Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
Omiyo ne arango gigi duto kendo atieko ni ngʼama kare kod ngʼat man-gi rieko to gi gima gitimo ni e lwet Nyasaye, to onge ngʼama ongʼeyo ni hera kata achaya rite.
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
Gimoro achiel ema timore ni ngʼat makare gi ngʼat ma jaricho, ngʼat maler, gi ngʼat ma ok ler, ngʼat malamo Nyasaye, gi ngʼat ma ok lam Nyasaye. Bende onge pogruok mantie e kind ngʼat malongʼo, gi ngʼat ma timbene mono, kata manie kind ngʼat makwongʼore ni biro chiwo misango ni Nyasaye kod ngʼat moluoro kwongʼruok ma kamano.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
Ma e richo mantiere kuom gimoro amora matimore e piny: Giko machalre choponegi duto. Kata kamano, chuny dhano opongʼ gi richo kendo nitie neko e pachgi e kinde ma gingima, to bangʼe to giriwore gi joma otho.
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
Ngʼato angʼata mangima pod nigi geno, mana kaka ngero moro wacho ni ber bedo guok mangima moloyo sibuor mosetho!
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
Nimar joma ngima ongʼeyo ni gibiro tho, to joma osetho ok ongʼeyo gimoro amora; gionge gi mich moro machielo, kendo wich wil kodgi ma ok nyal pargi.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
Hera margi, achaya margi kod nyiego margi noselal chon; ok ginichak gibed gi thuolo e gimoro amora matimore e piny.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
Dhiyo, icham chiemo gi mor, kendo imadh divai mari gi chuny moil, nimar sani ema Nyasaye jakori kuom gik mitimo.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Kinde duto rwakri gi lewni marochere, kendo kinde duto wir wiyi gi mo.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
Bed mamor gi chiegi mihero e ndalo duto mar ngimani maonge tiende ma Nyasaye osemiyi e piny e ndalogi duto maonge tiendgi, nimar mano ema niyudi kuom chandruokni duto e piny ka.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
Gimoro amora ma lweti oyudo mondo otim, time gi tekri duto, nimar ei bur, kama ibiro idhiyoe, onge tich kata loso chenro kata ngʼeyo kata rieko. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Gimoro machielo ma bende aseneno e pinyni en ni jongʼwech maringo matek ok yomb e ngʼwech pile, kata joma thuondi e lweny ok lo lweny pile, joma riek ok yud chiemo ma gichamo pile kata joma nigi paro mariek ok bed jo-mwandu, kendo joma ongʼeyo tich ok bed jotelo; to kata kamano hawi marach mako ji duto.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
Kuom mano, onge ngʼama ongʼeyo sa ma kindene chopoe: Mana kaka rech imako gi gogo, kata winy imako gi wino, e kaka dhano moko e obadho mar richo ka ok ongʼeyo.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Bende ne aneno e bwo wangʼ chiengʼ ranyisi mar rieko mane omora ahinya:
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Koro ne nitie dala maduongʼ mane nitie gi ji manok e iye. To ruoth moro maratego nobiro molwore kendo omonje.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
E dala maduongʼno ngʼat moro modhier man-gi rieko nodakie, kendo noreso dala maduongʼno gi riekoneno. To onge ngʼama noparo ngʼama odhierno.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
Omiyo ne awacho niya, “Rieko ber moloyo teko.” To rieko mar ngʼama odhier ocha, kendo wechene ok winj ngangʼ.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Weche mokwe mar ngʼama nigi rieko iwinjo moloyo koko mar jatend joma ofuwo.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Rieko ber moloyo gige lweny, to jaricho achiel ketho gik mabeyo mangʼeny.
