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.
Obwatiikirivu bw’erinnya eddungi businga eby’akawoowo ebirungi; n’olunaku olw’okufa lusinga olwo olw’okuzaalirwako.
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.
Kirungi okulaga mu nnyumba ey’abakungubaga okusinga okulaga mu nnyumba ey’ebyassava. Kubanga buli omu wa kufa, ekyo kiteekwa okuba ku mutima gwa buli muntu.
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].
Okunakuwala kusinga okuseka, kubanga amaaso amanakuwavu gazzaamu omutima amaanyi.
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.
Omutima gw’omugezi guba wamu n’abo abali mu nnaku; naye ogw’omusirusiru guba mu kusanyuka.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Kirungi okussaayo omwoyo ku kunenya kw’omuntu ow’amagezi okusinga okuwuliriza ennyimba z’abasirusiru.
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.
Okuseka kw’abasirusiru kuli ng’okutulikatulika kw’amaggwa agali mu muliro gw’entamu; na kino nakyo butaliimu.
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.
Kya mazima, okunyigirizibwa kufuula ow’amagezi okuba omusirusiru, n’enguzi efaafaaganya okutegeera.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Enkomerero y’ekintu esinga entandikwa yaakyo, n’omugumiikiriza asinga ow’amalala.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Tosunguwalanga mangu nga waliwo akusokaasoka, kubanga obusungu bubeera munda y’abasirusiru.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Teweebuuzanga nti, “Lwaki ennaku ziri ez’edda zisinga zino?” Kubanga si kya magezi okwebuuza ekibuuzo ng’ekyo.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Amagezi kintu kirungi, okufaanana ng’eky’obugagga ky’obusika, era kigasa abo abakyalaba enjuba.
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.
Amagezi kiwummulo, ng’ensimbi bwe ziri ekiwummulo, naye enkizo y’okumanya y’eno: amagezi gakuuma obulamu bw’oyo agalina.
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.
Lowooza ku Katonda ky’akoze: ani ayinza okugolola ekyo ekyakyama Katonda kye yakola?
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.
Ebiseera bwe biba ebirungi, sanyuka; naye bwe biba ebibi, kirowoozeeko; Katonda eyakola ekimu era ye yakola ne kinnaakyo. Noolwekyo omuntu tayinza kuzuula kirimubaako mu nnaku ze ez’omu maaso.
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.
Mu bulamu bwange buno obutaliimu ndabye bino byombi: omutuukirivu azikiririra mu butuukirivu bwe, n’omukozi w’ebibi n’awangaalira mu bibi bye.
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.
Teweefuulanga mutuukirivu ayitiridde wadde okwefuula ow’amagezi ow’ekitalo; oleme okwezikiriza.
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Tobanga mwonoonyi kakuzzi wadde okuba omusirusiru; oleme okufa ng’ekiseera kyo tekinnatuuka.
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Ekyo kirungi okiyige, na kiri oleme kukibuusa maaso, kubanga oyo atya Katonda abyewala okubiyitiriza.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Ow’amagezi ne bw’aba omu mu kibuga, aba w’amaanyi okusinga abakulembeze ekkumi ab’omu kibuga ekyo.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Ddala ku nsi tekuli muntu mutuukirivu, atakola bibi.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Towulirizanga buli kigambo, bantu kye boogera, si kulwa ng’owulira omuweereza wo ng’akukolimira,
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
kubanga naawe okimanyidde ddala mu mutima gwo, ng’emirundi mingi okolimidde abalala.
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.
Ebyo byonna nabyekenneenya n’amagezi ne ŋŋamba nti, “Mmaliridde okuba omugezi,” wabula kino kyandi wala.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Amagezi ne bwe gaba ga kikula ki, gali wala nnyo era tegalojjeka, kale ani ayinza okugavumbula?
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.
Bwe ntyo ne nkyusa omutima gwange nnoonye okutegeera, nekkanye, era nnoonyereze amagezi ndowooze ne ku bintu nga bwe biri, n’okutegeera obusirusiru bw’okukola ebibi: n’eddalu ery’obusirusiru.
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.
Ekintu kye nalaba eky’obulabe ekisinga okufa, ye mukazi alina omutima ogusendasenda, era ogusikiriza, era emikono gye gisiba ng’enjegere. Oyo ayagala Katonda, y’awona omukazi oyo, kyokka ye omwonoonyi talema kugwa mu mutego gwe.
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,
Omubuulizi agamba nti, “Laba, kino kyenvumbudde: “Okugatta ekintu ku kinnaakyo, okuzuula enkola y’ebintu,
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.
bwe nnali nga nkyanoonyereza nabulako kye nzuula, okuggyako okulaba omusajja omwesimbu omu mu basajja lukumi, kyokka mu bakazi bonna ssaalabamu n’omu atuukiridde.
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.
Wabula kino kyokka kye nalaba: Katonda yatonda omuntu nga mugolokofu, naye abantu ne beenoonyeza ebintu ebirala bingi.”
