One Day at a Time
1 I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any one of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad. 2 But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or are afraid to make them.
3 It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. 4 As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 We know we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.
7 So be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. 8 Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. 9 Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. 10 Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or even knows anything.
11 Here is something else I have learned:
The fastest runners
and the greatest heroes
don't always win races
and battles.
Wisdom, intelligence, and skill
don't always make you healthy,
rich, or popular.
We each have our own share
of misfortune.
12 None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.
Better To Be Wise than Foolish
13 Once I saw what people really think of wisdom, and it made an impression on me. 14 It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. 15 But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. 16 So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how smart you are.
17 Words of wisdom spoken softly
make much more sense
than the shouts of a ruler
to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is more powerful
than weapons,
yet one mistake can destroy
all the good you have done.
Inatu fundjwa kefaathano lyaayuuki naalunde
1 Ayihe mbika onde yi kwatele momutima gwandje, naayihe onde yi simonona, kutya aayuuki naanawino niilonga yawo oyi li miikaha yaKalunga, ohole nosho wo uutondwe omuntu ina tseya shoka tashi mu adha komeho. 2 Ayihe oyi thike pamwe kwaayehe. Oshipewa shimwe ashike komuyuuki nokomukolokoshi, komwaanawa nokomwiinayi, komuyogoki nokomwiinyateki, kungoka ta yamba omayambo nokungoka itaa yamba omayambo; omwaanawa ke vulathane nomulunde, naangoka ta gana oha ningwa ngaashi ngoka a tila egano. 3 Mwaayihe tayi ningwa kohi yetango, omu na oshiponga shika: ayehe oye na oshipewa shimwe noomwenyo dhaana yaantu odhu udha uuwinayi nomitima dhawo uugoya mokukalamwenyo kwawo akuhe; navulwa taa yi koonakusa! 4 Onkene tuu ngoka e li mokati kaanamwenyo, oku na ngaa etegameno, oshoka ombwa yi na omwenyo oyi vule onime ya sa. 5 Oshoka aanamwenyo otaa tseya kutya oye na okusa, ihe aasi itaa tseya sha nando, nokaa na we ondjambi yasha, oshoka ondhimbulukilo yawo otayi dhimbiwa. 6 Ohole yawo, uutondwe wawo nuulaadhi wawo owa kana nale nokuli, nokaa na we sha mumbyoka tayi ningwa kohi yetango.
7 Inda ano, lya oshikwiila shoye nenyanyu nou nwe omaviinu goye nomutima gwa tundulukwa, oshoka Kalunga okwa hokwa nale iilonga yoye. 8 Tokitha aluhe oonguwo dhoye, nomugwayo inagu pumba ko komutse gwoye. 9 Nyanyudha omwenyo gwoye namukadhoye, ngoka u mu holelele omasiku goye agehe ganathangwa ngoka Kalunga e ku pa kohi yetango — omasiku goye agehe ganathangwa, oshoka osho oshipewa shoye mokukalamwenyo nomiilonga yoye mbyoka to yi longo nuudhigu kohi yetango. 10 Longa ashihe to vulu niikaha yoye, shi longa noonkondo dhoye, oshoka kaku na iilonga, ompangela, uunongo nenge owino moshaasi, moka noka ya mo.
11 Naishewe kohi yetango onda mono ko kutya esindano mokumatuka kali li aluhe mepangelo lyaamboka ye na ontuku, iita hayomapenda, oshikwiila hashaanawino, uuyamba hawaanandunge nolupundi halwoonkulungu, oshoka ethimbo neuthilo otali adha ayehe. 12 Eeno, omuntu ina tseya ethimbo lye mwene ngashika oohi ndhoka dha yulwa monete yoshiponga nenge oondhila ndhoka hadhi yulwa moomwigo. Osho wo aana yaantu otaa yulwa methimbo lyoshiponga, nge taa gwile mo ohaluka.
Omadhiladhilo kombinga yowino noyuugoya
13 Naashika onde shi tala kohi yetango osho uunongo, nosha li oshinene momeho gandje: 14 Okwa li okalando okashona naalumentu aashona ya li mo. Omukwaniilwa omunene okwe ka matukile, e ka kondeke e te ka tungile etuni lyokukondekela. 15 Muko omwa li omulumentu ohepele, ihe omunawino; nguka okwa hupitha okalando nowino ye. Ihe kaku na we omuntu a dhimbulukwa omulumentu ngwiyaka ohepele. 16 Nena onda ti: Owino oyi vule oonkondo dhoofule, ihe owino yohepele oya dhinika, noohapu dhe itadhi pulakenwa. 17 Oohapu dhaanawino dha pulakenwa nengungumano, odhi vule omagandagulo gomukwaniilwa mokati komagoya. 18 Owino oyi vule omatati golugodhi, ihe omulunde gumwe ota yono po uuwanawa owindji.
