1 I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. 2 I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good. 3 Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth.
4 I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. 5 I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; 6 I dug ponds to irrigate them. 7 I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want.
9 Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward. 11 Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind—of no use at all. 12 After all, a king can only do what previous kings have done.
So I started thinking about what it meant to be wise or reckless or foolish. 13 Oh, I know, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise can see where they are going, and fools cannot.” But I also know that the same fate is waiting for us all. 15 I thought to myself, “What happens to fools is going to happen to me, too. So what have I gained from being so wise?” “Nothing,” I answered, “not a thing.” 16 No one remembers the wise, and no one remembers fools. In days to come, we will all be forgotten. We must all die—wise and foolish alike. 17 So life came to mean nothing to me, because everything in it had brought me nothing but trouble. It had all been useless; I had been chasing the wind.
18 Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, because I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, 19 and he might be wise, or he might be foolish—who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. 20 So I came to regret that I had worked so hard. 21 You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn't had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn't right! 22 You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it? 23 As long as you live, everything you do brings nothing but worry and heartache. Even at night your mind can't rest. It is all useless.
24 The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from God. 25 How else could you have anything to eat or enjoy yourself at all? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to those who please him, but he makes sinners work, earning and saving, so that what they get can be given to those who please him. It is all useless. It is like 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.
