Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
Ibizo elihle lingcono kulamakha amnandi, lelanga lokufa lingcono kulelanga lokuzalwa.
2 Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
Kungcono ukuya endlini yesililo kulokuya endlini yamadili, ngoba ukufa kuyisiphetho somuntu wonke; abaphilayo kabakunanzelele lokho.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
Usizi lungcono kulokuhleka, ngoba ubuso obudanileyo buyayisiza inhliziyo.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
Inhliziyo yabahlakaniphileyo isendlini yokulila, kodwa inhliziyo yeziwula isendlini yokuzithokozisa.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
Kungcono ukulalela izixwayiso zomuntu ohlakaniphileyo kulokulalela ingoma yeziwula.
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
Njengokuchachamba kwameva ngaphansi kwembiza, lunjalo uhleko lweziwula. Lokhu lakho kuyize.
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
Ukuqilibezela kwenza ohlakaniphileyo abe yisiwula, lesivalamlomo siyayona inhliziyo.
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
Isiphetho sendaba singcono kulokuqala kwayo, lokubekezela kungcono kulokuqinisa intamo.
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
Ungaphangisi ukufuthelana ngaphakathi, ngoba ulaka luhlezi lugonwe yiziwula.
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
Ungaze wathi, “Kungani insuku zayizolo zazingcono kulalezi?” Ngoba kakukuhle ukubuza imibuzo enjalo.
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
Ukuhlakanipha, njengelifa, kuyinto enhle njalo kuyabasiza bonke abaphilayo.
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
Ukuhlakanipha kuyisiphephelo njengoba imali iyisiphephelo, kodwa ubungcono bolwazi yilobu: ukuthi ukuhlakanipha kuyayilondoloza impilo yalowo olakho.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Nakana ngalokho uNkulunkulu akwenzayo: Ngubani ongakuqondisa lokho akwenze kwagoba na?
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
Ngezikhathi konke kukuhle, thokoza; kodwa ngezikhathi zobubi, cabanga ukuthi: uNkulunkulu ukwenzile lokhu kanye lalokhuyana njalo. Ngakho-ke umuntu ngeke akwazi ukuthi ikusasa lakhe lizakuba yini.
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
Kuyonale impilo yami eyize sengizibonile izinto lezi zombili: umuntu olungileyo uyafa elungile enjalo, lomuntu omubi uba lempilo enhle emubi enjalo.
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
Ungalungi wedlulise, futhi ungabi lokuhlakanipha okweqileyo kambe uzibulalelani na?
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
Ungaxhwali okudlulisileyo, njalo ungabi yisiwula kambe ufelani singakafiki isikhathi sakho?
18 [It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
Kuhle ukuthi uthi ubambe lokhu ungayekeli uphunyukwe ngokunye. Umuntu owesaba uNkulunkulu kedlulisi amalawulo.
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Ukuhlakanipha kwenza umuntu ohlakaniphileyo oyedwa abe lamandla kulababusi abalitshumi edolobheni.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
Akulamuntu loyedwa olungileyo emhlabeni owenza okulungileyo ongazake enze isono.
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
Ungaphiki ngokulalela wonke amazwi akhulunywa ngabantu, funa uzwe inceku yakho ikuthuka
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
ngoba uyakwazi enhliziyweni yakho ukuthi wena ngokwakho uyawubathuke abanye.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
Konke lokhu ngakuhlolisisa ngokuhlakanipha ngathi, “Ngizimisele ukuhlakanipha” kodwa lokhu kwakungaphezu kwami.
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
Ukuhlakanipha okungabe kukhona, kukhatshana kakhulu njalo kuzikile kakhulu: ngubani ongakufinyelela na?
25 I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
Ngasengibeka ingqondo yami ukuthi ngizwisise, ngidingisise njalo ngichwayisise ukuhlakanipha kanye lesimo sezinto lokuzwisisa ubuphukuphuku bokuxhwala lobuhlanya lobuwula.
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
Ngibona ukuthi uyingozi eyedlula ukufa umfazi ongumjibila, onhliziyo yakhe iyisithiyo njalo ozandla zakhe zingamaketane. Indoda eyesaba uNkulunkulu izaphepha kuye, kodwa isigangi uzasihilela.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
Uthi uMtshumayeli, “Khangela, nanku esengikunanzelele: Ngihlanganisa lokhu lalokhu ngizama ukubona isimo sezinto
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
ngilokhu ngisachwayisisa kodwa ngingatholi ngafumanisa indoda eyodwa elungileyo kwabayinkulungwane, kodwa ngitsho loyedwa umfazi oqondileyo kubo.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
Yilokhu kuphela esengikufumene: UNkulunkulu wamenza umuntu wabaqotho, kodwa abantu basuka bazenzele okwabo.”
