Life Is Useless
1 These are the words of the Philosopher, David's son, who was king in Jerusalem.
2 It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless, all useless. 3 You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the world stays just the same. 5 The sun still rises, and it still goes down, going wearily back to where it must start all over again. 6 The wind blows south, the wind blows north—round and round and back again. 7 Every river flows into the sea, but the sea is not yet full. The water returns to where the rivers began, and starts all over again. 8 Everything leads to weariness—a weariness too great for words. Our eyes can never see enough to be satisfied; our ears can never hear enough. 9 What has happened before will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new in the whole world. 10 “Look,” they say, “here is something new!” But no, it has all happened before, long before we were born. 11 No one remembers what has happened in the past, and no one in days to come will remember what happens between now and then.
The Philosopher's Experience
12 I, the Philosopher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I determined that I would examine and study all the things that are done in this world.
God has laid a miserable fate upon us. 14 I have seen everything done in this world, and I tell you, it is all useless. It is like chasing the wind. 15 You can't straighten out what is crooked; you can't count things that aren't there.
16 I told myself, “I have become a great man, far wiser than anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are.” 17 I was determined to learn the difference between knowledge and foolishness, wisdom and madness. But I found out that I might as well be chasing the wind. 18 The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.
Avihe omungandjo
1 Inga owo omambo wOmuzuvarise, omuna wa David, ngwa ri ombara mOjerusalem.
2 Avihe omungandjo, omungandjo, Omuzuvarise ma tja nao. Avihe omungandjo, avihe mbi omungandjo! 3 Hapo omundu ma munine po ondjambi yatjike moviungura vye na mongondjero ye aihe yeyuva arihe? 4 Omuhoko u ya na u kapita, nomukwao warwe au ya, nungwari ouye owo u kara omuano umwe uriri. 5 Eyuva ri tja, nari toko, nu tjazumba ari hakahana okuyaruka koṋa ku ri pitira. 6 Ombepo i hinga keyuva kokumuho, nai tanaukire keyuva kokunene amai yende amai tanauka, nai yaruka amai rikondoroka. 7 Ozonḓonḓu azehe ze kahita mokuvare, nungwari oko kaku ura; omeva ye yaruka koṋa ozonḓonḓu ku ze utira, narire tji ya kauta okupupa rukwao. 8 Oviṋa avihe ovikendise, ovikendise tjinene nga omundu tje hi nokusora okuviserekarera. Omeho wetu kamaaye munu okuyenena nga tji ya kowa; nomatwi wetu kamaaye zuu okuyenena nga tji ya pama. 9 Mbya ri po mavi kara po rukwao; mbya tjitirwe mavi tjitwa rukwao; kape notjiṋa otjipe mouye auhe. 10 Hapo pe notjiṋa tjorive omundu tji ma tja tara, ihi otjipe! Otjo tjandje tja ri po rukuru, eṱe ngunda atu hiya kwatwa. 11 Kape nomundu ngu zemburuka imbi mbya tjitirwe moruveze ndwa kapita; nu kape nomundu momayuva wokomurungu ngu maa kazemburuka imbi mbi mavi tjitwa nambano.
Okukondjera ounongo okwo omungandjo
12 Ami, Omuzuvarise, mba ri ombara ya Israel mOjerusalem. 13 Nombatero younongo ami mba kondja okukonḓonona nokurihonga avihe mbi tjitwa mouye mbwi.
Indji oyo ongondjero onḓeu Ndjambi ndja yandja kovandu okukondja na yo. 14 Ami mba muna otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tji tji tjitwa mouye mbwi, nu tara, avihe ovyo omungandjo, nu ku ri tjimuna okurora okurambera ombepo. 15 Tji tjiri otjinauvi kamaatji ririsiwa otjisemba, nu tji tji he ri po kamaatji yenene okuvarwa.
16 Ami mbe ripura e tja: “Tara, ami mba hara ounongo ounene pu avehe mba honaparere mOjerusalem komurungu wandje; nomutima wandje wa hara ounongo ouingi nondjiviro onyingi.”
17 Ami otji mbe ripura okurihonga ombangu pokati kondjiviro nounongo na pokati kouyova nokuhinozondunge. Nungwari arire tji mba munu kutja ingwi wina oko okurora okurambera ombepo uriri. 18 Tjiri, tji una ounongo tjinene u kara nongurunguse tjinene, nu tji una ondjiviro tjinene u ryamisira ko oruhoze.
