Ecclesiastes 2
1 [Then] I said to myself, “Okay, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy.” But I found out that doing that was also useless/senseless.
Ine ndinaganiza mu mtima mwanga, “Tsopano ndiyese zosangalatsa kuti ndipeze zomwe ndi zabwino.” Koma izi zinaonekanso kuti ndi zopandapake.
2 [So] I said [to myself], “It is foolish to laugh [all the time], and continually doing what I enjoy does not seem to bring any lasting benefit.”
“Kuseka,” ndinati, “imeneyo ndi misala. Ndipo kodi chisangalalo chimabweretsa phindu lanji?”
3 [So], after thinking a lot about it, I decided to (cheer myself/cause myself to be happy) by drinking [a lot of] wine. [So] while I was still trying to be wise, I decided to do things that [many] people do to be happy during the short time that they are alive on the earth.
Ndinayesa kudzisangalatsa ndi vinyo, koma umenewu unali uchitsiru, pamenepo nʼkuti maganizo anga akutsogozedwa ndi nzeru. Ine ndinkati mwina kapena njira yotero nʼkukhala yopambana, imene anthu amatsata pofuna kusangalala pa masiku owerengeka a moyo wawo.
4 I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
Ndinagwira ntchito zikuluzikulu: Ndinadzimangira nyumba ndi kuwoka mipesa.
5 I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
Ndinalima madimba ndi minda yamitengo; ndipo ndinadzalamo mitengo ya zipatso za mitundu yonse.
6 I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
Ndinakumba mayiwe osungiramo madzi woti ndizithirira minda ya mitengo yodzalidwa ija.
7 I bought male and female slaves, and babies [who later became my slaves] were born in my palace. I also owned more livestock than any of the previous kings in Jerusalem had owned.
Ndinagula akapolo aamuna ndi akapolo aakazi, ndiponso ndinali ndi akapolo ena omwe anabadwira mʼnyumba mwanga. Ndinalinso ndi ngʼombe ndi nkhosa zambiri kupambana aliyense mu Yerusalemu amene analipo ndisanabadwe.
8 I also accumulated large amounts of silver and gold [that were paid to me] from the treasures of kings and rulers of provinces. [I hired] men and women to sing for me, and I had many (concubines/slave wives) who gave me [much] pleasure [EUP].
Ndinadzikundikira siliva ndi golide, ndiponso chuma chochokera kwa mafumu ndi madera awo. Ndinali ndi amuna ndi akazi oyimba ndiponso azikazi; zinthu zokondweretsa mtima wa munthu.
9 So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
Ndinali munthu wotchuka kupambana wina aliyense mu Yerusalemu amene analipo ndisanabadwe. Mu zonsezi nzeru zanga zinali nane.
10 I got everything [LIT] that I [SYN] saw and wanted. I did everything [LIT] that I thought would enable me to be happy. All those things that I [SYN] enjoyed were [like] a reward for all my hard work.
Sindinadzimane chilichonse chimene maso anga anachifuna; mtima wanga sindinawumane zokondweretsa. Mtima wanga unakondwera ndi ntchito yanga yonse, ndipo iyi ndiyo inali mphotho ya ntchito zanga zonse zolemetsa.
11 [But] then I thought about all the hard work that I [SYN] had done [to get all those things], and none of it seems to bring any lasting benefit [DOU]. It was all [like] chasing the wind.
Koma pamene ndinayamba kuyangʼanayangʼana zonse zimene ndinachita ndi manja anga, ndi zimene ndinazivutikira kuti ndizipeze, zonsezi zinali zopandapake; kungodzivuta chabe, palibe chomwe ndinapindula pansi pano.
12 Then I started to think about being wise, and [also about] being foolish [DOU]. [I said to myself, “I certainly do not think that] [RHQ] the next king will be able to do anything better than I can.”
Kenaka maganizo anga anayamba kulingalira zakuti nzeru nʼchiyani, komanso kuti misala ndi uchitsiru nʼchiyani. Kodi munthu wodzalowa ufumu tsopanoyo angachite chiyani choposa chimene chinachitidwa kale?
13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
Ndinaona kuti nzeru ndi yopambana uchitsiru, monga momwe kuwala kumapambanira mdima.
14 [because] wise people [walk in the daylight and] [IDM] can see where they are going, but foolish people walk in the darkness [and cannot see where they are going].” But I [also] realized that both wise people and foolish people eventually die.
Munthu wanzeru amayenda maso ali patsogolo, pamene chitsiru chimayenda mʼchimbulimbuli; koma ndinazindikira kuti chomwe chimawachitikira onsewo ndi chimodzi.
15 So I said to myself, “I am very wise, but I will [die at the end of my life], like foolish people do. So (how has it benefited me to be very wise?/it certainly has not benefited me to be very wise [RHQ]). I do not understand why [people consider that] it is valuable to be wise.
Pamenepo ndinalingalira mu mtima mwanga, “Zochitikira chitsiru zidzandichitikiranso ine. Nanga tsono phindu langa nʼchiyani pakukhala wanzeru?” Ndinati mu mtima mwanga, “Ichinso ndi chopandapake.”
16 Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
Pakuti munthu wanzeru, pamodzinso ndi chitsiru sadzakumbukiridwa nthawi yayitali; mʼmasiku amʼtsogolo awiriwo adzayiwalika. Mmene chimafera chitsiru ndi mmenenso amafera wanzeru!
17 So I hated being alive, because everything that we do here on the earth [MTY] distresses me. It all seems to be useless [like] chasing the wind.
Kotero ndinadana nawo moyo chifukwa ntchito zimene zimagwiridwa pansi pano ndi zosautsa kwa ine. Ntchito zonsezo ndi zopandapake, nʼkungodzivuta chabe.
18 I [also began to] hate all the hard work that I had done, because [when I die], everything [that I have acquired] will belong to the next king.
Ine ndinadana nazo ntchito zonse zimene ndinazigwira pansi pano, chifukwa ndinayenera kudzazisiyira wina amene adzalowa mʼmalo mwanga.
19 And (who/no one) knows [RHQ] whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.
Ndipo ndani amadziwa kuti munthu ameneyo adzakhala wanzeru kapena chitsiru? Komabe munthuyo adzakhala wolamulira zonse zimene ndinazichita pansi pano mwa nzeru zanga. Izinso ndi zopandapake.
20 I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
Motero ndinayamba kutaya mtima chifukwa cha ntchito zonse zimene ndinazivutikira pansi pano.
21 Some people work wisely and skillfully, using the things that they have learned. But [when they die], they leave everything, and someone who has not worked hard acquires those things. And that also [seemed to] be senseless and caused me to be discouraged.
Pakuti munthu atha kugwira ntchito yake mwanzeru, chidziwitso ndi luntha, ndipo kenaka nʼkusiyira wina amene sanakhetserepo thukuta. Izinso ndi zopandapake ndiponso tsoka lalikulu.
22 So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
Kodi munthu amapindulanji pa ntchito zonse zolemetsa ndi zodetsa nkhawa zimene amazichita pansi pano?
23 Every day the work that they do causes them to experience pain and to be worried. And during the night, their minds are not able to rest. That also is very frustrating.
Masiku ake onse amakhala achisoni, ntchito yake imakhala yovuta; ngakhale usiku womwe, mtima wake supumula. Izinso ndi zopandapake.
24 [So I decided that] the best thing that we can do is to enjoy what we eat and drink, and [also] enjoy our work. And I realized that those things are what God intends for us.
Kwa munthu palibe chabwino china kuposa kudya, kumwa ndi kukondwerera ntchito zake. Izinso ndaona kuti ndi zochokera kwa Mulungu,
25 There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
pakuti popanda Iye, ndani angadye ndi kupeza chisangalalo?
26 God enables those who please him to be wise, to know [many things], and to enjoy [many things]. But if sinful people work hard and become rich, God [can] take their money away from them and give it to those who please him. But that also is something that is difficult for me to understand. [Their working hard seems] useless, [like] chasing the wind.
Munthu amene amakondweretsa Mulungu, Mulunguyo amamusandutsa wanzeru, wozindikira ndi wachisangalalo, koma wochimwa, Mulungu amamupatsa ntchito yosonkhanitsa ndi kusunga chuma kuti adzachipereke kwa amene Mulunguyo amakondwera naye. Izinso ndi zopandapake, nʼkungodzivuta chabe.
