Ecclesiastes 9
1 I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
Ndinalingalira zonse ndanenazi ndipo ndinapeza kuti anthu olungama ndi anthu anzeru ali mʼmanja mwa Mulungu pamodzi ndi zimene amachita, koma palibe amene amadziwa zimene zikumudikira mʼtsogolo mwake, kaya chikondi kapena chidani.
2 Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
Onsewa mathero awo ndi amodzi, anthu olungama ndi anthu oyipa, abwino ndi oyipa, oyera ndi odetsedwa, amene amapereka nsembe ndi amene sapereka nsembe. Zomwe zimachitikira munthu wabwino, zimachitikiranso munthu wochimwa, zomwe zimachitikira amene amalumbira, zimachitikiranso amene amaopa kulumbira.
3 This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
Choyipa chimene chili mʼzonse zochitika pansi ndi ichi: Mathero a zonse ndi amodzi. Ndithu, mitima ya anthu ndi yodzaza ndi zoyipa, ndipo mʼmitima mwawo muli zamisala pamene ali ndi moyo, potsiriza pake iwo amakakhala pamodzi ndi anthu akufa.
4 But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
Aliyense amene ali ndi moyo amakhala ndi chiyembekezo, pajatu galu wamoyo aposa mkango wakufa!
5 The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
Pakuti amoyo amadziwa kuti adzafa, koma akufa sadziwa kanthu; alibe mphotho ina yowonjezera, ndipo palibe amene amawakumbukira.
6 Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
Chikondi chawo, chidani chawo ndiponso nsanje yawo, zonse zinatha kalekale; sadzakhalanso ndi gawo pa zonse zochitika pansi pano.
7 So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
Pita, kadye chakudya chako mokondwera ndi kumwa vinyo wako ndi mtima wosangalala, pakuti tsopano Mulungu akukondwera ndi zochita zako.
8 Always wear smart clothes and look good.
Uzivala zovala zoyera nthawi zonse, uzidzola mafuta mʼmutu mwako nthawi zonse.
9 Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
Uzikondwerera moyo pamodzi ndi mkazi wako amene umamukonda, masiku onse a moyo uno wopanda phindu, amene Mulungu wakupatsa pansi pano. Pakuti mkaziyo ndiye gawo la moyo wako pa ntchito yako yolemetsa pansi pano.
10 Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
Ntchito iliyonse imene ukuyigwira, uyigwire ndi mphamvu zako zonse, pakuti ku manda kumene ukupita kulibe kugwira ntchito, kulibe malingaliro, chidziwitso ndiponso nzeru. (Sheol h7585)
11 I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
Ine ndinaonanso chinthu china pansi pano: opambana pa kuthamanga si aliwiro, kapena opambana pa nkhondo si amphamvu, ndiponso okhala ndi chakudya si anzeru, kapena okhala ndi chuma si odziwa zambiri, kapena okomeredwa mtima si ophunzira; koma mwayi umangowagwera onsewa pa nthawi yake.
12 You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
Kungoti palibe munthu amene amadziwa kuti nthawi yake idzafika liti: monga momwe nsomba zimagwidwira mu ukonde, kapena mmene mbalame zimakodwera mu msampha, chimodzimodzinso anthu amakodwa mu msampha pa nthawi yoyipa, pamene tsoka limawagwera mosayembekezera.
13 Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
Ine ndinaonanso pansi pano chitsanzo ichi cha nzeru chimene chinandikhudza kwambiri:
14 Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
Panali mzinda waungʼono umene unali ndi anthu owerengeka. Ndipo mfumu yamphamvu inabwera kudzawuthira nkhondo, inawuzungulira ndi kumanga mitumbira yankhondo.
15 In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
Tsono mu mzindamo munali munthu wosauka koma wanzeru, ndipo anapulumutsa mzindawo ndi nzeru zakezo. Koma palibe amene anakumbukira munthu wosaukayo.
16 As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
Choncho ine ndinati, “Nzeru ndi yopambana mphamvu.” Koma nzeru ya munthu wosauka imanyozedwa, ndipo palibe amene amalabadirako za mawu ake.
17 It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Mawu oyankhula mofatsa a munthu wanzeru, anthu amawasamalira kwambiri kupambana kufuwula kwa mfumu ya zitsiru.
18 It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
Nzeru ndi yabwino kupambana zida zankhondo, koma wochimwa mmodzi amawononga zinthu zambiri zabwino.
