Ecclesiastes 3
1 All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
Konke kulesikhathi esimisiweyo, njalo kulesikhathi sayo yonke indaba ngaphansi kwamazulu:
2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
Isikhathi sokuzalwa, lesikhathi sokufa; isikhathi sokuhlanyela, lesikhathi sokusiphuna okuhlanyelweyo;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.
isikhathi sokubulala, lesikhathi sokuphilisa; isikhathi sokudiliza, lesikhathi sokwakha;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
isikhathi sokukhala inyembezi, lesikhathi sokuhleka; isikhathi sokulila, lesikhathi sokugida;
5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
isikhathi sokulahla amatshe, lesikhathi sokubuthelela amatshe; isikhathi sokugona, lesikhathi sokuba khatshana lokugona;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
isikhathi sokudinga inzuzo, lesikhathi sokuyekela kulahleke; isikhathi sokulondoloza, lesikhathi sokulahla;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
isikhathi sokudabula, lesikhathi sokuthunga; isikhathi sokuthula, lesikhathi sokukhuluma;
8 A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.
isikhathi sokuthanda, lesikhathi sokuzonda; isikhathi sempi, lesikhathi sokuthula.
9 What hath man more of his labour?
Ulenzuzo bani osebenzayo kwatshikatshika kikho?
10 I have seen the trouble, which God hath given the sons of men to be exercised in it.
Ngiwubonile umsebenzi uNkulunkulu awunike abantwana babantu ukuthi baphatheke ngawo.
11 He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.
Konke ukwenze kwaba kuhle ngesikhathi sakho; wasebeka iphakade enhliziyweni yabo, ukuze kungabi lomuntu ongafumana umsebenzi uNkulunkulu awenzayo kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekucineni.
12 And I have known that there was no better thing than to rejoice, and to do well in this life.
Ngiyazi ukuthi kakukho okuhle kubo ngaphandle kokuthokoza lokwenza okuhle empilweni yakhe.
13 For every man that eateth and drinketh, and seeth good of his labour, this is the gift of God.
Futhi lokuthi wonke umuntu adle anathe akholise okuhle ngomtshikatshika wakhe wonke, kuyisipho sikaNkulunkulu.
14 I have learned that all the works which God hath made, continue for ever: we cannot add any thing, nor take away from those things which God hath made that he may be feared.
Ngiyazi ukuthi konke uNkulunkulu akwenzayo kuzakuba khona phakade; kakukho okuzakwengezelelwa kukho, njalo kakukho okuzaphungulwa kukho; uNkulunkulu wakwenza ukuze besabe phambi kwakhe.
15 That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.
Lokho okwakukhona kukhona khathesi, lalokho okuzakuba khona sekuvele kukhona; njalo uNkulunkulu ufuna okuxotshiweyo.
16 I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity.
Futhi ngasengibona ngaphansi kwelanga indawo yokwahlulela, kwakukhona ububi lapho; lendawo yokulunga, kwakukhona ububi lapho.
17 And I said in my heart: God shall judge both the just and the wicked, and then shall be the time of every thing.
Ngathi mina enhliziyweni yami: UNkulunkulu uzakwahlulela olungileyo lomubi, ngoba kukhona lapho isikhathi sayo yonke indaba lesawo wonke umsebenzi.
18 I said in my heart concerning the sons of men, that God would prove them, and shew them to be like beasts.
Ngathi mina enhliziyweni yami ngesimo sabantwana babantu ukuthi uNkulunkulu abatshengise obala ukuthi babone ukuthi bona uqobo bazinyamazana.
19 Therefore the death of man, and of beasts is one, and the condition of them both is equal: as man dieth, so they also die: all things breathe alike, and man hath nothing more than beast: all things are subject to vanity.
Ngoba okwehlela abantwana babantu kwehlela lezinyamazana; njalo yinye into ebehlelayo; njengoba omunye esifa, ngokunjalo enye iyafa; yebo konke kulomoya munye, lomuntu kalakho angadlula ngakho inyamazana; ngoba konke kuyize.
20 And all things go to one place: of earth they were made, and into earth they return together.
Konke kuya endaweninye; konke kuvela ethulini, njalo konke kubuyela ethulini.
21 Who knoweth if the spirit of the children of Adam ascend upward, and if the spirit of the beasts descend downward?
Ngubani owazi umoya wabantwana babantu owenyukela phezulu, lomoya wenyamazana owehlela phansi emhlabathini?
22 And I have found that nothing is better than for a man to rejoice in his work, and that this is his portion. For who shall bring him to know the things that shall be after him?
Ngakho ngabona ukuthi kakukho okungcono okwedlula ukuthi umuntu azithokozise ngemisebenzi yakhe, ngoba lokhu kuyisabelo sakhe. Ngoba ngubani ongamletha ukuthi abone lokho okuzakuba khona emva kwakhe?
