1 Nē xūn hoana ôaǃnâ tsî ta ge Elob ǂhanu-ai khoen tsî gā-ain tsî hoaraga xūn ǁîn ra dīn ai ra gaosîsen ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan. ǁÎn ge Elob nî ǁîna ūǃoa tamas ka io ǂhara ǃkhaisa a ǀū. Nēn hoan ge ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǃnâ hâ. 2 Hoaraga xūn ge Elob tawa a ǀgui:
ǂHanu-ain tsî ǂkhaban;
ǃanun tsî ǃanuoǃnân;
ǁnā-i ǁguiba ra-i tsî
ǁnā-i ǁguiba tama-i;
ǁnā-i hîa a ǃgâi-i
tsî ǁnā-i hîa ra ǁore-i;
ǁnā-i hîa ra nū-i
tsî ǁnā-i hîa nūsa xu ra ǁhâ-i tsîn hoana.
3 Nēs ge ǁnān sores ǃnaga ra īn hoan ǃnâ a ǂkhaba:
ǀGui xū-i ǀgui-i xan ge hoana ra hāǂamhe,
tsî khoen ôan di ǂgaob ǂkhabab xa ǀoa hâ,
tsî ǁîn di ûib ǃnâ gu ǃkhausasiga ǂgaob ân ǃnâ hâ ǃkhaisa;
ǁnās khaoǃgân ge ǁō hân tawa nî sī.
4 Xawe ǁnān hîa ûitsaman ge ǃâubasensa ūhâ;
ûitsama ari-i ge ǁō hâ xam-i ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi.
5 Ûitsaman ge ǁōn nî ǃkhaisa ǂan,
xawe ǁō hân ge xū-i xare-e ǀū,
ǁîn ge mādawa-am-e ūhâ tama hâ
tsîs ge ǁîn xa hâ ǂâiǂâisensa hoaragase ra ǀuruhe.
6 ǁÎn ǀnammi, khāb tsî surib
tsîn ge ǀnai ge kā.
Tātsēs tsînan ge ǁîna ǁkhawa
nē ǃhūbaib ai ra ī xūn ǃnâ
ǃaruǀî ǁhao tide.
7 Sa ǂû-e ǂû î sa ǂauxûi-e ā re, ǃgâiaǂgaoxa ǂgaob ǀkha, nēsab Eloba ǀnai ǂâibasenba tsi hâ xuige. 8 Mâǁaeb hoab ain sa sarana ǃuri, î-i oli-i xare-e tā sa danasa xu ǂnâ. 9 ǁÎsats ǀnam taras ǀkha sa harebeoǃnâ ûitsēdi, Elob ge ǃhūbaib ai mā tsi di ǃnâ ûiǀhao re. ǁNās ge sa ǀhupuǀhupusens hîats nē ǃhūbaib ai ra ǀhupuǀhupusens di mādawa-amsa. 10 Mâ xū-i hîats ra sa ǃomgu ǀkha dī-i hoa-e sa ǀgaib hoab ǀkha dī re. Sîsen-i tamas ka io, ǃeream-i tamas ka io, ǂan-i tamas ka io, gā-aisi-i ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib, ǁîb ǃoats garub tawa a ǀkhai xuige.
11 ǁKhāti ta ge ǃhūbaib ais ǃkhoesa ǃgari khoe-i dis ǀguisa hî tama i,
ǃkhamsa ǀgaisa-i dis ǀguisa hî tama i,
pereba ǁnâuǃāxan dis ǀguisa hî tama i,
ǃkhūsiba gā-ain dis ǀguisa hî tama i,
ǃgâiǃgâibasensa sîsenǁkhāsiba ūhâ-i dis ǀguisa hî tama i,
ti ī ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan.
ǁAeb tsî mâsib ra ī nî xū-e ǁapoǁapo amaga.
12 Mâǁaeb a sa ǁae ǃkhaisats ge a ǀū.
Anin ǂhaohe hân
tamas ka io ǁaun hîa ǂkhaba ǀûis ǃnâ ǃkhōhe hân
khamib ge khoesiba ǃâubasen tamab
hâse ǂkhabab xa ra ǂhaohe.
Gā-aisib tsî gâsib
13 ǁKhāti ta ge nē aiǁgaus gā-aisib dis, kaise ge kaiba te isa ǃhūbaib ai ge mû. 14 ǁNāpas ge ǂkhari ǃāros, kaise ǀoro khoen ge ǁanǃnâ hâ isa ge hâ i. Kai gao-ao-i ge hā ǁîsa xāǂgā tsî ǁîs di ǂnubiǂgoagu ǃoagu kai ǁapoǁapo-aiga ge ǂnubi. 15 Xaweb ge ǁnāpa ǀgâsa, gā-ai khoeba ge hâ i, ǁîb di gā-aisib ǀkha nē ǃāsa ge ǃnoraǃnoraba. Xawe i ge khoe-i xare-e nē ǀgâsa khoeba ge ǂâihō tama hâ i. 16 O ta ge ra mîba du, gā-aisib ǀgaib ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi ǃkhaisa, nausas ge nē ǀgâsa khoeb di gā-aisiba ǃharaxūhe tsî mîdi âba ǁnâuhe tama i xawe.
17 Gā-ai khoe-i di ǃnōsa mîde ǃgâs
ge gân ǀapemāǃnans ǂgaeǂgui-ao-i di ǂkhupiba ǃgâs ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi.
18 Gā-aisib ge torob di ǁâtanin ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi,
xawe ǀgui ǁore-ao-i ge ǂgui ǃgâi xūna a hîkākā ǁkhā.
One Day at a Time
1 I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any one of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad. 2 But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or are afraid to make them.
3 It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. 4 As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 We know we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.
7 So be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. 8 Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. 9 Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. 10 Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or even knows anything.
11 Here is something else I have learned:
The fastest runners
and the greatest heroes
don't always win races
and battles.
Wisdom, intelligence, and skill
don't always make you healthy,
rich, or popular.
We each have our own share
of misfortune.
12 None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.
Better To Be Wise than Foolish
13 Once I saw what people really think of wisdom, and it made an impression on me. 14 It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. 15 But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. 16 So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how smart you are.
17 Words of wisdom spoken softly
make much more sense
than the shouts of a ruler
to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is more powerful
than weapons,
yet one mistake can destroy
all the good you have done.
