< 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.
Namilobelaki: « Yaka sik’oyo; nakomekisa yo bilengi mpo ete ozala moto ya esengo! » Nzokande, yango mpe ezalaki kaka pamba.
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.”
Na tina na koseka, nalobaki: « Ezali na yango kaka bozoba! » Bongo na tina na elengi, nalobaki: « Esalaka nini? »
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.
Wana motema na ngai ezalaki nanu kokamba ngai na bwanya, nazwaki mokano ya komipesa na masanga ya vino mpe na makambo ya bozoba. Nazalaki nde na posa ya kososola bolamu nini moto akoki kozwa na kosala bongo na se ya moyi, na mwa mikolo ya bomoi na ye.
4 I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
Nazwaki mokano ya kosalisa misala minene: namitongelaki bandako minene mpe namilonelaki bilanga ya vino mpo na bomoi na ngai;
5 I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
nasalaki bilanga mpe nabongisaki bisika mpo na kolona banzete ya ndenge na ndenge, oyo ebotaka bambuma;
6 I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
natimolaki mpo na ngai moko, mabulu minene ya mayi mpo na kosopela banzete ya mike mayi.
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.
Nasombaki bawumbu ya mibali mpe ya basi; kobakisa na motango ya bawumbu mosusu oyo babotamaki kati na ndako na ngai. Nazalaki mpe na bangombe, bantaba mpe bameme ebele koleka bakonzi nyonso oyo bazalaki na Yelusalemi liboso na ngai.
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].
Nakongolaki mpo na ngai moko palata mpe wolo oyo ewutaki na bomengo ya bakonzi mpe ya bituka; nazwaki mpo na ngai bayembi ya basi mpe ya mibali, mpe oyo esepelisaka makasi mibali: mwasi mpe basi ebele ya kitoko.
9 So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
Nakomaki moto monene koleka bakonzi nyonso oyo bazalaki na Yelusalemi liboso na ngai; kasi atako bongo, bwanya ezalaki kaka kotambolisa ngai.
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.
Napimelaki miso na ngai eloko moko te oyo elulaki, napimelaki motema na ngai esengo moko te. Motema na ngai esepelaki na misala na ngai nyonso, mpe yango ezalaki lifuti ya mosala na ngai nyonso.
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.
Boye, tango natali misala nyonso oyo maboko na ngai esalaki mpe pasi nyonso oyo namonaki mpo na kokokisa yango, namoni ete nyonso wana ezalaki kaka pamba, ezali lokola moto azali kolanda mopepe, ezali na yango na litomba moko te na se ya moyi.
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.”
Bongo, nabalolaki makanisi na ngai mpo na koyekola bwanya, bozoba mpe bolema. Eloko nini mokitani ya mokonzi akoki kosala, oyo eleki oyo esila kosalema?
13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
Namonaki ete bwanya ezali malamu koleka bozoba, ndenge pole ezali malamu koleka molili.
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.
Moto ya bwanya ayebi epai azali kokende, kasi zoba atambolaka na molili; kasi nasosoli likambo moko: suka na bango mibale ekozala kaka ndenge moko.
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.
Namilobelaki: « Suka ya zoba ekozala ndenge moko kaka na suka na ngai; sik’oyo, litomba nini ezali na moto ya kozala na bwanya mingi? » Namilobelaki: « Oyo mpe ezali kaka pamba. »
16 Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
Pamba te ezala moto ya bwanya to zoba, bakotikala kokanisa bango tango molayi te; mpe na mikolo ekoya, bato bakobosana bango mibale. Moto ya bwanya mpe akokufa lokola moto ya zoba.
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.
Boye, nayinaki bomoi, pamba te misala oyo esalemaka na se ya moyi ezali mabe mpo na ngai. Nyonso wana ezali pamba, ezali lokola moto azali kolanda mopepe.
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.
Nayinaki biloko nyonso oyo namonelaki pasi na se ya moyi, pamba te nakotika yango epai ya moto oyo akoya sima na ngai.
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.
Bongo, nani ayebi soki moto yango akozala moto ya bwanya to zoba? Nzokande, ye nde akozala na bokonzi na likolo ya misala nyonso oyo nabimiselaki motoki mpe mayele na ngai na se ya tango. Yango mpe ezali kaka pamba.
20 I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
Bongo, motema na ngai ekomaki kobungisa elikya likolo ya misala makasi oyo nazalaki kosala na se ya moyi.
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.
Pamba te moto akoki kosala mosala na ye na bwanya, na boyebi mpe na ndenge esengeli penza; kasi akotika nyonso oyo azali na yango epai ya moto oyo amonelaki yango pasi te; yango mpe ezali pamba mpe mabe makasi.
22 So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
Litomba nini moto akoki kozwa na misala nyonso oyo asali mpe amonelaka pasi na se ya moyi?
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.
Mikolo nyonso ya mosala na ye ezali kaka pasi mpe komitungisa; ezala na butu, makanisi na ye ezalaka na kimia te; oyo mpe ezali kaka pamba.
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.
Eloko eleki malamu mpo na moto ezali kaka kolia, komela mpe kosepela na mosala na ye. Namoni ete oyo mpe ewuti na loboko na Nzambe;
25 There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
pamba te soki Nzambe azalaki te, nani akoki kolia mpe kosepela?
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.
Nzambe apesaka bwanya, mayele mpe esengo na moto oyo asepelisaka Ye; kasi apesaka mosala ya kosangisa mpe ya konduka bomengo epai ya moto oyo asalaka masumu mpo ete atika yango na maboko ya moto oyo asepelisaka Nzambe. Wana mpe ezali pamba, ezali lokola moto azali kolanda mopepe.

< Ecclesiastes 2 >