Ecclesiastes 7
1 [Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
Nying maber longʼo moloyo mo mangʼwe ngʼar, kendo odiechieng tho ber moloyo odiechieng nywol.
2 It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
Ber mondo idhi e od kuyo moloyo ot mitimoe nyasi, nimar tho e giko ngʼato ka ngʼato; joma pod ngima nyaka ngʼe ma e chunygi.
3 It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
Kuyo ber moloyo nyiero, nikech wangʼ man-gi lit berne chuny.
4 Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
Ngʼat mariek wiye ok wil gi tho, to ngʼat mofuwo paro mana mor pile.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Ber mondo ichik iti ne siem ngʼat man-gi rieko, moloyo chiko iti ne wend joma ofuwo.
6 By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
Nyiero mar ngʼama ofuwo onge tiende omiyo ochalo mana gi kudho mararni e mach e bwo agulu. Ma bende onge tiende.
7 When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
Ka ngʼat mariek mayo ji to obedo ngʼama ofuwo, to ngʼama kawo asoya kethore kende owuon.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Giko mar gimoro ber moloyo chakruokne kendo bedo mos ber moloyo sunga.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Kik ibed ngʼama chwanyore piyo e chunye; nikech joma ofuwo ema timo kamano.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Bende kik ipenjri ni angʼo momiyo ndalo machon gik moko ne timore maber moloyo ndalogi? Mano en penjo mar ngʼat mofuwo.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Rieko ber mana kaka girkeni, en gima ber kendo en ohala ne joma mangima.
12 We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
Rieko en tipo mana kaka pesa bende en tipo, nimar rieko kelo ngima ni ngʼama ni kode.
13 Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
Parane gima Nyasaye osetimo: En ngʼa manyalo rieyo gima osedolo?
14 When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
Ka gik moko dhini maber, to bed mamor, to ka chandruok omaki; to ngʼe ni Nyasaye ema oyie mondo gik moko ariyogo otimre. Emomiyo, dhano ok nyal fwenyo gimoro amora mabiro timorene e ndalo mabiro.
15 During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
E ngima madakie maonge tiendeni asefwenyo ni ngʼat ma ja-ratiro rumo nikech ratiro mare kendo ngʼat ma jaricho dak ndalo mangʼeny kotimo richo.
16 [So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
Kik ibed ngʼat mariek ahinya kata ngʼat mongʼeyo ahinya, nimar inyalo tiekori kendi iwuon.
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Kik ibed ngʼama timbene mono ahinya kata ngʼama ofuwo, nimar angʼo momiyo idwaro ni itho ka ndaloni pok ochopo?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Kuom mano, e weche ariyogi kik iher moro moloyo machielo, nikech ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye ema dhi maber.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Gima rieko nyalo timo ne ngʼato duongʼ moloyo gima jotelo apar nyalo timo ne dala maduongʼ.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Onge ngʼato kata achiel e piny ngima matimo mana gik mabeyo lilo ma ok oketho.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Kik ichik iti ni weche ma ji wacho, dipo ka iwinjo ka jatichni kwongʼi,
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
nimar in bende ingʼeyo e chunyi ni kinde mangʼeny in iwuon isekwongʼo joma moko.
23 I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
Ne apimo gigo duto gi rieko ka aketo chunya mondo abed mariek, to ne ayudo ka ok anyal.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Ere kaka dhano difweny rieko? Otut moyombowa, kendo otek modhierowa winjo.
25 But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
Omiyo ne aloko pacha mondo anon kendo awinj tiend rieko, kaachiel gi chenro mar gik moko, bangʼe to ne ayudo ni ngʼat mofuwo en jaricho kendo janeko.
26 [One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
Bangʼe ne ayudo ni dhako ma jachode rach moloyo, tho nimar chunye en obadho, to lwetene gin nyororo. Ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye notony e lwete, to jaricho to nokelne mana chandruok.
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
Jayalo wacho niya, “Ma e gima asefwenyo kane adwaro tiend wechegi achiel kachiel,
28 and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
to kane pod anono wechegi, to ne ayudo ni kuom ji alufu achiel, dichwo achiel kende ema nyalo bedo gi rieko, to dhako to onge mariek kata achiel.
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
Gimoro kendo maseyudo en ni Nyasaye nochweyo ji duto momiyo rieko, makmana ni dhano osebaro ka dwaro gik mangʼeny.”
