Ecclesiastes 3
1 To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Zonke izinto zilesikhathi sazo, konke okwenziwayo ngaphansi kwelanga kulesibanga sakho:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;
isikhathi sokuzalwa lesikhathi sokufa, isikhathi sokuhlanyela lesikhathi sokusiphuna,
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
isikhathi sokubulala lesikhathi sokuphilisa, isikhathi sokubhidliza lesikhathi sokwakha,
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
isikhathi sokukhala lesikhathi sokuhleka, isikhathi sokulila lesikhathi sokugida,
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
isikhathi sokuchithiza amatshe lesikhathi sokuwabutha, isikhathi sokugona lesikhathi sokunina,
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
isikhathi sokudinga lesikhathi sokukhalala, isikhathi sokugcina lesikhathi sokulahla,
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
isikhathi sokudabula lesikhathi sokuthunga, isikhathi sokuthula lesikhathi sokukhuluma,
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
isikhathi sokuthanda lesikhathi sokuzonda, isikhathi sempi lesikhathi sokuthula.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that in which he laboreth?
Umuntu osebenzayo uzuzani na ngokusadalala kwakhe?
10 I have seen the labor, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
Sengiwubonile umthwalo uNkulunkulu awethese abantu.
11 He hath made every [thing] beautiful in its time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Yonke into uyenze yabanhle ngesikhathi sayo. Wamupha umuntu iphakade enhliziyweni yakhe; kodwa abantu bangeke bafinyelele kulokho uNkulunkulu asakwenzayo kwasekuqaleni kusiya ekupheleni.
12 I know that [there is] no good in them, but for [a man] to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Ngiyakwazi ukuthi kakukho okungcono ebantwini kulokuthi bajabule njalo benze okuhle besaphila.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it [is] the gift of God.
Ukuthi wonke umuntu adle, anathe asuthiseke ekusebenzeni kwakhe gadalala, lokhu kuyisipho sikaNkulunkulu.
14 I know that, whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be added to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him.
Ngiyazi yonke into eyenziwa nguNkulunkulu izakuba khona kokuphela; akulalutho olungengezwa kukho loba kususwe kukho. UNkulunkulu uyenza lokho ukuze abantu bamkhonze.
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
Loba yini ekhona seyake yaba khona, kulalokho okuzakuba khona sekwaba khona ngaphambili; njalo uNkulunkulu uzakubalisa okwedlulayo.
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, [that] wickedness [was] there; and the place of righteousness, [that] iniquity [was] there.
Njalo ngabona okunye ngaphansi kwelanga: endaweni yokwahlulela, ububi babukhona, endaweni yokulungisa, ububi babukhona.
17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ngacabanga ngenhliziyo yami, “UNkulunkulu uzabehlulela bonke abalungileyo lababi, ngoba sizaba khona isikhathi sezenzakalo zonke, isikhathi sawo wonke umsebenzi.”
18 I said in my heart concerning the state of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ngacabanga njalo ngathi, “UNkulunkulu uyabahlola abantu ukuze babone ukuthi banjengezinyamazana.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast: for all [is] vanity.
Isiphetho somuntu siyafana lesezinyamazana; isiphetho sinye sibalindele bonke: njengoba lokhu kuyafa, kanjalo lokunye kuyafa. Konke kokubili kulomphefumulo munye; umuntu kangcono kulenyamazana. Konke kuyize.
20 All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Konke kuya ndawo yinye; konke kuvela othulini, yikho konke kubuyela othulini.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Ngubani owaziyo ingabe umphefumulo womuntu uyakhwela uye phezulu kuthi owenyamazana wehlele phansi phakathi emhlabathini?”
22 Wherefore I perceive that [there is] nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that [is] his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Yikho ngabona ukuthi kakukho okungcono emuntwini ngaphandle kokuthi akholise umsebenzi wakhe ngoba leso yiso isabelo sakhe. Ngoba kambe ngubani ongamenza ukuthi abone lokho okuzakwenzakala yena esedlule?
