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 Tari-e amabes ǃnâ a gā-ai?
Tari-e xūn di ǂâibasende a ǁguiǃā ǁkhā?
Gā-aisib ge khoe-i di aisa ra ǂkhai kai
tsî karosasib ai-īsib diba ra ǀkharaǀkhara.
Gao-aoba ǁnâuǀnam
2 Gao-aob ra mîna ǁnâuǀnam, Elob di nūs ai. 3 ǁÎb aisa xu bēs tamas ka io ǁîb ǃoagu hâ mâǃoadi ǃnâ ǁhaos ai tā ǃhae. ǂGaob ra xū-i hoa-eb ǁîba dī ǁkhā xuige. 4 Mîs gao-aob dis ge ǀgaiba ūhâ. O tari-e ǁîba “Tare-ets ra dī?” ti a dî ǁkhā.
5 ǁNā-i hîa mîmāde ra ǁnâuǀnam-i ge ǂkhababa ǂan tide
tsî gā-ai khoe-i ge ǂhanu ǁaeb tsî ǀgaub tsîna nî ǂan.
6 Mâ xū-i hoa-i ge ǂhanu ǁaeb tsî ǀgaub tsîna ūhâ,
xaweb ge khoesiba ǃgomsiga nēs ǃnâ nî tsâ.
7 ǀGui khoe-i tsîn ge ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǃnân tarena nî ī ǃkhaisa a ǀū,
o tari-e ǁnā ǃgoaxaǁaeb xa tare-e a mîba da ǁkhā?
8 Khoe-i xare-i ge ûib di ǂoaba ǃkhō-oas ǀgaiba ūhâ tama hâ,
tsî i ge khoe-i xare-e ǁōtsēs ai ǀgaiba ūhâ tama hâ.
ǁNās ge ǃkhams ǀgui khoe-i tsîn ûiǂoaxū ǁoasa
ǃkhais ǁkhās khamib ge ǂkhababa ǁnān ǁîb ǃomǁae māhe hâna ore tide.
ǂKhaban tsî ǂhanu-ain
9 Nē xūn hoana ta ge ge ǂâi nē ǃhūbaib, ǁîb ǃnân ǀnî khoena ǀgaiba ūhâ tsîn ǀnîna ǁîn ǃnaka ra ǃgamǃgamsenni ǃnâ ra ī xūna ta ge mûo. 10 Tsî ta ge ǂkhaba khoen ge ǁkhōhe ǃkhaisa ge mû. ǁÎn ge khoen xa ǃās, ǁîs ǃnân ǁîn ǂkhaba sîsenga gere dīs ǃnâ gere koahe. Nēn hoan ge a harebeoǃnâ.
11 Khoen dīn ra ǂkhabab ǃaroman ga ǁkharahe tama io, ǂkhababa dīs ǃnâ i tsū xū-e ǀkhai ti ra ǂâi xui-ao. 12 ǁOre-ao-i ge mâtikō kaise iga ǂkhaba xawe gaxuse ra ûi. Tita ge ǂgomǁapo hâ ǁnān Eloba ra ǁnâuǀnamn nî ǁîban ra ǃgôa amaga gaxuse ûi ǃkhaisa. 13 Xawes ge nēsa ǁnān hîa a ǂkhaban ǀkha ī tide. ǁÎn di ûib ge sommi khami ī tsîn ge ǁîna kaisen ǂkham hîa Eloban ǁnâuǀnam tama amaga nî ǁō. 14 ǁNāpa i ge ǁnâuǃāhe ǁoa xū-e ǃhūbaib ai ra ī: ǂHanu-ai khoen ge ǂkhaba khoen nî sîsenūhe khami ra sîsenūhe tsîn ge ǂkhaba khoena hâ, ǂhanu-ai khoen nî sîsenūhe khami ra sîsenūhena. Nēn hoan ge a harebeoǃnâ ti ta ge ra mî.
15 ǁNā-amaga ta ge a-i khoe-e ǃgâiaǂgao, ās, ǂûs tsî ǃgâiǃgâisens ǀguis ose i ǀnî xū-i ǃhūbaib ai i khoe-e nî dī-e ǀkhai xuige. Nēs ge khoe-i ǀkha ǁî-i di sîsenni, ǃhūbaib ai-i ûi hâ tsēdi, Elob ge ǁî-e mādi hoade nî hâ.
16 Gā-aisib tsî ǃhūbaib hoaragab ain khoena tarena ra dīsa ta nî ǂan ǃkhaisa ta ge ǁgui-aisen, o ta ge tsēa tsî tsuxuba ge ǁom ǁoa i. 17 Tsî ta ge hoaraga xūn Elob ge kuruna ge ǂâiǂâisen. Amabes ǃnâb ge khoesiba ǀoasase nē xūna a ǁnâuǃā ǁoa. Tsîts ga gā-ai khoe-i, hoaraga xūn Elob ra ǃhūbaib ai dīna i ǂan ti ra mî-e hō, o-i ge ǁî-e ǂans ǃaroma khoesi ǁnâuǃāba ǃnā hâse ra dīsen.
