Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything—a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:
Kwa kuwa kila kitu na wakati wake, na majira kwa kila kusudi chini ya mbingu.
2 A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.
Kuna wakati wa kuzaliwa na wakati wa kufa, wakati wa kupanda na wakati wa kung'oa yaliyopandwa,
3 A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up.
wakati wa kuua na wakati wa kuponya, wakati wa kubomo na wakati wa kujenga.
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip.
Kuna wakati wa kulia na wakati wa kucheka, wakati wa kuomboleza na wakati kucheza,
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.
wakati wa kutupa mawe na wakati wa kukusanya mawe, wakati wa kukumbatia watu wengine wakati wa kutokumbatia.
6 A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.
Kuna wakati wa kutafuta vitu na wakati wa kutotafuta, wakati wa kutunza vitu na wakati wa kuvitupa,
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.
wakati kuchana mavazi na wakati wa kuyashona, wakati wa kunyamaza na wakati wa kuzungumza.
8 A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.
Kuna wakati wa kupenda na wakati wa kuchukia, wakati wa vita na wakati wa amani.
9 What advantage does the doer have in that which he is laboring at?
Ni faida gani mfanyakazi aipatayo katika kazi yake?
10 I have seen the travail that God has given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
Nimeona kazi ambayo Mungu amewapa wanadamu kuitimiza.
11 The whole He has made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He has put in their heart without which man does not find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.
Mungu amefanya kila kitu kufaa kwa wakati wake. Pia ameweka umilele ndani ya mioyo yao. Lakini mwanadamu hawezi kuelewa matendo ambayo Mungu ameyafanya, tangu mwanzo wao hadi mwisho.
12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,
Ninajua kuwa hakuna kilicho bora kwa mtu yeyote kuliko kufurahi na kutenda mema maadamu anaishi-
13 indeed, even every man who eats and has drunk and seen good by all his labor, it [is] a gift of God.
na kwamba kila mmoja anapaswa ale na kunywa na anapaswa kuelewa jinsi ya kufurahia mazuri ambayo yanatoka katika kazi zake zote. Hii ni zawadi kutoka kwa Mungu.
14 I have known that all that God does is for all time, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God has worked that they fear before Him.
Ninajua kwamba chochote afanyacho Mungu kinadumu milele. Hakuna kinaweza kuongezwa au kuondolea, kwa sababu Mungu ndiye aliyekifanya, ili kwamba watu wamsogelee kwa heshima.
15 What is that which has been? Already it is, and that which [is] to be has already been, and God requires that which is pursued.
Chochote kilichopo kimekwisha kuwepo; chochote kitakachokuwepo kimekwisha kuwepo. Mungu huwafanya wanadamu kutafuka vitu vilivyjificha.
16 And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment—there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness—there [is] the wicked.
Na nimeona kwamba chini ya jua ubaya upo mahali palipopaswa kuwa na haki, na sehemu ya haki mara nyingi ina ubaya.
17 I said in my heart, “The righteous and the wicked God judges, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.”
Nikasema moyoni mwangu, “Mungu atahukumu mwenye haki na mbaya kwa wakati muafaka kwa kila jambo na kila tendo.
18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves [are] beasts.
Nikasema moyoni mwangu, “Mungu huwajaribu wanadamu kuwaonyesha kwamba wao ni kama wanyama.”
19 For an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] vanity.
Kwa kuwa mwisho watoto wa wanadamu na mwisho wa wanyama ni sawa. Kifo cha mmoja ni sawa na kifo cha mwingine. Wote wana pumzi sawa. Hakuna faida kwa mwanadamu zaidi ya wanyama. Kwa kuwa hakuna kila kitu isipokuwa pumzi?
20 The whole are going to one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back to the dust.
Kila kitu kinaenda sehemu moja. Kila kitu kinatoka mavumbini, na kila kitu kinarudi katika mavumbini.
21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?
Ni nani ajuaye kama roho ya mwanadamu inaenda juu na roho ya wanyama inaenda chini ya nchi?
22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it [is] his portion; for who brings him to look on that which is after him?
kwa hiyo tena nikatambua kwamba hakuna lililo jema kwa yeyote zaidi ya kufurahia kazi yake, kwa kuwa hilo ndilo jukumu lake. Ni nani awezaye kumleta tena kuona kinachotokea baada yake?
