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.
Sie elah wo el wo liki ono keng yohk molo; ac len in misa lom wo liki len in isusla lom.
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.
Wo in som nu ke sie lohm ma oasr tung ac mwemelil we liki in som nu ke sie lohm ma mwet uh orek kufwa we, mweyen fal mwet moul uh in esam lah misa uh soanekut nukewa.
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].
Asor wo liki israsr — sahp ac oru kom ngetnget in asor, tusruktu ac akyokye etauk lom uh.
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.
Mwet se su nunku ke mwe engan pacl nukewa el sie mwet lalfon. Sie mwet lalmwetmet el nunku ke misa.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Kas in kai sin sie mwet lalmwetmet, wo liki kas in kaksak lun mwet lalfon.
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.
Pacl se sie mwet lalfon el israsr, oana ke kokul uh ac kisassasla in sie e. Wanginna kalmeya.
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.
Sie mwet lalmwetmet fin kutasrik nu sin sie pac mwet, el orekma oana mwet lalfon. Kom fin eis molin eyeinse, kom sifacna akkolukyekomla.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Sie ma aksafyeyukla, wo liki sie ma tufahna mutawauk. Mongfisrasr uh wo liki inse fulat.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Nimet sa in mulat — sie ma lalfon pa in koko sripen mulat.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Nikmet siyuk, “Efu ku ma meet ah wo liki na ma pacl inge uh?” Tiana kusen siyuk lalmwetmet se.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Mwet nukewa su moul enenu in lalmwetmet. Mweyen lalmwetmet uh wo oana ke sie mwet el usrui ma wo.
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.
Lalmwetmet ac fah asot nu sum inse misla oana mani uh. Lalmwetmet uh karingin moul lom, na pa inge ma wo ke etauk uh.
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.
Nunku ke ma God El orala. Sie mwet ac aksuwosyela fuka sie ma God El akkihyela?
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.
Ke pacl ma nukewa wo nu sum uh, engankin; ac ke pacl ma upa uh sikyak, esam lah God El supu kewana pacl in engan ac pacl upa; kom koflana etu lah mea ac sikyak tok.
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.
Nga liye tari ma nukewa ke moul lusrongten luk. Oasr mwet sa na misa elos finne oru ma suwohs. Ac oasr mwet moul paht na elos finne oru ma koluk.
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.
Ke ma inge nik kom arulana orek suwohs ku orek lalmwetmet — mwe mea kom in sifacna unikomi?
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Tusruktu nik kom arulana eiskomyang in oru ma koluk ku oru ma lalfon — efu ku kom in misa meet liki pacl fal lom?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Karinginkomyang liki ouiya inge kewa. Kom fin akfulatye God, kom ac nuna sun wo ouiya.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Lalmwetmet uh ac akwoye sie mwet yohk liki na ma mwet kol singoul ku in oru nu ke sie siti.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Wangin sie mwet fin faclu oru ma suwohs pacl nukewa ac tiana orala sie tafongla.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Nik kom lohang nu ke ma nukewa ma mwet uh fahk uh — sahp kom ac lohngak ke mwet kulansap lom el kaskas akkolukye kom,
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
ac kom sifacna etu lah kom fahk kas in akkolukye mwet pacl puspis.
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.
Nga orekmakin lalmwetmet luk in srike ma inge nukewa. Nga wotela na ku sik ngan lalmwetmet, tusruktu loesla likiyu.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Sie mwet ac konauk fuka lah mea kalmen moul uh? Arulana loalla nu sesr ac upala kut in kalem kac.
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.
Tusruktu nga eisyuyang nu ke etauk ac lutlut; nga tuh sulela nga in suk lalmwetmet ac top nu ke mwe siyuk luk, ac in etu lupan koluk ac lalfon lun nikin uh.
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.
Oasr ma nga konauk mwen liki na misa uh, pa mutan se su lungse lal uh oana sie sruhf ku sie nwek. Paol ac sruokkomi oana soko sein. Sie mukul su oru ma lungse lun God el ku in kaingla liki mutan sac, a funu sie mukul koluk, mutan sac ac sruokilyana.
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,
Na Mwet Luti Lalmwetmet el fahk, nga kais kutu srisrik na konauk ma inge ke nga suk top nu ke mwe siyuk luk uh.
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.
Nga suk kutu pac top saya tuh wangin ma nga konauk. Nga konauk mukul sefanna inmasrlon tausin su nga ku in lulalfongi, ac tia siefanna mutan nga ku in lulalfongi.
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.
Pa inge ma nga lotela: God El orekutla suwohs ac pwaye, ac kut sifacna oru kut in arulana fohsak.
