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.
1 Who is smart enough
to explain everything?
Wisdom makes you cheerful
and gives you a smile.
Obey the King
2 If you promised God that you would be loyal to the king, I advise you to keep that promise. 3 Don't quickly oppose the king or argue when he has already made up his mind. 4 The king's word is law. No one can ask him, “Why are you doing this?” 5 If you obey the king, you will stay out of trouble. So be wise and learn what to do and when to do it. 6 Life is hard, but there is a time and a place for everything, 7 though no one can tell the future. 8 We cannot control the wind or determine the day of our death. There is no escape in time of war, and no one can hide behind evil. 9 I noticed all this and thought seriously about what goes on in the world. Why does one person have the power to hurt another?
Who Can Understand the Ways of God?
10 I saw the wicked buried with honor, but God's people had to leave the holy city and were forgotten. None of this makes sense. 11 When we see criminals commit crime after crime without being punished, it makes us want to start a life of crime. 12 They commit hundreds of crimes and live a long time, in spite of the saying:
Everyone who lives right
and respects God
will prosper,
13 but no one who sins
and rejects God
will prosper or live very long.
14 There is something else that doesn't make sense to me. Good citizens are treated as criminals, while criminals are honored as though they were good citizens. 15 So I think we should get as much out of life as we possibly can. There is nothing better than to enjoy our food and drink and have a good time. Then we can make it through this troublesome life that God has given us here on earth.
16 Day and night I went without sleep, trying to understand what goes on in this world. 17 I saw everything God does, and I realized no one can really understand what happens. We may be very wise, but no matter how much we try or how much we claim to know, we cannot understand it all.
