1 I thought long and hard about all this and saw that God controls the actions of wise and righteous people, even their love and their hate. No one knows anything about what lies ahead. 2 It makes no difference. The same fate comes to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the bad, to those who are religious and those who are not, to those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. A good person is no better off than a sinner; one who takes an oath is no better off than one who does not. 3 One fate comes to all alike, and this is as wrong as anything that happens in this world. As long as people live, their minds are full of evil and madness, and suddenly they die. 4 But anyone who is alive in the world of the living has some hope; a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, their passions, all died with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens in this world.
7 Go ahead—eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It's all right with God. 8 Always look happy and cheerful. 9 Enjoy life with the one you love, as long as you live the useless life that God has given you in this world. Enjoy every useless day of it, because that is all you will get for all your trouble. 10 Work hard at whatever you do, because there will be no action, no thought, no knowledge, no wisdom in the world of the dead—and that is where you are going.
11 I realized another thing, that in this world fast runners do not always win the races, and the brave do not always win the battles. The wise do not always earn a living, intelligent people do not always get rich, and capable people do not always rise to high positions. Bad luck happens to everyone. 12 You never know when your time is coming. Like birds suddenly caught in a trap, like fish caught in a net, we are trapped at some evil moment when we least expect it.
Thoughts on Wisdom and Foolishness
13 There is something else I saw, a good example of how wisdom is regarded in this world. 14 There was a little town without many people in it. A powerful king attacked it. He surrounded it and prepared to break through the walls. 15 Someone lived there who was poor, but so clever that he could have saved the town. But no one thought about him. 16 I have always said that wisdom is better than strength, but no one thinks of the poor as wise or pays any attention to what they say. 17 It is better to listen to the quiet words of someone wise than to the shouts of a ruler at a council of fools. 18 Wisdom does more good than weapons, but one sinner can undo a lot of good.
Okufaafana kwovayuki nokwovahenakalunga kwokombada yedu otaku fufya
1 Oinima ei aishe nde i kwatela momutima wange ndele ashishe eshi nde shi konakona shili, nokutya ovayuki novalumenhu ovanaendunge noilonga yavo ve li meke laKalunga, nosho yo ohole ngaashi ehandu. Omunhu keshi shii eshi shi li komesho yaye! 2 Aishe i fike pamwe kwaaveshe. Oshipewa shimwe ashike komuyuki nokomuhenakalunga, komukoshoki nokomulinyateki, kwaau ha yambe nokwaau iha yambe; ou muwa ta ningwa ngaashi omulunde, ou ta ane naau ha tila okwaana. 3 Mwaaishe tai ningwa koshi yetango omu noshinima inashi yuka nokutya, oshipewa shimwe ashike tashi hange aveshe, nomutima yo wovana vovanhu u yadi owii, noulai hau kala momitima davo mokukalamwenyo kwavo. Ndele konima yaashi otaku iwa koonakufya! 4 Osheshi ou fimbo e li mokati kovanamwenyo aveshe, ye e netimaumbwile. Osheshi ombwa i nomwenyo oi dule onghoshi ya fya. 5 Osheshi ovanamwenyo ove shi shii nokutya, ove nokufya. Ndelenee noonakufya inava shiiva nande osha, ndele vo vehe nondjabi vali, osheshi edimbulukifo lavo tali dimbuwa. 6 Ohole yavo ngaashi ehandu lavo nouladi wavo yo owa xula po nale. Ndelenee vo vehe na vali oshipewa mwaashishe tashi ningwa koshi yetango.
Hafela eeshali daKalunga u wanife osho Ye e ku lombwela
7 Inda hano u ka lye nehafo omungome woye, ndele nwa omaviinyu oye nomutima wa nyakukwa, osheshi Kalunga okwa hokwa nonale oilonga yoye. 8 Oikutu yoye nai kale alushe i yela, nomaadi komutwe woye aha pumbwe ko. 9 Hafifa omwenyo pamwe nomwalikadi woye ou u mu hole, omafiku aeshe omokukalamwenyo kwoye epwanga, okwo Ye e ku pa koshi yetango, heeno, omafiku oye aeshe oongahoelela. Osheshi osho oshitukulwa shoye mokukalamwenyo kwoye nomoshilonga shoye, osho to shi longo noudjuu koshi yetango. 10 Longa ashishe to shi dulu neenghono doye, osheshi moshovafi omu to i, kamu na nande oshilonga, ediladilo neshiivo ile ounongo. 11 Natango nda mona koshi yetango nokutya, okutondoka shanamutete kaku li mepangelo laau e nonhapo, haita mepangelo lovakwanyati, hamungome mepangelo lovanaendunge, haupuna mepangelo lovanamayele, hahokwe mepangelo lovanongo, ndelenee efimbo nesheyelo tali pangele aishe. 12 Heeno, nomunhu yo ina shiiva efimbo laye, ngaashi eeshi odo tadi yulwa moshiyulifo shitilifa nongaashi eedila tadi kwatwa meendjadja dokukwata. Ngaashi do osho yo ovana vovanhu tava yulwa mefimbo lii, olo tali va kwata divadiva.
13 Navali nde shi tala osho ounongo koshi yetango ndele nde shi tala osho oshinima shinene nokutya: 14 pa li oshilando shinini ndele musho mwa li ovalumenhu vanini nohamba inene ye shi homona, ye shi fitikinina, ndele ye shi tungila omatoteloshungo manene. 15 Ndele musho mwa kala omulumenhu umwe omukwanaluhepo nomunamayele. Oye ou a xupifa oshilando omolwounongo waye, ndelenee kakwa li nande umwe a ka dimbulukwa omulumenhu winya ohepele. 16 Opo nee ame nda tya: Ounongo u dule eenghono dovakwanyati. Ndelenee ounongo wohepele tau dinwa, ndele kaku na umwe a pwilikina eendjovo dayo. 17 Eendjovo domunamayele da pwilikinwa nokumwena, di dule eweelelo lomupangeli welai. 18 Ounongo u dule oilwifo yomoita, ndelenee omulunde ta nyono po oinima ihapu iwa.
