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.
Ngacabanga ngenhliziyo ngathi, “Kulungile, ake ngizame ukuzithokozisa ngibone ingabe kuhle yini.” Kodwa lokho lakho kwakhanya kuyize.
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.”
Ngathi, “Ukuhleka kuyibuthutha. Ukuzithokozisa khona kusizani?”
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.
Ngazama ukuzithabisa ngewayini, ngisenza ubuwula kodwa ingqondo yami ilokhu ingikhokhela ngokuhlakanipha. Ngangifuna ukubona ukuthi kuyini okumlungeleyo umuntu ukuthi akwenze lapha ngaphansi kwezulu ngezinsukwana lezo zokuphila kwakhe.
4 I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
Ngaqalisa imisebenzi emikhulu: ngazakhela izindlu ngahlanyela amavini.
5 I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
Ngasungula izivande lezigcawu zokubukwa ngahlanyela kuzo yonke imihlobo yezihlahla lezithelo.
6 I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
Ngenza iziziba zamanzi okuthelela izihlahla ezazikhula kuhle.
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.
Ngathenga izigqili zesilisa lezesifazane, ngilezinye futhi izigqili ezazalelwa emzini wami. Ngaba lemihlambihlambi yenkomo lezimvu okwedlula bonke abake babakhona eJerusalema ngaphambi kwami.
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].
Ngabuthelela isiliva legolide, kanye lempahla yamakhosi eligugu ivela ezigodini. Ngazidingela abahlabeleli besilisa labesifazane, lesithembo esikhulu, khona okujabulisa inhliziyo yendoda.
9 So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
Ngaba mkhulu ngokwedluleyo kulaloba ngubani owaba seJerusalema ngaphambi kwami. Phakathi kwayo yonke inyakanyaka le ukuhlakanipha kwami kwahlala kukhona.
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.
Angizincitshanga lutho olwalufiswa ngamehlo ami; inhliziyo yami angiyalelanga layiphi intokozo. Inhliziyo yami yathokoza ngawo wonke umsebenzi wami, lokhu kwaba ngumvuzo wezithukuthuku zami.
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.
Kanti lanxa ngahlolisisa konke okwenziwa yizandla zami lalokho engangibhensela ukukuzuza, konke kwakuyize, yikuxotshana lomoya; kwakungela nzuzo ngaphansi kwelanga.
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.”
Ngasengigxilisa imicabango yami ekuhlolisiseni ukuhlakanipha, njalo lobuhlanya kanye lobuwula. Kambe angenzani othatha isikhundla senkosi ngaphandle kwalokho obekuvele sekwenziwe?
13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
Ngabona ukuhlakanipha kungcono kulobuwula, njengokukhanya kungcono kulomnyama.
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.
Umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ulamehlo ekhanda, ikanti isiwula sihamba ebumnyameni; kodwa ngacina sengibona ukuthi isiphetho sabo bonke sinye.
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.
Ngasengicabanga enhliziyweni yami ngathi, “Isiphetho sesiwula sizangehlela lami. Pho, ngizuzani ngokuhlakanipha?” Ngathi ngenhliziyo yami, “Lokhu lakho kuyize.”
16 Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
Ngoba umuntu ohlakaniphileyo, njengesiwula, akazukukhunjulwa kokuphela; ngezinsuku ezizayo bobabili bazakhohlakala. Njengesiwula, umuntu ohlakaniphileyo laye uzakufa!
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.
Yikho-ke ngasengikuzonda ukuphila, ngoba umsebenzi owenziwayo ngaphansi kwelanga wawubuhlungu kimi. Wonke uyize, yikuxotshana lomoya.
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.
Ngazizonda zonke izinto engangiziginqele ngaphansi kwelanga, ngoba ngimele ngitshiyele lowo oza ngemva kwami.
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.
Njalo ngubani owaziyo ingabe uzakuba ngumuntu ohlakaniphileyo loba isiwula? Kodwa nguye ozalawula wonke umsebenzi wamaginqo ami lobungcitshi bami. Lokhu lakho kuyize.
20 I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
Ngalokho inhliziyo yami yaqalisa ukuphela amandla ngikhumbula konke lokho engakuginqelayo ngaphansi kwelanga.
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.
Ngoba umuntu angenza umsebenzi wakhe ngokuhlakanipha, ngolwazi langamasu, kodwa utshiyela konke alakho komunye ongazange akusebenzele. Lokhu lakho kuyize, kungumnyama.
22 So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
Umuntu uzuzani ngakho konke ukusebenza nzima langokutshikatshika kabuhlungu lapha emhlabeni?
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.
Ubuhlungu umsebenzi wakhe awenzayo kuzozonke insuku zokuphila kwakhe; kwala kanye lebusuku umkhumbulo wakhe kawuphumuli. Lokhu lakho kuyize.
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.
Akukho okungcono emuntwini ngaphandle kokuthi adle, anathe njalo azuze ukusuthiseka ngomsebenzi wakhe. Lokhu lakho ngiyakubona ukuthi kuvela kuNkulunkulu,
25 There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
ngoba ngaphandle kwakhe ngubani ongadla kumbe azuze intokozo?
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.
Kulowo omthokozisayo uNkulunkulu umupha ukuhlakanipha, ulwazi lokuthaba, kodwa koyisoni umupha umsebenzi wokuqoqa lokulonda inotho ukuze ayiphe lowo othokozisa uNkulunkulu. Lokhu lakho kuyize, yikuxotshana lomoya.
