1 Ŋa koroosiroo ke kotenke, ŋa a je toorandi kuwo meŋ be taama kaŋ ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto:
Ŋa moo toorariŋolu ñaajiyo je le,
ì maŋ sabarindilaa soto.
Semboo be ì toorandilaalu le bulu,
moo maŋ soto ka ì sabarindi.
2 N naata m miira furewo la,
meŋ faata fokabaŋ,
mantaa benta wo le ye,
ka tambi moo la,
meŋ be baluwo to,
a maŋ faa foloo.
3 Bari meŋ fanaa fisiyaata ñinnu bee ti,
wo le mu moo ti,
meŋ maŋ wuluu foloo,
a maŋ kuu kuruŋ je a ñaa la,
meŋ ka ke ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto.
Duniyaa kata kuwolu nafaa lee?
4 Ŋa a je le moolu ka kata kuu baalu mennu ke, ka dookuwo ke fo ì buloo ye koyi a to. Kaatu ì ka tara lafiriŋ ñiŋ ne la ka tara ñoo ñaato. Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ne ti, a ka munta le ko foño bayindoo.
5 Toolewo ka a buloolu laa ñoo kaŋ ne,
a ye a faŋ kasaara.
6 Kayiroo bulu faa kiliŋ aniŋ tenkuŋo,
wo le fisiyaata kata kuu baa fula ti,
aniŋ foño bayindoo.
Kafuñooyaa nafaa
7 Ŋa kuwo meŋ je kotenke ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, a maŋ ke feŋ ti:
8 Kewo doo le mu, a kiliŋ doroŋ ne be a faŋ ye. A maŋ diŋ soto, a maŋ baadiŋ soto. A la katoo warata, dandulaa te meŋ na. Bari hani wo, a la sotoo maŋ a ñaa faa. A ye a faŋ ñininkaa ko, “Nte be ñiŋ kata kuwo bee ke kaŋ jumaa le ye? Muŋ ne ye a tinna ŋa n koo dii niidiyaa kuwolu la?” Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ti, bataa doroŋ ne mu.
9 Moo fula le fisiyaata kiliŋ ti,
ì fuloo la katoo le be nafaa soto la
kiliŋo taa ti.
10 Niŋ doo boyita,
doo si a wulindi.
Bari balafaa be moo la kuwo to,
meŋ niŋ a boyita,
moo te jee meŋ si a wulindi.
11 Niŋ moo fula ye i laa laaraŋ kiliŋo kaŋ,
ì finjaloo si laa noo ñoo kaŋ ne,
bari moo kiliŋo si sumayaa bo noo a faŋ na ñaadii le?
12 Boyinkannaa si i kutu noo moo kiliŋo le la,
bari moo fula,
wolu si ì faŋ tankandi noo le.
Niŋ i ye julu saba fuwa ñoo bala,
a buka tariyaa ka kuntu.
Semboo niŋ darajoo nafaa lee?
13 Fondinkee fuwaare ñaamendiŋo, wo le fisiyaata mansakee toolewo ti, meŋ ka balaŋ yaamaroo la a keebaayaa waatoo la. 14 Ñiŋ fondinkeeriŋo wuluuta fuwaareyaa kono ñaa-wo-ñaa wo mansamarali bankoo kaŋ, a si bo noo bunjawoo to le, a ye naa ke mansakewo ti. 15 Ŋa a je le moolu mennu bee be ì niyo la, ì be taama kaŋ ñiŋ duniyaa tiloo koto, bulata ñiŋ fondinkeeriŋo le nooma meŋ seyita mansa noo to. 16 A tarata moolu mennu mara kaŋ, wolu maŋ daŋ soto. Bari a jamaanoo labaŋo la, wo moolu maŋ seewoo ñiŋ fondinkeeriŋo la kuwo la, meŋ seyita mansa noo to. Ñiŋ fanaa maŋ ke feŋ ne ti, a ka munta le ko foño bayindoo.
1 Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side. 2 I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive. 3 But better off than either are those who have never been born, who have never seen the injustice that goes on in this world.
4 I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind. 5 They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death. 6 Maybe so, but it is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.
7 I have noticed something else in life that is useless. 8 Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too—and a miserable way to live.
9 Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. 10 If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him. 11 If it is cold, two can sleep together and stay warm, but how can you keep warm by yourself? 12 Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.
13-14 Someone may rise from poverty to become king of his country, or go from prison to the throne, but if in his old age he is too foolish to take advice, he is not as well off as a young man who is poor but intelligent. 15 I thought about all the people who live in this world, and I realized that somewhere among them there is a young man who will take the king's place. 16 There may be no limit to the number of people a king rules; when he is gone, no one will be grateful for what he has done. It is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
