Eklesiastes 9
1 Omiyo ne arango gigi duto kendo atieko ni ngʼama kare kod ngʼat man-gi rieko to gi gima gitimo ni e lwet Nyasaye, to onge ngʼama ongʼeyo ni hera kata achaya rite.
[I saw] that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: yes, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, [though] all are before their face.
2 Gimoro achiel ema timore ni ngʼat makare gi ngʼat ma jaricho, ngʼat maler, gi ngʼat ma ok ler, ngʼat malamo Nyasaye, gi ngʼat ma ok lam Nyasaye. Bende onge pogruok mantie e kind ngʼat malongʼo, gi ngʼat ma timbene mono, kata manie kind ngʼat makwongʼore ni biro chiwo misango ni Nyasaye kod ngʼat moluoro kwongʼruok ma kamano.
Vanity is in all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; both to the pure, and to the impure; both to him that sacrifices, and to him that sacrifice not: as is the good, so is the sinner: as is the swearer, even so is he that fears an oath.
3 Ma e richo mantiere kuom gimoro amora matimore e piny: Giko machalre choponegi duto. Kata kamano, chuny dhano opongʼ gi richo kendo nitie neko e pachgi e kinde ma gingima, to bangʼe to giriwore gi joma otho.
There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes, the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after that [they go] to the dead.
4 Ngʼato angʼata mangima pod nigi geno, mana kaka ngero moro wacho ni ber bedo guok mangima moloyo sibuor mosetho!
for who is he that has fellowship with all the living? there is hope [of him]: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 Nimar joma ngima ongʼeyo ni gibiro tho, to joma osetho ok ongʼeyo gimoro amora; gionge gi mich moro machielo, kendo wich wil kodgi ma ok nyal pargi.
For the living will know that they shall die: but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them; for their memory is lost.
6 Hera margi, achaya margi kod nyiego margi noselal chon; ok ginichak gibed gi thuolo e gimoro amora matimore e piny.
also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished; yes, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that is done under the sun.
7 Dhiyo, icham chiemo gi mor, kendo imadh divai mari gi chuny moil, nimar sani ema Nyasaye jakori kuom gik mitimo.
Go, eat your bread with mirth, and drink your wine with a joyful heart; for now God has favourably accepted your works.
8 Kinde duto rwakri gi lewni marochere, kendo kinde duto wir wiyi gi mo.
Let your garments be always white; and let not oil be lacking on your head.
9 Bed mamor gi chiegi mihero e ndalo duto mar ngimani maonge tiende ma Nyasaye osemiyi e piny e ndalogi duto maonge tiendgi, nimar mano ema niyudi kuom chandruokni duto e piny ka.
And see life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which are given you under the sun: for that is your portion in your life, and in your labour wherein you labour under the sun.
10 Gimoro amora ma lweti oyudo mondo otim, time gi tekri duto, nimar ei bur, kama ibiro idhiyoe, onge tich kata loso chenro kata ngʼeyo kata rieko. (Sheol h7585)
Whatsoever your hand shall find to do, do with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades wither you go. (Sheol h7585)
11 Gimoro machielo ma bende aseneno e pinyni en ni jongʼwech maringo matek ok yomb e ngʼwech pile, kata joma thuondi e lweny ok lo lweny pile, joma riek ok yud chiemo ma gichamo pile kata joma nigi paro mariek ok bed jo-mwandu, kendo joma ongʼeyo tich ok bed jotelo; to kata kamano hawi marach mako ji duto.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet wealth to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; for time and chance will happen to them all.
12 Kuom mano, onge ngʼama ongʼeyo sa ma kindene chopoe: Mana kaka rech imako gi gogo, kata winy imako gi wino, e kaka dhano moko e obadho mar richo ka ok ongʼeyo.
For surely man also knows not his time: as fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in a snare; even thus the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.
13 Bende ne aneno e bwo wangʼ chiengʼ ranyisi mar rieko mane omora ahinya:
This I also saw [to be] wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:
14 Koro ne nitie dala maduongʼ mane nitie gi ji manok e iye. To ruoth moro maratego nobiro molwore kendo omonje.
[suppose there were] a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;
15 E dala maduongʼno ngʼat moro modhier man-gi rieko nodakie, kendo noreso dala maduongʼno gi riekoneno. To onge ngʼama noparo ngʼama odhierno.
and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.
16 Omiyo ne awacho niya, “Rieko ber moloyo teko.” To rieko mar ngʼama odhier ocha, kendo wechene ok winj ngangʼ.
And I said Wisdom is better than power: yet the wisdom of the poor man is set at nothing, and his words not listened to.
17 Weche mokwe mar ngʼama nigi rieko iwinjo moloyo koko mar jatend joma ofuwo.
The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of them that rule in folly.
18 Rieko ber moloyo gige lweny, to jaricho achiel ketho gik mabeyo mangʼeny.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war: and one sinner will destroy much good.
