Ecclesiastes 3
1 There is a right/correct time for everything, a time for everything that we do in this world.
Biribiara wɔ ne berɛ, na dwumadie biara a ɛwɔ ɔsoro ase wɔ ne berɛ.
2 There is a time to be born, and there is a time to die. There is a time to plant [seeds], and there is a time to harvest crops.
Awoɔ wɔ ne berɛ, na owuo wɔ ne berɛ, ogu wɔ ne berɛ, na otwa nso wɔ ne berɛ,
3 There is a time to kill [people], and there is a time to heal [people]. There is a time to tear things down, and there is a time to build things.
ɔkum wɔ ne berɛ, na ayaresa wɔ ne berɛ, ɔbubu wɔ ne berɛ, na ɔsi nso wɔ ne berɛ,
4 There is a time to cry, and there is a time to laugh. There is a time to mourn, and there is a time to dance [joyfully].
agyaadwotwa wɔ ne berɛ, na ɔsereɛ nso wɔ ne berɛ, awerɛhoɔ wɔ ne berɛ, na asa wɔ ne berɛ,
5 There is a time to throw away stones [from a field], and there is a time to gather stones [to build walls/houses]. There is a time to embrace [people], and there is a time to not embrace [people].
aboɔ hweteɛ wɔ ne berɛ, na aboɔ anoboa wɔ ne berɛ, akwaaba wɔ ne berɛ, na nanteyie wɔ ne berɛ,
6 There is a time to search for things, and there is a time to stop searching for things. There is a time to keep/save things, and there is a time to throw things away.
adehwehwɛ wɔ ne berɛ, na adehwereɛ wɔ ne berɛ, adekora wɔ ne berɛ, na adetoguo wɔ ne berɛ,
7 There is a time to tear [our old clothes], and there is a time to mend [clothes]. There is a time to say nothing, and there is a time when we should speak.
adeɛ mu sunsuane wɔ ne berɛ, na ne pempam wɔ ne berɛ, kommyɛ wɔ ne berɛ, na kasa wɔ ne berɛ,
8 There is a time when we should love [things that people do], and there is a time when we should hate [things that people do]. There is a time for war, and there is a time for peace.
ɔdɔ wɔ ne berɛ, na ɔtan wɔ ne berɛ, ɔko wɔ ne berɛ, na asomdwoeɛ wɔ ne berɛ.
9 (What do people gain from all the work that they do?/It seems that people gain very little from all the work that they do [RHQ]).
Mfasoɔ bɛn na odwumayɛfoɔ nya firi nʼadwumaden mu?
10 I have seen the work that God has given people to do.
Mahunu adesoa a Onyankopɔn de ato nnipa so.
11 God has appointed a time that is right/correct for everything to happen. He has [also] caused people to realize that there are things that will endure forever. But in spite of that, no one can completely understand everything that God has done, from the time that he starts doing things until he finishes them.
Wayɛ biribiara fɛfɛ wɔ ne berɛ mu. Ɔde nkwa a ɛnsa da ahyɛ nnipa akoma mu, nanso wɔntumi nte deɛ Onyankopɔn ayɛ firi ahyɛaseɛ kɔsi awieeɛ no ase.
12 I know that the best [LIT] thing for us people to do is to rejoice and to do good things [all] during the time that we are alive.
Menim sɛ biribiara nni hɔ a ɛyɛ ma nnipa kyɛn sɛ wɔbɛgye wɔn ani na wayɛ deɛ ɛyɛ ɛberɛ a wɔte ase.
13 And I also know that everyone should eat and drink, and enjoy the work that they do. Those are things that God gives to us.
Sɛ obiara bɛdidi na wanom na wanya anigyeɛ wɔ ne dwumadie nyinaa mu, yei ne Onyankopɔn akyɛdeɛ.
14 I [also] know that what God does endures forever. No one can add to what God does, and no one can take away from the things that God does. God does those things in order that people would revere him.
Menim sɛ biribiara a Onyankopɔn yɛ no bɛtena hɔ daa, wɔrentumi mfa biribi nka ho na wɔrentumi nyi biribi mfiri mu. Onyankopɔn yɛ yei sɛdeɛ nnipa de anidie bɛma no.
15 Things that exist now have already existed previously, and things that will happen in the future have already happened previously; God causes the same things to happen many times.
Biribiara a ɛwɔ hɔ ɛnnɛ no, aba pɛn, na deɛ ɛbɛba no nso aba dada; na Onyankopɔn bɛfrɛ deɛ asi dada no ama akontabuo.
16 Furthermore, I saw that on this earth [MTY], even in the courts where we expect judges to make right decisions about what people had done, they did many wicked [DOU] things.
Na mehunuu biribi foforɔ wɔ owia yi ase sɛ: Amumuyɛsɛm wɔ deɛ atemmuo wɔ, atɛnteneneebea no, amumuyɛsɛm wɔ hɔ.
17 [So] I said to myself [SYN], “God will judge [both] righteous [people] and wicked [people]; there is a time [for him to do that], because there is a time for him to do everything.”
Medwenee wɔ mʼakomam sɛ, “Onyankopɔn bɛbu teneneefoɔ ne amumuyɛfoɔ nyinaa atɛn, ɛfiri sɛ adwuma biara bɛnya ne berɛ, adeyɛ biara ne ne berɛ.”
18 And regarding humans, I [also] said to myself, “God is testing us, to show us that [in one way] people are no different than animals,
Afei medwenee sɛ, “Nnipa deɛ, Onyankopɔn sɔ wɔn hwɛ ma wɔhunu sɛ wɔte sɛ mmoa.
19 because what happens to people happens to animals. Animals die, and people die. We all must breathe [to remain alive]. [With regard to that], people have no advantage over animals, so I have a difficult time understanding that.
Onipa hyɛberɛ te sɛ mmoa deɛ, na ɛda hɔ ma wɔn nyinaa. Sɛdeɛ ɔbaako wuo no, saa ara na ɔfoforɔ nso wuo. Wɔn nyinaa wɔ ahomeɛ baako; onipa nni biribi a ɔde kyɛn aboa. Biribiara yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
20 [People and animals] all die and are buried. We are all made of soil, and [when we die], our corpses become soil again.
Wɔn nyinaa kɔ faako; wɔn nyinaa firi dɔteɛ mu na wɔsane kɔ dɔteɛ mu.
21 No one knows [RHQ] for sure that when we die, our souls/spirits go up to heaven and the souls/spirits of animals go down to the place where the dead are.”
Hwan na ɔnim sɛ onipa honhom foro soro, na aboa deɛ siane kɔ asase mu anaa?”
22 So I concluded that the best thing for [us] people to do is to be happy about the work that we do, because that is what God has given to us. I say that because no one of us [RHQ] knows what happens to us after we die.
Enti mehunuu sɛ biribiara nni hɔ a ɛyɛ ma onipa kyɛn sɛ nʼani bɛka nʼadwuma ho, ɛfiri sɛ ɛno ne ne kyɛfa. Na hwan na ɔbɛtumi de no asane aba sɛ ɔmmɛhwɛ deɛ ɛbɛsi ne wuo nʼakyi?
