Eklesiastes 7
1 Nying maber longʼo moloyo mo mangʼwe ngʼar, kendo odiechieng tho ber moloyo odiechieng nywol.
A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
2 Ber mondo idhi e od kuyo moloyo ot mitimoe nyasi, nimar tho e giko ngʼato ka ngʼato; joma pod ngima nyaka ngʼe ma e chunygi.
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Kuyo ber moloyo nyiero, nikech wangʼ man-gi lit berne chuny.
Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
4 Ngʼat mariek wiye ok wil gi tho, to ngʼat mofuwo paro mana mor pile.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 Ber mondo ichik iti ne siem ngʼat man-gi rieko, moloyo chiko iti ne wend joma ofuwo.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 Nyiero mar ngʼama ofuwo onge tiende omiyo ochalo mana gi kudho mararni e mach e bwo agulu. Ma bende onge tiende.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
7 Ka ngʼat mariek mayo ji to obedo ngʼama ofuwo, to ngʼama kawo asoya kethore kende owuon.
Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
8 Giko mar gimoro ber moloyo chakruokne kendo bedo mos ber moloyo sunga.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Kik ibed ngʼama chwanyore piyo e chunye; nikech joma ofuwo ema timo kamano.
Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Bende kik ipenjri ni angʼo momiyo ndalo machon gik moko ne timore maber moloyo ndalogi? Mano en penjo mar ngʼat mofuwo.
Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
11 Rieko ber mana kaka girkeni, en gima ber kendo en ohala ne joma mangima.
Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
12 Rieko en tipo mana kaka pesa bende en tipo, nimar rieko kelo ngima ni ngʼama ni kode.
For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Parane gima Nyasaye osetimo: En ngʼa manyalo rieyo gima osedolo?
Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
14 Ka gik moko dhini maber, to bed mamor, to ka chandruok omaki; to ngʼe ni Nyasaye ema oyie mondo gik moko ariyogo otimre. Emomiyo, dhano ok nyal fwenyo gimoro amora mabiro timorene e ndalo mabiro.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
15 E ngima madakie maonge tiendeni asefwenyo ni ngʼat ma ja-ratiro rumo nikech ratiro mare kendo ngʼat ma jaricho dak ndalo mangʼeny kotimo richo.
All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
16 Kik ibed ngʼat mariek ahinya kata ngʼat mongʼeyo ahinya, nimar inyalo tiekori kendi iwuon.
Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Kik ibed ngʼama timbene mono ahinya kata ngʼama ofuwo, nimar angʼo momiyo idwaro ni itho ka ndaloni pok ochopo?
Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
18 Kuom mano, e weche ariyogi kik iher moro moloyo machielo, nikech ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye ema dhi maber.
It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
19 Gima rieko nyalo timo ne ngʼato duongʼ moloyo gima jotelo apar nyalo timo ne dala maduongʼ.
Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 Onge ngʼato kata achiel e piny ngima matimo mana gik mabeyo lilo ma ok oketho.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
21 Kik ichik iti ni weche ma ji wacho, dipo ka iwinjo ka jatichni kwongʼi,
Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
22 nimar in bende ingʼeyo e chunyi ni kinde mangʼeny in iwuon isekwongʼo joma moko.
for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
23 Ne apimo gigo duto gi rieko ka aketo chunya mondo abed mariek, to ne ayudo ka ok anyal.
All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
24 Ere kaka dhano difweny rieko? Otut moyombowa, kendo otek modhierowa winjo.
That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
25 Omiyo ne aloko pacha mondo anon kendo awinj tiend rieko, kaachiel gi chenro mar gik moko, bangʼe to ne ayudo ni ngʼat mofuwo en jaricho kendo janeko.
I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
26 Bangʼe ne ayudo ni dhako ma jachode rach moloyo, tho nimar chunye en obadho, to lwetene gin nyororo. Ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye notony e lwete, to jaricho to nokelne mana chandruok.
I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
27 Jayalo wacho niya, “Ma e gima asefwenyo kane adwaro tiend wechegi achiel kachiel,
“Behold, I have found this,” says Kohelet, “to one another, to find an explanation
28 to kane pod anono wechegi, to ne ayudo ni kuom ji alufu achiel, dichwo achiel kende ema nyalo bedo gi rieko, to dhako to onge mariek kata achiel.
which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.
29 Gimoro kendo maseyudo en ni Nyasaye nochweyo ji duto momiyo rieko, makmana ni dhano osebaro ka dwaro gik mangʼeny.”
Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
