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.
Ûib ge a harebeoǃnâ
1 Nēdi ge Aoǁnâ-aob, Davidi ôab, Jerusalems ǃnâ ge gao-ao ib di mîde:
2 Harebeoǃnâ i ge a,
harebeoǃnâ a tib ge Aoǁnâ-aoba ra mî,
hoa xūn ge a harebeoǃnâ.
3 Tarebe harebesa i khoe-e ūba hâ
ǁî-i di ǀhupuǀhupusens ǃnâ,
ǃhūbaib ai?
4 ǁAeǃgâdi ge hā tsî ra ǃkharu,
xaweb ge ǃhūbaiba ǀamos kōse ra hâhâ.
5 Sores ge ǁhai tsî ra ǂgâ.
Tsîs ge ǁhais go hâ i ǃkhaibǀî ra oa,
ǁkhawa nî sī ǁhaise.
6 ǂOab ge ǃkhawagasǀî
tsî ǀapasǀî ǃgom
tsî ǁkhawa ra oa.
7 Hoaraga ǃāgu ge huribǀî ra dâu,
xaweb ge huriba ǀoa tama hâ.
Tsî gu ge ǃāga hāxu gu go ǃkhaiguǀî ra oa.
8 Hoaraga xūn ge a ǀhupu,
khoe-i xare-i a ǃhoaǂui ǁoas kōse.
Mûdi âda ge mûǂâu tide
tsî ǂgaedi âda ǁnâuǂâu tide.
9 ǀNai ge ī hâ i xūn ge ǁkhawa nî ī.
ǁKhātin ge ǀnai ge dīhe hâ ina
ǁkhawa nîra dīhe;
ǀgui xū-i tsîn ge ǃhūbaib ai ǀasa tama hâ.
10 Xū-e xare hâ i a ǁî-i xats “Mû, nē-i ge ǀasa xū-e” ti mî ǁkhā-e?
Tātsē, ǀnai ge sada ǁaeǃgâs aiǃâ hâ i.
11 ǀNai ge hâ i xūn di ǂâiǂâisen-i ge a ǀkhai,
ǁkhāti ǁnān ǃgoaxaǁaeb din
tsî ǁîna nî saon di-i on ge a ǀkhai.
Aoǁnâ-aob di hōǃâs
12 Tita, Aoǁnâ-aota ge Israelǁaes ǂama Jerusalems ǃnâ ge gao-ao i. 13 Tita ge hoaraga xūn ǃhūbaib ai ra īna ta nî ôaǃnâ tsî ǂan ǃkhaisa ge mîǀgui.
Elob ge kaise ǀgaisa ǃgomma khoesib ai ge ǁgui. 14 Hoaraga sîsengu ǁîn ge ǃhūbaib ai dīga ta ge ge mû; ǁîn ge harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂoaba saurus khami ī. 15 Gama xū-ets ge a ǂhanuǂhanu ǁoa tsîts ge ǁkhāti ǀkhai a xū-e a ǃgôa ǁoa.
16 Tita ge aitsama gere mîbasen kaisis tsî gā-aisis ǃnâ ta Jerusalems ǂama ge tita aiǃâ gao hâ in hoan ǂamai nî ǀarosen ǃkhaisa. Tita ge gā-aisib tsî ǂans tsîn amab ǃnâ tare-e ra ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa ge hōǃâ. 17 Tita ge ge mîǀgui gā-aisib, ǃkhausib tsî gâsiba ta nî ǂansa, xawe ta ge ge ǂan ǁîs ǂoaba saurus khami īsa. 18 ǃNāsa gā-aisibats ra ūhâ khamib ge ǃnāsa ǃoaba ra hâ; tsî ǂans ra ǀarosens kōseb ge tsûb ona ra ǀarosen.
