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.
Tsara ny laza soa noho ny menaka manitra; ary ny andro ahaterahana tsy mahaleo ny andro ahafatesana.
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.
Tsara ny mankamin’ ny trano misy fisaonana noho ny mankamin’ ny trano misy fanasana; fa ho amin’ iny no hiafaran’ ny olombelona rehetra, ary ny velona handatsaka am-po izany.
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].
Tsara ny alahelo noho ny hehy; fa na dia malahelo aza ny tarehy, mety tsara ihany ny fo.
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.
Ny fon’ ny hendry dia ao amin’ ny trano misy fisaonana; fa ny fon’ ny adala kosa dia ao amin’ ny trano misy fifaliana.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Tsara ny mihaino ny anatra mafy ataon’ ny hendry noho ny mihaino ny hiran’ ny adala.
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.
Toy ny firefodrefotry ny tsilo eo ambanin’ ny vilany, dia tahaka izany ny fihomehezan’ ny adala; zava-poana koa izany.
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.
Fa ny fampahoriana dia mahavery saina ny hendry; ary ny kolikoly mahasimba ny fo.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Tsara ny iafaran’ ny raharaha noho ny iandohany; tsara ny mahari-po noho ny miavanavom-panahy.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Aoka tsy halaky tezitra ny fanahinao; fa ny fahatezerana mitoetra ao an-tratran’ ny adala.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Aza manao hoe: Ahoana no nahatsara ny andro taloha noho ny ankehitriny? fa tsy avy amin’ ny fahendrena no anontanianao izany.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Tsara tahaka ny lova ny fahendrena, sady zava-mahasoa ho an’ izay mahita masoandro izany.
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.
Fa fialokalofana ny fahendrena, ary fialokalofana ny vola; ary ny mahatsara ny fahalalana dia izao: Maharo ny ain’ ny manana azy ny fahendrena.
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.
Saino ny asan’ Andriamanitra; fa iza moa no mahahitsy izay nataony ho meloka?
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.
Amin’ ny andro mahafaly dia mifalia; ary amin’ ny andro mahory mieritrereta; fa nampitanandrifin’ Andriamanitra ireo, mba tsy hahitan’ ny olona akory izay ho avy any aoriany.
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.
Izao rehetra izao dia efa hitako tamin’ ny androko mandalo foana: misy marina maty amin’ ny hamarinany; ary misy meloka ela velona amin’ ny haratsiany.
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.
Aza marina loatra, ary aza miseho ho hendry loatra; nahoana noho simbanao ny tenanao?
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Aza ratsy loatra ianao, ary aza adala; nahoana no ho faty ianao, raha tsy efa tonga ny andronao?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Tsara raha mitana iroa ianao, nefa aza mampiala ny tananao amin’ itsy; fa izay matahotra an’ Andriamanitra dia ho afaka amin’ izany rehetra izany.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Ny fahendrena no maharo ny hendry mihoatra noho ny mpanapaka folo ao an-tanàna.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Fa tsy misy olona marina ambonin’ ny tany izay manao tsara ka tsy manota.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Aza mihainohaino ny teny rehetra tenenina, fandrao handre ny mpanomponao manozona anao ianao;
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
fa fantatry ny fonao fa na dia ny tenanao aza dia mba efa nanozona ny sasany matetika ihany koa.
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.
Izany rehetra izany dia notsapaiko tamin’ ny fahendrena. Hoy izaho: Ho hendry aho; kanjo lavitra ahy izany.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Eny, izay rehetra lavitra sady lalina dia lalina, iza no mahatakatra azy?
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.
Nitodika aho, ka nampiasaiko ny foko hahalala sy handinika ary hitady fahendrena sy izay anton-javatra ary hahafantatra ny faharatsiana ho fahadalana, ary ny fahadalana ho fahaverezan-tsaina;
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.
ka hitako fa mangidy noho ny fahafatesana ny vehivavy, izay fandrika sy harato ny fony, sady famatorana ny tànany; nefa izay ankasitrahan’ Andriamanitra dia ho afa-mandositra azy, fa ny mpanota ihany no ho azony.
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,
Indro, izany no hitako, hoy Mpitoriteny, raha nandinidinika ny zavatra tsirairay aho mba hahitana izay antony.
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.
Izay notadiaviko koa, fa tsy hitako, dia izao: lehilahy iray no hitako ho marina tao amin’ ny arivo; fa tao amin’ ny vehivavy arivo dia tsy nisy hitako na dia iray akory aza.
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.
Indro, izao ihany no hitako: nataon’ Andriamanitra mahitsy ny olona, kanjo namorona sain-kafa maro izy.
