Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
Edin pa yɛ sene aduhwam papa, na owuda yɛ sene awoda.
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.
Ɛyɛ sɛ obi bɛkɔ ayie ase sene sɛ ɔbɛkɔ apontoɔ ase, ɛfiri sɛ owuo yɛ onipa biara hyɛberɛ na ɛsɛ sɛ ateasefoɔ hyɛ yei nso.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
Awerɛhoɔ yɛ sene ɔsereɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, anim a ayɛ mmɔbɔ mmɔbɔ de akoma mu nsiesie pa ba.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
Onyansafoɔ akoma wɔ ayie ase, nanso nkwaseafoɔ akoma wɔ ahosɛpɛfoɔ fie.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
Ɛyɛ sɛ wɔbɛtie onyansafoɔ animka sene sɛ wɔbɛtie nkwaseafoɔ dwom.
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
Sɛdeɛ nkasɛɛ turituri wɔ ɛsɛn ase no saa ara na nkwaseafoɔ sereɛ teɛ. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
Nsisie ma onyansafoɔ dane ɔkwasea, na kɛtɛasehyɛ sɛe akoma.
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
Asɛm awieeɛ yɛ sene ne ahyɛaseɛ, na ntoboaseɛ yɛ sene ahantan.
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
Mma wʼakoma nsɔre ntɛm ntɛm na abufuo da wo nso sɛ ɔkwasea.
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
Ɛnka sɛ, “Adɛn enti na tete nna no yɛ sene ɛnnɛ mmerɛ yi?” Onyansafoɔ mmisa nsɛm sei.
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
Nimdeɛ, sɛ agyapadeɛ no, yɛ adepa. Ɛho wɔ mfasoɔ ma wɔn a wɔhunu owia.
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
Sɛdeɛ nimdeɛ yɛ banbɔ no saa ara na sika nso teɛ, nanso nhunumu ho adeɛ a ɛyɛ ne sɛ: deɛ ɔwɔ nimdeɛ no bɔ ne nkwa ho ban.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Dwene deɛ Onyankopɔn ayɛ ho: Hwan na ɔbɛtumi atene deɛ wayɛ ama akyea?
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.
Mmere pa mu, ma wʼani nnye; nanso mmere bɔne mu, hunu sɛ Onyankopɔn na wayɛ ne nyinaa. Ɛno enti onipa ntumi nhunu deɛ ɛbɛto no daakye.
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.
Me nkwa nna a ɛyɛ ahuhudeɛ yi mu, mahunu nneɛma mmienu: Ɔteneneeni a ɔwu wɔ ne tenenee mu, ne omumuyɛfoɔ a ɔtena ase kyɛ wɔ nʼamumuyɛ mu.
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
Ɛnyɛ wo ho ɔteneneeni ntra so, na ɛnyɛ wo ho onyansafoɔ mmoro so, adɛn enti na wosɛe wo ho?
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
Ɛnyɛ omumuyɛfoɔ ntra so, na ɛnyɛ ɔkwasea nso, adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ wowu ansa na wo berɛ aso?
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.
Ɛyɛ sɛ wobɛsɔ baako mu nanso nnyaa deɛ aka no mu. Onipa a ɔsuro Onyankopɔn no bɛsi adeyɛ mmorosoɔ biara ano.
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Nimdeɛ ma onyansafoɔ baako tumi bebree sene kuropɔn mu sodifoɔ edu.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
Onipa teneneeni biara nni asase so a ɔyɛ papa na ɔnyɛ bɔne da.
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
Mfa deɛ nnipa ka nyinaa nyɛ asɛm, anyɛ saa a, wobɛte sɛ wo ɔsomfoɔ redome wo,
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
na wonim wɔ wʼakoma sɛ, wo nso woadome nkurɔfoɔ mpɛn bebree.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
Mede nimdeɛ asɔ yeinom nyinaa ahwɛ, na mekaa sɛ, “Masi mʼadwene pi sɛ mɛyɛ onyansafoɔ” nanso na yei boro me so.
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
Sɛdeɛ nimdeɛ teɛ biara, ɛwɔ akyiri, na emu dɔ, hwan na ɔbɛtumi ahwehwɛ ahunu?
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.
Afei meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mɛte aseɛ, ayɛ nhwehwɛmu na mapɛɛpɛɛ nimdeɛ ne sɛdeɛ nneɛma nhyehyɛeɛ teɛ na mate amumuyɛ mu agyimisɛm ase ne nkwaseasɛm mu abɔdamsɛm nso.
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.
Mahunu deɛ ɛyɛ nwono sene owuo ɔbaa a ɔyɛ afidie; nʼakoma yɛ nnaadaa na ne nsa yɛ mpɔkyerɛ. Onipa a ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani no renkɔ ne ho nanso ɔbɔnefoɔ deɛ, ɔbɛtɔ nʼafidie mu.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
Ɔsɛnkafoɔ no sɛ, “Hwɛ yei ne deɛ mahwehwɛ ahunu: “Mekekaa nneɛma bobɔɔ so pɛɛ sɛ mehunu sɛdeɛ nneɛma nhyehyɛeɛ teɛ.
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.
Mereyɛ nhwehwɛ mu na menhunu hwee no, mehunuu ɔbarima teneneeni baako wɔ mmarima apem mu, nanso manhunu ɔbaa teneneeni biara wɔ wɔn mu.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
Yei nko ara na mahunu: Onyankopɔn yɛɛ adasamma teneneefoɔ, nanso nnipa adane wɔn ho hwehwɛ nhyehyɛeɛ foforɔ.”
