Thoughts about Life
1 A good reputation is better than expensive perfume; and the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2 It is better to go to a home where there is mourning than to one where there is a party, because the living should always remind themselves that death is waiting for us all.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; it may sadden your face, but it sharpens your understanding.
4 Someone who is always thinking about happiness is a fool. A wise person thinks about death.
5 It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.
6 When a fool laughs, it is like thorns crackling in a fire. It doesn't mean a thing.
7 You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.
8 The end of something is better than its beginning.
Patience is better than pride.
9 Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge.
10 Never ask, “Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?” It's not an intelligent question.
11 Everyone who lives ought to be wise; it is as good as receiving an inheritance 12 and will give you as much security as money can. Wisdom keeps you safe—this is the advantage of knowledge.
13 Think about what God has done. How can anyone straighten out what God has made crooked? 14 When things are going well for you, be glad, and when trouble comes, just remember: God sends both happiness and trouble; you never know what is going to happen next.
15 My life has been useless, but in it I have seen everything. Some good people may die while others live on, even though they are evil. 16 So don't be too good or too wise—why kill yourself? 17 But don't be too wicked or too foolish, either—why die before you have to? 18 Avoid both extremes. If you have reverence for God, you will be successful anyway.
19 Wisdom does more for a person than ten rulers can do for a city.
20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.
21 Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you, 22 and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.
23 I used my wisdom to test all of this. I was determined to be wise, but it was beyond me. 24 How can anyone discover what life means? It is too deep for us, too hard to understand. 25 But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.
26 I found something more bitter than death—the woman who is like a trap. The love she offers you will catch you like a net, and her arms around you will hold you like a chain. A man who pleases God can get away, but she will catch the sinner. 27 Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers. 28 I have looked for other answers but have found none. I found one man in a thousand that I could respect, but not one woman. 29 This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.
Omeripuriro otja kongarero yomundu
1 Okokuwa okukara notjikaro otjiwa komeho yokukara nomaze omawa wokurivava; nu eyuva ronḓiro oro ewa pu indi rongwatero.
2 Okokuwa okuyenda kondjuwo yomutambo komeho yokuyenda ku indji yomukandi, orondu ovanamuinyo aruhe ve sokurizemburuka kutja onḓiro i tu undja atuhe.
3 Okokuwa okukara noruhoze komeho yokuyora, orondu oruhoze mu mo pitire maru ku tjiti kutja urire onongo.
4 Omundu onongo aruhe u ripura nonḓiro; nungwari ingwi eyova aruhe u ripura nondjoroka.
5 Okokuwa okuvyurwa i omundu onongo komeho yokutangwa i omundu eyova.
6 Okuyora kwomundu eyova kwa sana nokutwipa kwomakuiya momuriro kehi yonyungu. Avihe mbi wina ovyo omungandjo uriri.
7 Tjiri, okutjita ovineya ku yovaparisa omundu onongo, nu okuyandja poo okukambura otjiyandjewa tjombopero ku zunḓa omutima.
8 Ondjandero yotjiṋa ngamwa oyo onanḓengu pombutiro yatjo, nu omundu ngu nomuretima eye omusemba pu ingwi ngu ritongamisa.
9 O hakahana okupindika mombepo, orondu omapindi owo ohama momutima weyova.
10 O pura kutja okutjavi omayuva woruveze orukuru tji ya ri omasemba pu inga owanambano! Orondu okupura nao kaunongo.
11 Ounongo owo ouwa tjimuna eṱa, nowo ounanḓengu ku ingwi ngu nomuinyo. 12 Orondu ovimariva punga avi yandja ondjamo, ounongo opunga au yama wina; nungwari otjiṋa otjinanḓengu kondjiviro otjo hi: Ounongo u ṱakamisira omuini wawo omuinyo.
13 Nongonona imbi Ndjambi mbya tjita. Owaṋi ngu ma sora okunyaturura ihi Ndjambi tja katisa?
14 Otuveze tji tu ri otuṋingandu kove, yoroka; notuveze twoumba tji twe ya, rizemburuka nai: Ndjambi u hinda enyando noumba aviyevari; omundu kamaa tjiwa imbi mbi mavi katjitwa kombunda.
15 Ami mba muna aviyevari mbi momayuva wongarero yandje yomungandjo: Omusemba u ṱa nandarire kutja eye omusemba, nomurunde u hupa orure nandarire kutja eye omurunde. 16 O rivara kutja oove omusemba tjinene, nu o ritjiti onongo okukapita ovakweṋu! Okutjavi tji mo riyandeke omuini nai? 17 Nu o ritjindi tjinene otja omunauvi, nu o rire eyova wina; okutjavi tji movanga okukoka komurungu woruveze rwoye? 18 Okokuwa okuṱiza oviṋa mbi aviyevari, orondu omundu ngu nondira ku Ndjambi u tjita oviṋa mbi aviyevari osemba.
19 Ounongo u yandja omasa konongo komeho yovanane ovanamasa omurongo motjihuro.
20 Kape nomundu omusemba kombanda yehi ngu tjita ouwa porwe, nu ngu ha tjiti ourunde wina.
21 O kara ko na tja nomambo aehe ovandu ngu mave hungire, kokutja o ha zuu omukarere woye tji me ku yamba, 22 ove omuini tjinga amo tjiwa nawa kutja ove wina wa yamba ovandu varwe potuingi.
23 Avihe mbi mba rora nounongo ame tja me vanga okurira onongo; nungwari ounongo tjandje u ri ohumburuko na ami. 24 Ihi tji tji ri po, tji ri kokure, notjo tja undikwa tjinenenene; owaṋi ngu ma sora okutjimuna? 25 Ami mbe rimana omuini okukara nondjiviro nokuinongonona; mba kondja okupaha ounongo nokumuna omaziriro komapuriro wandje, na wina okurihonga kutja ourunde owo ouyova, nouhipa owo oviyoze.
26 Mba muna otjiṋa otjitetarise tjinene ponḓiro: Otjo omukazendu. Orusuvero eye ndu me ku pe, maru ku kambura otja ongwehe poo otja ombate; nomaoko we ngu maye ku pukata maye ku pandeke otja ouketanga. Omundu ngu nondira ku Ndjambi ma yenene okupita mongwehe yomukazendu ngwi, nungwari ingwi omurunde ma kamburwa i ye. 27 Omuzuvarise ma tja, tara, ami mba muna oviṋa mbi kouṱiṱiṱiṱi indu tjee paha omaziriro. 28 Wina mba paha omaziriro warwe, nungwari hi ye munine ko. Mba muna omurumendu umwe omusemba mokati keyovi, nungwari hi mwine omukazendu nangarire umwe. 29 Otjiṋa porwatjo tji mbe rihonga otjo hi tjokutja Ndjambi ovandu we ve uta ovasemba, nungwari ovandu oveni ombe ripahera omeripura omengi omavi.
