It Is Senseless To Be Selfish
1 I said to myself, “Have fun and enjoy yourself!” But this didn't make sense. 2 Laughing and having fun is crazy. What good does it do? 3 I wanted to find out what was best for us during the short time we have on this earth. So I decided to make myself happy with wine and find out what it means to be foolish, without really being foolish myself.
4 I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards. 5 I had flower gardens and orchards full of fruit trees. 6 And I had pools where I could get water for the trees. 7 I owned slaves, and their sons and daughters became my slaves. I had more sheep and goats than anyone who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 Foreign rulers brought me silver, gold, and precious treasures. Men and women sang for me, and I had many wives who gave me great pleasure.
9 I was the most famous person who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was very wise. 10 I got whatever I wanted and did whatever made me happy. But most of all, I enjoyed my work. 11 Then I thought about everything I had done, including the hard work, and it was simply chasing the wind. Nothing on earth is worth the trouble.
Wisdom Comes from God
12 I asked myself, “What can the next king do that I haven't done?” Then I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. 13 And I discovered that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 Wisdom is like having two good eyes; foolishness leaves you in the dark. But wise or foolish, we all end up the same.
15 Finally, I said to myself, “Being wise got me nowhere! The same thing will happen to me that happens to fools. Nothing makes sense. 16 Wise or foolish, we all die and are soon forgotten.” 17 This made me hate life. Everything we do is painful; it's just as senseless as chasing the wind.
18 Suddenly I realized that others would someday get everything I had worked for so hard, then I started hating it all. 19 Who knows if those people will be sensible or stupid? Either way, they will own everything I have earned by hard work and wisdom. It doesn't make sense.
20 I thought about all my hard work, and I felt depressed. 21 When we use our wisdom, knowledge, and skill to get what we own, why do we have to leave it to someone who didn't work for it? This is senseless and wrong. 22 What do we really gain from all of our hard work? 23 Our bodies ache during the day, and work is torture. Then at night our thoughts are troubled. It just doesn't make sense.
24 The best thing we can do is to enjoy eating, drinking, and working. I believe these are God's gifts to us, 25 and no one enjoys eating and living more than I do. 26 If we please God, he will make us wise, understanding, and happy. But if we sin, God will make us struggle for a living, then he will give all we own to someone who pleases him. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind.
1 Tita ge ti ǂgaob ǃnâ “A ta toxopa ǃgâiaǂgaob ǀkha ǃâitsâ tsî ǃgâi-i hâsa mû” ti ge mî. Nēs tsîn ge a harebeoǃnâ. 2 Âib xa ta ge “ǁÎb ge a gâsi tsî tare-eb ra dī?” ti ge mî. 3 ǂÂis âtas ǀkha ta ge ti sorosa ta mâti ǂauxûi-i ǀkha nî khoakhoa ǃkhaisa ge ôaǃnâ tsîb ge ǂgaob âtaba gā-aisib ǀkha gere ǂgaeǂgui te, gâresiba nî ǁnamǂgāse.
4 Kai xūna ta ge ge dī: Omde ǂnubibasen tsî ta ge draibeǃhanaga ge ǂgā. 5 ǃHanaga ǂgā tsî ta ge hoa ǃhanaǂûhaiǃnôana ge ǂgā. 6 Tsî ta ge ǁgamǁkhaega ge khao, ǁîna ta nî ǂnâse. 7 Tita ge ǁkhāti aore tsî tare khobona ge ǁama tsî khobon di ôan ti oms ǃnâ ge ǃnaen tsîna ge ūhâ i. ǁKhāti ta ge ti aiǃâ ge Jerusalems ǃnâ hâ i khoen hoan ǃgâ-ai ǃnāsa kaiǀnūǀgoan tsî ǂkhariǀnūǀgoan tsîna ge ūhâ i. 8 ǁÎba ta gere ǂgaeǂgui ǃhūb di ǁuiba xu ta ge ǀhai- tsî ǃhuniǀuriba ge ǀhaoǀhaobasen. Gao-aogu tsî ǃhao ǀgaigu ge ǁîgu di ǁuiga ge mā te. Aore tsî tare ǁnae-aona ta ge ge ǂhomi tsî ta ge aorekhoeb a ǂhâba ǁkhā tarekhoedi hoade ge ūhâ i.
9 Tita ge ti aiǃâ ge Jerusalems ǃnâ hâ i khoen hoan ǃgâ-ai ge kai tsîb ge ti gā-aisiba nēn hoan ǃnâ tita ǃnâ ge hâ.
10 Dī ǂgao ta ka xū-i hoa-e ta ge gere dī.
Ti ǂgaoba ta ge ǃgâi-i xare-e xu ge ū-oa tama hâ i
tsî ta ge mâ xū-i hîa ta ge sîsenba-i hoa-i xa ge ǂnīsa i,
tsîn ge nēn hoana ge ti mādawa-am i.
11 Ti sîsengu tsî dī ta ge xūn hoana ta ge kō, o ta ge nēsa ge mû:
Hoaraga xūn ge a harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂoaba saurus ase ī.
Nē ǃhūbaib ai i ge ǂkhîǂkhî ra xū-e ǀkhai.
12 ǁKhāti i ge gao-ao-e ǁî-i aiǃâ go hâ i gao-ao-i ge dī hâ i xūn ǀguina a dī ǁkhā.
O ta ge ti ǂâisa gā-aisib,
ǃkhausib tsî gâsiba nî ǃgaoǃgâse ge ǃammâi.
13 O ta ge gā-aisib gâsis ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi,
ǃnâb ǃkhaenab ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi ǃkhais ǁkhās khami ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan.
14 Gā-ai khoe-i ge mâǀî-i garu ǃkhaisa a ǂan,
gâ khoe-i ra ǃkhaenab ǃnâ ǃgûǂgâ hîa.
Xawes ge hoan di ǀamsa a ǀgui.
15 O ta ge ǁkhāti tita ǃnâ ge ǂâi
gâ khoe-i ra tsâ ǃgommi tita tsîna nî hāǂam ǃkhaisa.
O tare-es gā-aisisa tita ra harebeba?
O ta ge ge mîbasen
hoaraga xūn a harebeoǃnâ ǃkhaisa.
16 ǀUniǀams ain gā-aina gân ǀkha ǀguitikōse ǂâihōhe tide.
Hā nî tsēdi ǃnân ge hoana nî ǀuruhe.
Gâ khoe-i ǁkhā-i khami-i ge gā-ai-i tsîna nî ǁō.
17 Titab ge ûiba harebeoǃnâse ge ība, ǁîb ǃnâ hâ hoaraga xūn tita ǃgommi ǀguiba ra hā-ūba xui-ao. Hoan ge a harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂoaba saurus ase ī.
18 Hoaraga ǀhupuǀhupusens ǃhūbaib ai ta gere ǀhupuǀhupusens xa ta ge ge harebeoǃnâbahe, tita khaoǃgâ nî hā-e ta ǁîsa nî ǁnāxūba xui-ao. 19 Tsî tari-e gâ tamas ka io i nî gā-ai khoe ǃkhaisa a ǂan? Xawe-i ge ǁî-e hoaraga xūn tita ge nētikō ǀgaisase tsî gā-aise ǀhupuban di ǃereamsa nî ū. Nēs tsîn ge a harebeoǃnâ. 20 Tsîb ge ti ǂgaoba nē hoaraga kai ǀhupuǀhupusens ǃhūbaib ai ta ge dīsa xu ge ǃan. 21 Sats ga ǀgaisase sa hoaraga gā-aisib, ǂans tsî ǂansǁkhāsib ǀkha ǀhupuǀhupusentoas khaoǃgâts ge nē hoaraga xūna ǁîn ǃaroma go sîsen tama hâ i khoe-e ra ǁnāxūba. Nēs tsîn ge harebeoǃnâ tsî a kai tsūkeǃgâ? 22 Tare-e-i khoe-e ǁî-i di hoaraga ǀhupuǀhupusens tsî ǂâiǂhansens ǃhūbaib ai-i ra dī ǃnâ nî harebeba? 23 Hoaraga tsēdi â-i ge tsûb tsî ǂâiǂhansens xa hâǃnâhe. Tsuxub ǃnâs ge ǂâis â-e sâba hō tama hâ. Nēs tsîn ge harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂhanu tama hâ.
24 ǀGui ǀgaub ûib ǃnâts nî ǃgâiǃgâisenni ǀguib ge hâ: ǂÛ, ā î sa ǀhupuǀhupusens di xūn ǃgâiba ǁnā ǀgaus ai ǀama. Nēs tsîn Eloba xu hâ xuige. 25 ǁÎb huiba xu ǀguis ge ǂû tsî da ǃgâiǃgâisen ǁkhāsa. 26 Elob ge gā-aisib, ǂans, tsî ǁnān ǁîba ra ǃgâiǃgâiǂgaona ǃgâiaǂgaoba ra mā, xaweb ge ǁore-aona ra sîsen kai, ǃoaǂui tsîn nî sâu tsîs ǁîn hōǂgāsa ǁnān ǁîba ra ǃgâiǃgâiǂgaona nî māhese. Hoan ge a harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂoaba saurus ase ī.
