1 Only the wise know what things really mean. Wisdom makes them smile and makes their frowns disappear.
Obey the King
2 Do what the king says, and don't make any rash promises to God. 3 The king can do anything he likes, so depart from his presence; don't stay in such a dangerous place. 4 The king acts with authority, and no one can challenge what he does. 5 As long as you obey his commands, you are safe, and a wise person knows how and when to do it. 6 There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little! 7 None of us knows what is going to happen, and there is no one to tell us. 8 No one can keep from dying or put off the day of death. That is a battle we cannot escape; we cannot cheat our way out.
The Wicked and the Righteous
9 I saw all this when I thought about the things that are done in this world, a world where some people have power and others have to suffer under them. 10 Yes, I have seen the wicked buried and in their graves, but on the way back from the cemetery people praise them in the very city where they did their evil. It is useless.
11 Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough. 12 A sinner may commit a hundred crimes and still live. Oh yes, I know what they say: “If you obey God, everything will be all right, 13 but it will not go well for the wicked. Their life is like a shadow and they will die young, because they do not obey God.” 14 But this is nonsense. Look at what happens in the world: sometimes the righteous get the punishment of the wicked, and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I say it is useless.
15 So I am convinced that we should enjoy ourselves, because the only pleasure we have in this life is eating and drinking and enjoying ourselves. We can at least do this as we labor during the life that God has given us in this world.
16 Whenever I tried to become wise and learn what goes on in the world, I realized that you could stay awake night and day 17 and never be able to understand what God is doing. However hard you try, you will never find out. The wise may claim to know, but they don't.
1 Owaṋi ngu ri otja onongo, nowaṋi ngu tjiwa omaheero woviṋa? Ounongo womundu u mu meṱameṱisa, nu omutivarungu vi rundururwa i ounongo.
Okukara nonḓuviro kombara
2 Ami me tja ṱakamisa omarakiza wombara mena roruyano ndu wa yana komurungu wa Ndjambi. 3 O hakahana okuza po pu yo; o ritwa motjiṋa otjivi, orondu avihe oyo mbi mai vanga mai tjiti. 4 Embo rombara oro enauvara, nowaṋi ngu ma sora okuhungira ku yo a tja: “Ove mo ungura tjike?” 5 Ingwi ngu ma ṱakamisa omarakiza wombara ke nokumuna otjipo; nomutima wonongo u tjiwa oruveze nondyero yombanguriro. 6 Orondu otjiṋa atjihe tji noruveze rwatjo rokupangurwa; ouvi u ṋiṋikiza omundu tjinene. 7 Omundu ka tjiwa imbi mbi mavi tjitwa; nowaṋi ngu me mu tjivisa kutja ovyo mavi tjitwa ruṋe? 8 Kape nomundu ngu nouvara kombanda yotjivepo okutjitjaera; nu kape nomundu ngu nouvara kombanda yeyuva ronḓiro ye. Moruveze rwovita kape nomundu ngu yandjerwa okusuva; nomurunde wina otje hi nokuyamwa kongatukiro ye.
Omunauvi nOmusemba
9 Avihe mbi, me vi munu tji mba konḓonona oviṋa avihe mbi tjitwa mouye, ouye ovandu tjiva mu ve honaparera ovakwao nga ovakwao tjiva munu ouzeu ngunda averi kehi youvara wawo. 10 Tara, ami mba muna ovanauvi amave pakwa, nungwari ovandu tji mave kotoka okuza kombakero mave ve tanga motjihuro owo mu va tjitira ouvi wawo. Wina imbi ovyo omungandjo uriri.
11 Ozondjito ozombi tjinga aze ha hakahana okupangurwa, omitima vyovandu otjinga avye ura nozondjito zouvi. 12 Omurunde ma yenene okutjita ouvi povikando esere rimwe, nu vari ma hupu orure. Ii, ami me tjiwa kutja ku za nai: “Imba mbe nondira ku Ndjambi ve kara nawa, tjinga ave nonḓuviro ku Ndjambi; 13 nungwari omunauvi ke nokurira omuṋingandu, nomayuva we ye ri otja otjizire, owo kaye nokuweziwa, eye tjinga e hi nondira ku Ndjambi.” 14 Pe noviṋa vyomungandjo mbi munika kombanda yehi; porumwe omusemba u pewa omberero yomunauvi, nomunauvi a pewa ondjambi yomusemba. Imbi wina ami me tja ovyo omungandjo uriri.
15 Ami otji mba tanga enyando, tjinga ape hi notjiṋa tjarwe otjiwa komundu kombanda yehi posi yokurya nokunwa nokuyoroka, nokutja ovyo vi mu ṱike mongondjero yoviungura vye moure womayuva womuinyo we Ndjambi nge mu pa kombanda yehi.
16 Tji mba kondja tjinene okurihonga kutja ounongo owo otjikeṋa, otji mba muna ozondjito nḓe tjitwa kombanda yehi. Nu, tjiri, omeho womundu maye kara katumba omutenya nouṱuku, 17 nokuhinokuyenena okunongonona oviungura avihe vya Ndjambi: Tjiri, kape na ngu konḓonona kutja imbi oviungura mbi tjitwa kombanda yehi vya sana pi poo ngu ma tjiwa kutja omundu u ungurira tjike okukonḓonona nai, nungwari kamaa munu ko. Nangarire omundu onongo kamaa munu ko nandarire kutja ma tja ma tjiwa.
