Don't Make Rash Promises
1 Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong. 2 Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to. 3 The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4 So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5 Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for? 7 No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.
Life Is Useless
8 Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.
9 Even a king depends on the harvest.
10 If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11 The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich. 12 Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
13 Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14 and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children. 15 We leave this world just as we entered it—with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. 16 It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? 17 We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick.
18 Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19 If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20 Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.
Alla batoo niŋ laahidoo la kuwo
1 I taañaa loŋ, niŋ i be Alla Batudulaa Buŋo* waliŋ na. Kata i ye i lamoyi, wo le beteyaata ñiŋ ti ka beeyaŋ sadaa* bo ko toolewolu mennu buka a loŋ ko ì ye kuu kuruŋo le ke.
2 I daa mara,
i kana soŋ i sondomoo ye feŋ-wo-feŋ maa,
i ye tariyaa ka a fo Alla ñaatiliŋo la.
Kaatu Alla be Arijana le,
ite be duniyaa.
Wo kamma la i daakumoo kana siyaa.
3 Siiboo ka naa le niŋ haajoolu siyaata.
Niŋ diyaamoo siyaata,
kuma kenseŋolu le mu.
4 Niŋ i ye laahidoo taa Alla ye, kana tonkutonku a timmandoo la. Alla buka kontaani toolewo la kuu la. I laahidita meŋ na, a timmandi. 5 Niŋ i maŋ laahidoo taa muumee, wo le fisiyaata ka laahidoo taa, i maŋ naa a timmandi. 6 Kana soŋ i daa ye i duŋ junuboo to, aduŋ kana i daa laa i faŋ kaŋ ka a fo piriisoo* ye ko, “N na laahidoo taa keta m bulu lañinoo le ti.” Kana soŋ Alla ye kamfaa i kamma, i la laahidi timmandibaliyaa kamma la. A si i la dookuu feŋolu kasaara noo le. 7 Siiboo jamaa niŋ kuma jamaa maŋ nafaa soto. Wo to, sila Alla la.
Fankoo la nafantaŋyaa
8 Niŋ i ye a je tundoo kaŋ, ì be fentaŋolu toorandi kaŋ, tiliŋo niŋ tooñaa taata, kana jaakali a kuwo la. Kaatu kantiyolu le ka ñoo kuburu. Aduŋ ì la ñaatonka baalu le ka ì tanka. 9 Bari bankoo munafaŋo, wo be moo bee le ye. Mansakewo nafaa mu ñiŋ ne ti ka senekunkoolu tankandi.
10 Kodilandii baa,
kodoo nene te a sii la muk,
aduŋ feŋ landii baa,
a nene buka sotoo ke fo a ye sii.
Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti.
11 Niŋ sotoo lafaata,
domorilaalu fanaa ka siyaa le.
A nafaa lee ì maariiñolu ye,
fo ka a juubee doroŋ?
12 Sembe dookuulaa la siinoo,
siinoo diimaa,
a ye domoroo soto a ñaama wo,
a maŋ a soto a ñaama wo,
a ka siinoo le.
Bari fankamaa la soto baa,
wo le faŋo ka a tinna
a buka siinoo noo a ñaama.
13 Kuu dimindiŋo fele, ŋa meŋ je ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto:
Fankamaa ye a la sotofeŋo bee laŋ-laŋ ñoo kaŋ,
a naata ke a ye mantaabembaliyaa ti.
14 A foota a la fankoo la,
mantaabembaliyaa kono.
Niŋ a ye diŋo soto,
a be a bulu kenseŋo le tu la.
15 Hadamadiŋo naata ñaameŋ
ka bo a baamaa wuluuñaŋo kono,
a be muru la wo le ñaama.
Ko a kenseŋo naata ñaameŋ,
a la dookuwo munafaŋo,
a niŋ hani feŋ ne te muru la ka tara a bulu.
16 Ñiŋ fanaa mu kuu dimindiŋo le ti:
Ko hadamadiŋo naata ñaameŋ,
a be muru la wo le ñaama.
Wo to, a la munafaŋ sotoo nafaa lee,
baawo a ye dookuwo ke foñoo le ye?
17 Ñiŋ koolaa,
a ka a la baluwo muumeelaa bee ke diboo le kono,
wo niŋ niitoora bambaloo, kuuraŋo, aniŋ niikuyaa.
18 Nte naata meŋ je kuu kendoo ti, wo le mu ka domoroo ke, ka i miŋ. A beteyaata ka seewoo kuu kendoolu la i la kata kuwolu bee to, ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, i baluu tili dantaŋolu kono, Alla ye mennu dii i la. Wo le mu i niyo ti. 19 Niŋ Alla ye fankoo dii hadamadiŋo la, a ye a sotondi feŋolu la, wo mu soori baa le ti. Niŋ Alla ye a maakoyi ka seewoo soto ì to, ka tinewo aniŋ niiseewoo soto a la dookuwolu to, wo fanaa bota Alla le bulu. 20 Alla ka niiseewoo meŋ dii hadamadiŋo la, wo ka a tinna le, a hakiloo buka tara looriŋ a baluu tiloo la sutiyaa kaŋ.
