Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
Nĩ kaba rĩĩtwa rĩega gũkĩra maguta marĩa manungi wega, na mũthenya wa gũkua gũkĩra mũthenya wa gũciarwo.
2 It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
Nĩ kaba gũthiĩ nyũmba ĩrĩ na macakaya gũkĩra gũthiĩ nyũmba ĩrĩ na ndĩa, nĩgũkorwo gĩkuũ nĩkĩo mũthia wa andũ othe; nao andũ arĩa marĩ muoyo nĩmakĩige ũndũ ũcio ngoro-inĩ ciao.
3 Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
Nĩ kaba kĩeha gũkĩra mĩtheko, tondũ gũtuka gĩthiithi nĩgũtũmaga ngoro yagĩre.
4 The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
Ngoro cia andũ arĩa oogĩ irũmbũyagia nyũmba ĩrĩ na macakaya, no ngoro cia andũ arĩa akĩĩgu irũmbũyagia nyũmba ĩrĩ na ikeno.
5 It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
Nĩ kaba kũigua irũithia rĩa mũndũ ũrĩa mũũgĩ, gũkĩra gũthikĩrĩria rwĩmbo rwa andũ arĩa akĩĩgu.
6 Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
O ta ũrĩa mĩigua ĩtũratũrĩkaga ĩrĩ rungu rwa nyũngũ, no taguo mĩtheko ya andũ arĩa akĩĩgu ĩtariĩ. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo no wa tũhũ.
7 The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
Ũhinyanĩrĩria ũtũmaga mũndũ mũũgĩ akĩĩge, narĩo ihaki rĩgathũkia ngoro.
8 The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
Nĩ kaba kĩrĩkĩrĩro kĩa ũndũ gũkĩra kĩambĩrĩria kĩaguo, na gũkirĩrĩria nĩ kwega gũkĩra mwĩtĩĩo.
9 Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
Tigaga kũhiũha kũrakara na ngoro yaku, nĩ ũndũ marakara maikaraga ngoro-inĩ cia andũ arĩa akĩĩgu.
10 Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
Ndũkoorie atĩrĩ, “Nĩ kĩĩ gĩatũmaga matukũ ma tene makorwo marĩ mega gũkĩra maya?” Nĩgũkorwo ti ũũgĩ kũũria ũguo.
11 Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
Ũũgĩ, o ta igai, nĩ mwega na nĩũteithagia arĩa marĩ muoyo.
12 Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
Ũũgĩ nĩ mwĩgitio, o ta ũrĩa mbeeca irĩ mwĩgitio, no rĩrĩ, wega wa ũmenyi maũndũ nĩ ũyũ: atĩ ũũgĩ nĩũtũũragia ũrĩa ũrĩ naguo muoyo.
13 Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
Ta cũrania ũrĩa Ngai ekĩte: Kĩrĩa ogometie-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩhota gũkĩrũnga?
14 In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.
Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mahinda marĩ mega, kenaga; no rĩrĩ, rĩrĩa mahinda magũthũũkĩra, ũririkanage atĩrĩ: Ngai nĩwe ũtũmaga maũndũ macio meerĩ matwarane. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũndũ ndarĩ ũndũ angĩmenya wĩgiĩ mũtũũrĩre wake wa thuutha-inĩ.
15 These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
Mũtũũrĩre-inĩ ũyũ wakwa wa tũhũ, nĩnyonete maũndũ maya meerĩ: mũndũ mũthingu no akue o na arĩ mũthingu, nake mũndũ mwaganu agatũũra muoyo ihinda iraaya o na arĩ mwaganu.
16 Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
Tiga gũthinga makĩria, o na kana kũũhĩga makĩria: ũkwenda kwĩniina nĩkĩ?
17 Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
Tiga kwagana makĩria, kana gũkĩĩga: ũkwenda gũkua hĩndĩ yaku ĩtakinyĩte nĩkĩ?
18 It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
Nĩ wega kũrũmia ũndũ ũmwe, na ndũkarekie ũcio ũngĩ. Mũndũ ũrĩa mwĩtigĩri-Ngai nĩetheemaga maũndũ macio meerĩ.
19 Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
Ũũgĩ wĩkĩraga mũndũ mũũgĩ hinya, agakĩra aathani ikũmi marĩ itũũra-inĩ inene.
20 There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
Gũtirĩ mũndũ mũthingu gũkũ thĩ, ũrĩa wĩkaga o wega mũtheri na ndehagia.
21 Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
Ndũgathikagĩrĩrie ũrĩa wothe andũ maraaria, tondũ wahota kũigua ndungata yaku ĩgĩkũruma:
22 Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
nĩgũkorwo ngoro-inĩ yaku nĩũũĩ atĩ mahinda maingĩ wee mwene wanaruma andũ arĩa angĩ.
23 All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
Maũndũ macio mothe ndamatuĩririe na ũũgĩ, ngiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩnduĩte itua rĩa kũgĩa na ũũgĩ.” No rĩrĩ, ũndũ ũcio warĩ kũraya na niĩ.
24 Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
O ũndũ ũrĩa wothe ũngĩtuĩka nĩguo, ũũgĩ-rĩ, nĩũraihĩrĩirie mũno na nĩmũhithe makĩria: nũũ ũngĩũmenya?
25 I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩhũndũra meciiria makwa harĩ ũmenyi, na gũtuĩria, na kũmaatha ũũgĩ, na mũtabarĩre wa maũndũ na ndaũkĩrwo nĩ ũkĩĩgu wa waganu, na ũgũrũki wa ũrimũ.
26 And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
Ningĩ ngĩona ũndũ mũrũrũ gũkĩra gĩkuũ, naguo nĩ mũndũ-wa-nja ũrĩa ũhaana ta mũtego, o ũrĩa ngoro yake ĩhaana mũtego wa kũgwatia, namo moko make makahaana ta mĩnyororo. Mũndũ ũrĩa ũkenagia Ngai nĩakehonokia harĩ mũndũ-wa-nja ũcio, no mũndũ ũrĩa mwĩhia nĩakagwatio nĩwe.
27 Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
Mũrutani ekuuga atĩrĩ, “Ũndũ ũyũ nĩguo menyete: “Ngĩringithania ũndũ ũmwe na ũrĩa ũngĩ nĩguo menye mũtabarĩre wa maũndũ-rĩ,
28 For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
o ngĩethaga ũguo na ndione-rĩ: Nĩndonire mũndũ mũrũme ũmwe mũrũngĩrĩru harĩ arũme ngiri, no ndionire mũndũ-wa-nja o na ũmwe mũrũngĩrĩru thĩinĩ wao othe.
29 This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
Ũndũ ũyũ noguo nyonete: Ngai oombire mũndũ arĩ mũrũngĩrĩru, no andũ nĩmecarĩirie maũndũ maingĩ ma wara.”
