Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and draw near to hear, rather than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.
Qaphela izinyathelo zakho nxa usiya endlini kaNkulunkulu. Sondela ulalele kulokuthi wenze imihlatshelo yeziwula ezingaziyo ukuthi ziyona.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in the heavens, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.
Ungawalazeli ngomlomo wakho, ungabi lephaphu uphange uthembise kuNkulunkulu. UNkulunkulu usezulwini ikanti wena usemhlabeni, ngakho kawabe malutshwana amazwi akho.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice through a multitude of words.
Njengephupho elifika nxa kulezinkathazo ezinengi, injalo inkulumo yesiwula nxa ilamazwi amanengi.
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Nxa usenza isifungo kuNkulunkulu, ungaphuzi ukusigcwalisa. Kathokozi ngeziwula; gcwalisa isifungo sakho.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Kungcono ukungafungi kulokwenza isifungo ungabe usasigcwalisa.
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an inadvertence. Wherefore should God be wroth at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
Ungavumeli umlomo wakho ukungenise esonweni. Njalo ungatshingeli isithunywa sethempelini usithi, “Isifungo sami besiyisiphosiso.” UNkulunkulu angakuthukuthelelani lokho okutshoyo abesebhidliza umsebenzi wezandla zakho na?
7 For in the multitude of dreams are vanities; so with many words: but fear God.
Ukuphupha kanengi lamazwi amanengi kuyize. Ngakho mesabe uNkulunkulu.
8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter; for a higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they.
Nxa ubona abayanga esiqintini bencindezelwa, bencitshwa ukwahlulelwa okuhle kanye lamalungelo, ungamangaliswa yilezozinto; ngoba phela induna nganye ikhangelwe ngomunye ongaphezu kwayo, kuthi ngaphezu kwabo bonke kube labanye njalo abangaphezulu.
9 Moreover the earth is every way profitable: the king [himself] is dependent upon the field.
Inala elizweni ngeyomuntu wonke; inkosi ngokwayo ithola inzuzo ngalokho okuvela emasimini.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This also is vanity.
Lowo othanda imali akaneliswa yiloba yimalini; lowo othanda inotho akasuthiswa yilokho akuzuzayo. Lokhu lakho kuyize.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what profit is there to the owner thereof, except the beholding [of them] with his eyes?
Nxa inotho isanda, bayanda lalabo abayisebenzisayo. Imsiza ngani umniniyo ngaphandle kokuyithapha ngamehlo nje kuphela?
12 The sleep of the labourer is sweet, whether he have eaten little or much; but the fulness of the rich doth not suffer him to sleep.
Bumnandi ubuthongo besisebenzi, loba sisidla okuncane loba okunengi, kodwa isinothi asilali ngenxa yenotho yaso.
13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt;
Sengibone ububi obudanisayo ngaphansi kwelanga: ubuhaga ngenotho okulimaza umnikazi,
14 or those riches perish by some evil circumstance, and if he have begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
loba inotho esuke yachitheka ngomnyama othile, okuthi nxa umuntu elendodana ayisayikuthola lutho.
15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go away again as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
Umuntu uphuma esiswini sikanina engelalutho, njengokufika kwakhe ubuyela enjalo. Kazuzi lutho olusuka emsebenzini wakhe angaluphatha ezandleni zakhe.
16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came so doth he go away, and what profit hath he, in having laboured for the wind?
Lobu labo yibubi obudanisayo: Njengokufika kwakhe, umuntu uzabuyela enjalo, ngakho uzuzani, njengoba esebenza esadalalela umoya?
17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and hath much vexation, and sickness, and irritation.
Zonke insuku zakhe udlela emnyameni, ekhathazekile, ehluphekile, ezondile.
18 Behold what I have seen good and comely: [it is] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour wherewith [man] laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for that is his portion.
Ngasengibona ukuthi kuhle kuqondile ukuthi umuntu adle njalo anathe, njalo azuze ukusuthiseka ekutshikatshikeni kwakhe ngomsebenzi ngaphansi kwelanga ngalezonsuku ezilutshwane ezokuphila uNkulunkulu asamuphe zona ngoba lesi yisabelo sakhe.
19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and power to eat thereof, and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour: that is a gift of God.
Kunjalo futhi ukuthi nxa uNkulunkulu esipha umuntu inotho lempahla, amvumele ukuthi akholise ngazo, emukele isabelo sakhe athokoze emsebenzini wakhe, lesi yisipho sikaNkulunkulu.
20 For he will not much remember the days of his life, because God answereth [him] with the joy of his heart.
Kahlali ekhumbula ngezinsuku zempilo yakhe ngoba uNkulunkulu umenza ahlale ngenjabulo enhliziyweni.
