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.
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.
