Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
Nying maber longʼo moloyo mo mangʼwe ngʼar, kendo odiechieng tho ber moloyo odiechieng nywol.
2 It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
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.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
Kuyo ber moloyo nyiero, nikech wangʼ man-gi lit berne chuny.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Ngʼat mariek wiye ok wil gi tho, to ngʼat mofuwo paro mana mor pile.
5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
Ber mondo ichik iti ne siem ngʼat man-gi rieko, moloyo chiko iti ne wend joma ofuwo.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
Nyiero mar ngʼama ofuwo onge tiende omiyo ochalo mana gi kudho mararni e mach e bwo agulu. Ma bende onge tiende.
7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Ka ngʼat mariek mayo ji to obedo ngʼama ofuwo, to ngʼama kawo asoya kethore kende owuon.
8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
Giko mar gimoro ber moloyo chakruokne kendo bedo mos ber moloyo sunga.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Kik ibed ngʼama chwanyore piyo e chunye; nikech joma ofuwo ema timo kamano.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
Bende kik ipenjri ni angʼo momiyo ndalo machon gik moko ne timore maber moloyo ndalogi? Mano en penjo mar ngʼat mofuwo.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
Rieko ber mana kaka girkeni, en gima ber kendo en ohala ne joma mangima.
12 For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
Rieko en tipo mana kaka pesa bende en tipo, nimar rieko kelo ngima ni ngʼama ni kode.
13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
Parane gima Nyasaye osetimo: En ngʼa manyalo rieyo gima osedolo?
14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
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.
15 In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
E ngima madakie maonge tiendeni asefwenyo ni ngʼat ma ja-ratiro rumo nikech ratiro mare kendo ngʼat ma jaricho dak ndalo mangʼeny kotimo richo.
16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Kik ibed ngʼat mariek ahinya kata ngʼat mongʼeyo ahinya, nimar inyalo tiekori kendi iwuon.
17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Kik ibed ngʼama timbene mono ahinya kata ngʼama ofuwo, nimar angʼo momiyo idwaro ni itho ka ndaloni pok ochopo?
18 It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
Kuom mano, e weche ariyogi kik iher moro moloyo machielo, nikech ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye ema dhi maber.
19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
Gima rieko nyalo timo ne ngʼato duongʼ moloyo gima jotelo apar nyalo timo ne dala maduongʼ.
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Onge ngʼato kata achiel e piny ngima matimo mana gik mabeyo lilo ma ok oketho.
21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Kik ichik iti ni weche ma ji wacho, dipo ka iwinjo ka jatichni kwongʼi,
22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
nimar in bende ingʼeyo e chunyi ni kinde mangʼeny in iwuon isekwongʼo joma moko.
23 All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
Ne apimo gigo duto gi rieko ka aketo chunya mondo abed mariek, to ne ayudo ka ok anyal.
24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Ere kaka dhano difweny rieko? Otut moyombowa, kendo otek modhierowa winjo.
25 I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
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.
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
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.
27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
Jayalo wacho niya, “Ma e gima asefwenyo kane adwaro tiend wechegi achiel kachiel,
28 While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
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.
29 Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
Gimoro kendo maseyudo en ni Nyasaye nochweyo ji duto momiyo rieko, makmana ni dhano osebaro ka dwaro gik mangʼeny.”
