One Day at a Time
1 I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any one of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad. 2 But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or are afraid to make them.
3 It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. 4 As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 We know we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.
7 So be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. 8 Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. 9 Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. 10 Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or even knows anything.
11 Here is something else I have learned:
The fastest runners
and the greatest heroes
don't always win races
and battles.
Wisdom, intelligence, and skill
don't always make you healthy,
rich, or popular.
We each have our own share
of misfortune.
12 None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.
Better To Be Wise than Foolish
13 Once I saw what people really think of wisdom, and it made an impression on me. 14 It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. 15 But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. 16 So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how smart you are.
17 Words of wisdom spoken softly
make much more sense
than the shouts of a ruler
to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is more powerful
than weapons,
yet one mistake can destroy
all the good you have done.
Kuwo naata i kaŋ ñaameŋ, a muta wo ñaama
1 Ŋa m miira ñiŋ bee la le, n naata kisikisiroo ke kuwo bee la. Biriŋ ŋa kisikisiroo ke, ŋa ñiŋ ne je:
Moo tilindiŋolu niŋ moo ñaamendiŋolu, ì niŋ ì la baara kuwolu bee be Alla le bulu. Hadamadiŋ ne buka a loŋ meŋ be naa a kaŋ ñaato, fo a be ke la kanu kuu le ti, waraŋ koŋ kuu.
2 Ì bee labaŋo ka ke kiliŋ ne ti:
A moo tilindiŋ-wo, a moo jawu-wo,
a kende-wo, a kuruŋ-wo,
a moo senuŋ-wo, a kosoriŋ-wo,
a sadaabolaa-wo,
waraŋ a sadaabobali.
A be moo kendoo ye ñaameŋ,
a be junubelaa fanaa ye wo le ñaama.
A be kalilaa ye ñaameŋ,
a be moo fanaa ye wo le ñaama,
meŋ ka sila a ke la.
3 Kuu dimindiŋ doo fele kuwolu kono meŋ ka ke ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, wo le mu ñiŋ ti ko, moo bee mu labaŋñaa kiliŋo le ti. Hadamadiŋolu bee sondomoo ka tara faariŋ kuu kuruŋo le la. Ñaamaatiyaa le ka tara ì sondomoo kono ì la baluwo waatoo la. Wo koolaa ì ye naa faa.
4 Moo-wo-moo be baluwo to,
jikoo be a ye le.
Wuloo meŋ be a niyo la,
wo le ye fisa jata furewo ti.
5 Moo-wo-moo be a niyo la,
wo ka i yillaa saayaa ma le,
bari furewo, wo buka feŋ ne kalamuta.
Ì buka duniyaa tinee soto kotenke,
aduŋ hani ì la kuwo miiroo faŋo,
bee le ka naa fili fereŋ.
6 Ì la wo ñoo kanoo, ì la ñoo koŋo,
ì la ñoo haasidiyaa, a fele a bee yeemanta.
Itolu te nafaa-wo-nafaa le soto la kuwolu to kotenke,
mennu be ke la ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto.
7 Wo to i la domoroo domo niiseewoo kono, i ye i la wayinoo* miŋ sondome tenkuŋo kono. Alla lañinita i ye ñiŋ ne la. 8 I la dendika baa kali tu koyiriŋ doroŋ, i kana soŋ tulu seeralaa kali manki i kuŋo to. 9 I niŋ i la musoo ye duniyaa ŋaañaa, i ye meŋ kanu, ñiŋ baluu sutuŋo kono, Alla ye meŋ dii i la. Ŋaañaa a fee, i baluu tili nafantaŋolu la. Ñiŋ ne mu i niyo ti baluwo to, aniŋ i la kata kuwolu to, ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto.
10 I buloo benta dookuu-wo-dookuu fee,
a ke beteke,
kaatu i be taa kaburoo meŋ kono,
dookuu te jee de,
sako feere landi,
aduŋ londi kuu fanaa te jee,
sako ñaameŋ kuu.
11 Ŋa kuwo doo le fanaa je ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, wo le mu:
Ñoo daŋo te dendiŋ tariyaa doroŋ na,
aduŋ ñoo noo te dendiŋ semboo dammaa la.
Domori sotoo te dendiŋ ñaameŋo la,
fankoo te dendiŋ hakilidiyaa la,
aduŋ buuñaa sotoo te dendiŋ dookuu noo la.
Waatoo, aniŋ mantaabeŋo, wo le be ñinnu bee la.
12 Moo le buka a loŋ a la waatoo be sii la waati meŋ na:
Ko ñewo ka saŋara duŋ jaloo daa ñaameŋ,
waraŋ ko kunoo ka duŋ ŋaliŋo daa ñaameŋ,
maasiiboo fanaa ka barambarantoo boyi
hadamadiŋo kaŋ wo le ñaama.
Ñaameŋo le ye fisa sembe waroo ti
13 Ŋa ñaameŋ siifaa doo le fanaa misaaloo je ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, aduŋ a kuwo semboo warata m fee baake le:
14 Saateeriŋo doo le nene ka soto, a moo maŋ siyaa. Mansakee sembemaa doo le naata jee kamma, a ye jee suki, ka seleraŋolu loo a tatoolu bala. 15 Kewo doo le tarata ñiŋ saatewo kono, fuwaaroo le mu, bari a ñaamenta baake. Ate le ye ñiŋ saatewo kanandi, a la ñaameŋo kaŋ. Bari moo le hakiloo maŋ naa bula ñiŋ kewo la. 16 Nte de, ŋa ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Ñaameŋo le ye fisa sembe waroo ti.” Hani wo, ñiŋ kee fuwaaroo la ñaameŋo naata ke jutunna feŋo le ti, moolu maŋ a la kumoolu muta feŋ ti.
17 Moo ñaamendiŋo la sooneeyaa kumoolu,
wolu le ñanta ka hakilitu
ka tambi toolewolu la ñaatonkoo la saroo la santo.
18 Ñaameŋo le ye fisa ka tambi kelejooraŋolu la.
Junubelaa, hani a kiliŋ,
a ka kuu bete jamaa le tiñaa.
