Don't Make Rash Promises
1 Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong. 2 Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to. 3 The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4 So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5 Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for? 7 No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.
Life Is Useless
8 Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.
9 Even a king depends on the harvest.
10 If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11 The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich. 12 Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
13 Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14 and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children. 15 We leave this world just as we entered it—with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. 16 It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? 17 We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick.
18 Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19 If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20 Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.
O hakahana okutjita omakwizikiro
1 Tji mo i kondjuwo ya Ndjambi ritjevera nawa. Orondu okuryama popezu na yo kutja u zuve okwo okunanḓengu pozombunguhiro nḓe punguhwa i omayova mbe ha tjiwa kutja owo mave tjiti ouvi. 2 Rutenga ripura, tjazumba arire tji wa hungire. O hakahana okuhungira omambo komurungu wa Ndjambi, Ndjambi tjinga e ri meyuru, nu ove au ri kombanda yehi. Otji mo sokuritjaera uri okuhungira. 3 Okurota ku za momerikendero omengi, nokuhungira ouyova ku za momambo omengi. 4 Tji wa tjiti omakwizikiro ku Ndjambi, ye yenenisa nokuhinokuwomba, orondu Ndjambi ke nonyuṋe momayova. Yenenisa omakwizikiro woye. 5 Okokuwa okuhinokutjita omakwizikiro komurungu wokuyetjita nokuhinokuyeyenenisa. 6 Omambo woye omuini aye ku wisire mondjo, nu o ha raere ko omupristeri wa Ndjambi kombunda kutja ove ko tjitire wina! Okutjavi Ndjambi tji ma pindikire omambo woye nokunyona oviungura vyomake woye? 7 Orondu otja punga ape noturoto otuingi, opunga ape nomambo omengi womungandjo wina. Nungwari tjinene kara nondira ku Ndjambi!
Avihe omungandjo
8 Tji wa munu kutja ovasyona mave ṋiṋikiziwa, nokutja mave yekwa ousemba nouatjiri mehi, o kumwa notjiṋa hi, orondu ove mo raerwa kutja ingwi ngu ri kombanda u na warwe kombanda ye, nu imba aveyevari ve na warwe ngu ri kombanda yawo wina.
9 Nungwari ouwa wehi mu avihe owo mbwi, orondu ehi ndi tji ri nombara, ndji tjevera oviungura vyomakunino wehi.
10 Ingwi ngwa suvera ovimariva kamaa munu ovimariva mbya yenene; nu ingwi ngwa suvera outumbe kamaa munu ovihohe mbya yenene. Imbi wina omungandjo uriri. 11 Oviriwa tji vi ri ovingi, ovarye wina ve rira ovengi; omuini wavyo ma munine po tjike ku vyo posi yokuvitara nomeho uriri? 12 Ozomboṱu zomuungure ozo omuzeze, nangarire kutja wa ri ovikurya oviṱiṱi poo ovingi; nungwari omutumbe u kuhisa ozomboṱu nokurikurungisa noutumbe we ouingi.
13 Pe nouvi mbu mba muna mouye mbwi: Outumbe mbu pwikwa i omuini wawo u rira ouhumandu ku ye. 14 Outumbe mbwi mau pandjarisiwa i oviwonga, nomuzandu we ke nokukara notjirumatwa. 15 Eye wa za muzu mezumo raina, nu ma yaruka mutundu rukwao; ke na tji ma twaerere kombunda yongondjero yoviungura vye avihe. 16 Imbwi ombu ri ouvi ounene kutja otja indu tje ya, otjinga ama yaruka; eye ma munine po tjike kokutja eye wa ungura omungandjo uriri? 17 Wina ngunda e nomuinyo ma rire ovikurya vye monḓorera, nu u nomerikendero omengi puna omihihamo nomapindi.
18 Ihi ami tji mba muna otjo hi: Otjiṋa otjisemba omundu ngamwa auhe tji ma sora okutjita, okongwi okurya nokunwa nokunyandera imbi eye mbya ungurira kombanda yehi moure womuinyo we omusupi Ndjambi mbwe mu pa; ihi tje mu yenene. 19 Ndjambi tja yandja outumbe nouini komundu kutja a vyare mu vyo, nga kare nohange, nu nga yoroke mongondjero yoviungura vye; ihi otjo otjiyandjewa tja Ndjambi. 20 Orondu omundu otja ingwi ke ripura tjinene nomayuva ouṱiṱi womuinyo we, Ndjambi tjinga e mu pa ondjoroka momutima we.
