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.
Inatu fundjwa kefaathano lyaayuuki naalunde
1 Ayihe mbika onde yi kwatele momutima gwandje, naayihe onde yi simonona, kutya aayuuki naanawino niilonga yawo oyi li miikaha yaKalunga, ohole nosho wo uutondwe omuntu ina tseya shoka tashi mu adha komeho. 2 Ayihe oyi thike pamwe kwaayehe. Oshipewa shimwe ashike komuyuuki nokomukolokoshi, komwaanawa nokomwiinayi, komuyogoki nokomwiinyateki, kungoka ta yamba omayambo nokungoka itaa yamba omayambo; omwaanawa ke vulathane nomulunde, naangoka ta gana oha ningwa ngaashi ngoka a tila egano. 3 Mwaayihe tayi ningwa kohi yetango, omu na oshiponga shika: ayehe oye na oshipewa shimwe noomwenyo dhaana yaantu odhu udha uuwinayi nomitima dhawo uugoya mokukalamwenyo kwawo akuhe; navulwa taa yi koonakusa! 4 Onkene tuu ngoka e li mokati kaanamwenyo, oku na ngaa etegameno, oshoka ombwa yi na omwenyo oyi vule onime ya sa. 5 Oshoka aanamwenyo otaa tseya kutya oye na okusa, ihe aasi itaa tseya sha nando, nokaa na we ondjambi yasha, oshoka ondhimbulukilo yawo otayi dhimbiwa. 6 Ohole yawo, uutondwe wawo nuulaadhi wawo owa kana nale nokuli, nokaa na we sha mumbyoka tayi ningwa kohi yetango.
7 Inda ano, lya oshikwiila shoye nenyanyu nou nwe omaviinu goye nomutima gwa tundulukwa, oshoka Kalunga okwa hokwa nale iilonga yoye. 8 Tokitha aluhe oonguwo dhoye, nomugwayo inagu pumba ko komutse gwoye. 9 Nyanyudha omwenyo gwoye namukadhoye, ngoka u mu holelele omasiku goye agehe ganathangwa ngoka Kalunga e ku pa kohi yetango — omasiku goye agehe ganathangwa, oshoka osho oshipewa shoye mokukalamwenyo nomiilonga yoye mbyoka to yi longo nuudhigu kohi yetango. 10 Longa ashihe to vulu niikaha yoye, shi longa noonkondo dhoye, oshoka kaku na iilonga, ompangela, uunongo nenge owino moshaasi, moka noka ya mo.
11 Naishewe kohi yetango onda mono ko kutya esindano mokumatuka kali li aluhe mepangelo lyaamboka ye na ontuku, iita hayomapenda, oshikwiila hashaanawino, uuyamba hawaanandunge nolupundi halwoonkulungu, oshoka ethimbo neuthilo otali adha ayehe. 12 Eeno, omuntu ina tseya ethimbo lye mwene ngashika oohi ndhoka dha yulwa monete yoshiponga nenge oondhila ndhoka hadhi yulwa moomwigo. Osho wo aana yaantu otaa yulwa methimbo lyoshiponga, nge taa gwile mo ohaluka.
Omadhiladhilo kombinga yowino noyuugoya
13 Naashika onde shi tala kohi yetango osho uunongo, nosha li oshinene momeho gandje: 14 Okwa li okalando okashona naalumentu aashona ya li mo. Omukwaniilwa omunene okwe ka matukile, e ka kondeke e te ka tungile etuni lyokukondekela. 15 Muko omwa li omulumentu ohepele, ihe omunawino; nguka okwa hupitha okalando nowino ye. Ihe kaku na we omuntu a dhimbulukwa omulumentu ngwiyaka ohepele. 16 Nena onda ti: Owino oyi vule oonkondo dhoofule, ihe owino yohepele oya dhinika, noohapu dhe itadhi pulakenwa. 17 Oohapu dhaanawino dha pulakenwa nengungumano, odhi vule omagandagulo gomukwaniilwa mokati komagoya. 18 Owino oyi vule omatati golugodhi, ihe omulunde gumwe ota yono po uuwanawa owindji.
