all of our hard work? 23 Our bodies ache during the day, and work is torture. Then at night our thoughts are troubled. It just doesn't make sense.
24 The best thing we can do is to enjoy eating, drinking, and working. I believe these are God's gifts to us, 25 and no one enjoys eating and living more than I do. 26 If we please God, he will make us wise, understanding, and happy. But if we sin, God will make us struggle for a living, then he will give all we own to someone who pleases him. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind.
Niidiyaa niŋ fentiiyaa labaŋo lee?
1 N ko m faŋ ye ko, “M batu, ŋa niidiyaa fanaa la kuwo juubee, ka kuu kendoo kisikisi a la. Bari heyi, wo fanaa te feŋ ti.” 2 Ŋa jeloo kumandi fuuriŋyaa le la. N ko, “Niidiyaa nafaa lee?” 3 N lafita nuŋ ka a kisikisi meŋ beteyaata hadamadiŋo to, a ye tara a ke la a la duniyaa baluu sutuŋo kono. Bituŋ n naata m faŋ seewondi wayinoo* la, aniŋ ka a loŋ muŋ ne faŋo mu tooleeyaa ti. Biriŋ m be ñiŋ ke la, ŋa m faŋ sansaŋ ñaameŋo le la.
4 N naata dookuu baalu ke: Ŋa buŋolu loo m faŋo ye, ŋa wayini yiri kankaŋolu sene. 5 Ŋa naakoolu niŋ kunkoolu sene le ka yiri dinnaa siifaa bee fii ì kono. 6 Ŋa daloolu siŋ, ka ñiŋ yiroolu jiiboŋ mennu be yiriwaa kaŋ. 7 Ŋa jonkewolu niŋ jommusoolu saŋ, ka ì kafu n na joŋolu ma mennu wuluuta n na buŋo kono. Ŋa ninsi koorewo niŋ beeyaŋ meseŋ koorewo meŋ soto, wo le siyaata ka tambi moo-wo-moo taa ti meŋ nene sabatita n ñaa Yerusalaamu. 8 Ŋa sanoo niŋ kodiforoo kafu ñoo ma, aniŋ naafuloolu ka bo mansoolu bulu, aniŋ ka bo banku doolu kaŋ. Ŋa denkililaalaa musoolu niŋ kewolu soto, aniŋ musu jamaa, mennu ka kewo niyo seewondi. 9 N na kuwo naata wara kendeke, ka tambi moo-wo-moo la meŋ nene ye maraloo ke n ñaa Yerusalaamu, fo ka naa tuku n na waatoo la. Aduŋ n na ñaameŋo tuta m bulu le.
10 Feŋ-wo-feŋ ye n ñaabo,
m maŋ a siyaa m faŋ ti.
Feŋ-wo-feŋ mu niidiyaa feŋo ti,
m maŋ foo feŋ na wolu kono.
Hani dookuwo to,
n ka niiseewoo le soto jee,
niiseewoo, n na kata kuwolu bee joo.
11 N naata m miira n kebaaroolu bee la,
m faŋo buloo ye mennu ke,
n na kata kuwolu.
Heyi, wolu bee te feŋ ti,
a ka munta le ko foño bayindoo.
Nafaa te feŋ na ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto.
Moo ñaamendiŋo niŋ toolewo bee labaŋ kiliŋ
12 N naata m faŋ ñininkaa ko,
“Mansakewo meŋ be naa,
a be muŋ ne ke noo la,
mansa doolu maŋ meŋ ke?”
Bituŋ n naata ñaameŋo,
tooleeyaa niŋ fuuriŋyaa misaali.
13 Bari n naata a je le ko,
ñaameŋo le beteyaata tooleeyaa ti,
ko maloo beteyaata diboo ti ñaameŋ.
14 Moo ñaamendiŋo la jeroo ka fanu le,
bari toolewo,
ate ka tara timili-tamali la diboo le kono.
Bari ŋa a je le ko,
ì bee labaŋo ka ke kiliŋ ne ti.
15 N ko m faŋ ye ko,
“Meŋ ka ke toolewo la,
wo le be ke la m fanaa la.
Wo to n na ñaameŋ baa,
saayiŋ a nafaa lee?”
N ko m faŋ ye ko,
“Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti.”
16 Moo ñaamendiŋo niŋ toolewo,
ì bee too te tu la fo waati jaŋ.
Waati be naa,
ñinoo be ke la ì bee le la,
ì bee be labaŋ na faa la le.
Kata kuu baa ka muŋ ne nafaa?
17 Ka tara baluwo to, n naata wo koŋ ne, kaatu meŋ ka ke ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, a niitooroo warata m fee baake le. Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti, a ka munta le ko foño bayindoo. 18 Ŋa n na kata kuwo bee le koŋ, ŋa m faŋ batandi meŋ na, ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto. Ŋa a je le ko, m be a tu la moo le ye, meŋ be naa nte koolaa. 19 Jumaa le ka a loŋ fo wo be ke la moo ñaamendiŋo le ti, waraŋ toolewo? Bari hani wo, ate le be mara la feŋolu bee la, n tarata mennu katariŋ, ŋa ñaameŋo taamandi mennu kunna, ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto. Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti.
20 N naata jikilateyi n na kata kuwolu bee le to, ŋa m faŋ batandi mennu la ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto. 21 Moo si dookuwo ke a la ñaameŋo daŋo la, aniŋ a la londoo niŋ a la dookuu noo baa. Bituŋ a niŋ doo ye naa deŋ wo dookuwo munafaŋo la, meŋ maŋ bataa a kunna. Nafaa te a la, aduŋ kuu dimindiŋo le mu.
22 Wo to, muŋ nafaa le be hadamadiŋo ye a la dookuwolu to, aniŋ a la matimatoolu, a ka tara a faŋ batandi kaŋ mennu la ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto? 23 Hadamadiŋo baluu tiloo bee mu niitooroo le ti, aniŋ dookuu dimindiŋo. Hani suutoo, a hakiloo buka tenkuŋ noo. Ñiŋ fanaa bee maŋ ke feŋ ti.
Alla ye neemoo meŋ dii i la, seewoo a kaŋ
24 Feŋ ne maŋ beteyaa hadamadiŋo ye, ka tambi domoroo niŋ miŋo la, aniŋ ka niiseewoo soto a la kata kuwolu to. Ŋa a je le ko, ñiŋ fanaa ka bo Alla le bulu. 25 Kaatu ate koolaa, jumaa le si domoroo soto noo a faŋ ye, waraŋ niiseewoo? 26 Moo meŋ ye Alla kontaanindi, a ka ñaameŋo dii wo le la, londoo, aniŋ niiseewoo. Bari junubelaa, a ka bataa le laa wo kaŋ, ka tara naafuloo kafu kaŋ ñoo ma ka a maabo moo ye, meŋ ka Alla kontaanindi. Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti, a ka munta le ko foño bayindoo.
