Ecclesiastes 3
1 Everything has its own time—a time for all that happens here:
Ɣeyiɣi li na nu sia nu, eye azã li na tameɖoɖowo katã le dziƒoa te.
2 A time of birth, and a time of death. A time of planting, and a time of harvest.
Amedziɣi li, eye kuɣi li. Nudoɣi li, eye nuxaɣi li.
3 A time of killing, and a time of healing. A time of tearing down, and a time of building up.
Amewuɣi li, eye gbedaɣi li. Nugblẽɣi li, eye nudzraɖoɣi li.
4 A time of crying, and a time of laughing. A time of mourning, and a time of dancing.
Avifaɣi li, eye nukoɣi li. Konyifaɣi li, eye ɣeɖuɣi li.
5 A time of throwing away stones, and a time of gathering up stones. A time of embracing, and a time of avoiding embracing.
Kpekakaɣi li, eye kpeƒoƒuɣi li. Asikplakɔɣi li, eye asiɖelekɔɣi li.
6 A time of searching, and a time of giving up searching. A time of keeping, and a time of throwing away.
Nudiɣi li, eye nubuɣi li. Nudzraɖoɣi li, eye nuƒugbeɣi li.
7 A time of tearing, and a time of mending. A time of keeping quiet, a time of speaking up.
Nuvuɣi li, eye nutɔɣi li. Ɖoɖoeziɣi li, eye nuƒoɣi li.
8 A time of loving, and a time of hating. A time of warfare, and a time of peace.
Lɔlɔ̃ɣi li, eye fuléɣi li. Aʋawɔɣi li, eye ŋutifafawɔɣi li.
9 So what do you get for all your hard work?
Nu ka tututu amegbetɔ kpɔna tso dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ me?
10 I have examined what God gives us to do.
Mebu ta me tso nu sia ŋu tso dɔ vovovo siwo Mawu tsɔ na amegbetɔ la ŋu.
11 Everything God does is beautifully timed, and even though he has also placed the idea of eternity in our minds, we can't fully understand what God does from beginning to end.
Nu sia nu sɔ ɖe eya ŋutɔ ƒe ɣeyiɣi dzi. Ke, togbɔ be Mawu de mavɔmavɔnyenye ta me na amegbetɔ hã la, amegbetɔ mate ŋu akpɔ Mawu ƒe dɔ blibo la tso gɔmedzedzea va se ɖe nuwuwu o,
12 I concluded that there's nothing better than being happy and looking for the good in life.
eya ta metso nya la me be gbã la, nu si ƒo nuwo katã tae nye be amegbetɔ nakpɔ dzidzɔ, eye wòaɖu agbe ŋkeke ale si wòate ŋui;
13 In addition everyone should eat and drink and enjoy their work—this is God's gift to us.
evelia la, ele be wòaɖu nu, ano nu eye wòaɖu agbe kple nu siwo do tso eƒe dagbadagbawo me elabena esiawoe nye nunana tso Mawu gbɔ.
14 I also concluded that everything God does lasts forever: nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. God acts in this way so that people may stand in awe of him.
Eye menya esia be nu sia nu si Mawu wɔ la, tɔtrɔ aɖeke meganɔa eŋu o, womate ŋu atsɔ naneke akpee o eye womate ŋu aɖe naneke le eme hã o. Mawu ƒe taɖodzinu le nya sia mee nye be ele be amegbetɔ navɔ̃ Mawu, Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la.
15 Whatever was, is; and whatever will be, has been, and God examines the whole of time.
Nu sia nu si li fifia la, nɔ anyi tso keke gbe aɖe gbe ke eye nu sia nu si ava dzɔ la, dzɔ kpɔ va yi xoxo. Mawu gatrɔa nu si dzɔ kpɔ xoxo la vanɛ.
16 I also observed that here on earth there was evil even in the place where there was supposed to be justice; even where things were meant to be right, there was evil.
Hekpe ɖe esia ŋu la, mede dzesii be, le anyigba blibo la dzi la, dzɔdzɔenyenye le bubum, nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ le dzɔdzɔenyenyeteƒe xɔm eye zãnuxɔxɔ le ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒewo gɔ̃ hã.
17 But then I thought to myself, “Ultimately God will judge both those who do right and those who do wrong, and every deed and action, at the appointed time.”
Megblɔ na ɖokuinye be, “Ne azã la su ko la, Mawu ahe nu sia nu si ame aɖe wɔna, nyui kple vɔ̃ siaa ayi ʋɔnue.”
18 I also thought to myself, “Regarding what happens to human beings—God proves to us that we're no better than animals.”
Le esia megbe la, medze sii be, “Mawu le mɔ ɖem be xexea me nalé eƒe nu vɔ̃ mɔ atsɔ, ale be yeate ŋu ado amegbetɔƒomea kpɔ, eye amegbetɔwo ŋutɔ nakpɔe be yewole abe gbemelãwo ene.
19 For what happens to human beings is the same as what happens to animals—in the same way one dies, the other dies too. They all have the breath of life—so regarding any advantage human beings have over animals, there is none. Definitely this is very hard to understand!
Elabena amegbetɔwo kple lãwo siaa gbɔa ya ɖeka ma ke eye wo ame eveawo siaa kuna. Ale amegbetɔwo tɔ menyo wu lãwo tɔ o. Esia hã nye tofloko!
20 They all end up in the same place—they all came from dust, and they all return to dust.
Wo katã yia teƒe ɖeka ma, si nye anyi si me wotso kple esi ke woagatrɔ azu,
21 Who really knows whether the breath of life of human beings goes up above, and the breath of life of animals goes down below to the earth?
elabena ame ka ate ŋu aɖee fia bena, amegbetɔ ƒe gbɔgbɔ ɖoa ta dzi, ke lãwo tɔ ya ɖoa ta anyi, gena ɖe tome?”
22 So I concluded that there's nothing better than for people to enjoy their work. This is what we are meant to do. For who can bring anyone back from the dead to show them what will happen after they die?
Eya ta mekpɔe be nu si nyo na amegbetɔ wu lae nye be wòakpɔ dzidzɔ le eƒe dɔwɔwɔ me. Elabena eya tae wòle afi sia ɖo, eye ame aɖeke magate ŋu agbugbɔe va agbe sia me, wòakpɔ dzidzɔ le nu siwo ava va la ŋu o. Eya ta ele be wòakpɔ dzidzɔ le wo ŋu fifia.
