Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
Nying maber longʼo moloyo mo mangʼwe ngʼar, kendo odiechieng tho ber moloyo odiechieng nywol.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
Ber mondo idhi e od kuyo moloyo ot mitimoe nyasi, nimar tho e giko ngʼato ka ngʼato; joma pod ngima nyaka ngʼe ma e chunygi.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
Kuyo ber moloyo nyiero, nikech wangʼ man-gi lit berne chuny.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Ngʼat mariek wiye ok wil gi tho, to ngʼat mofuwo paro mana mor pile.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Ber mondo ichik iti ne siem ngʼat man-gi rieko, moloyo chiko iti ne wend joma ofuwo.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Nyiero mar ngʼama ofuwo onge tiende omiyo ochalo mana gi kudho mararni e mach e bwo agulu. Ma bende onge tiende.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Ka ngʼat mariek mayo ji to obedo ngʼama ofuwo, to ngʼama kawo asoya kethore kende owuon.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Giko mar gimoro ber moloyo chakruokne kendo bedo mos ber moloyo sunga.
9 Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Kik ibed ngʼama chwanyore piyo e chunye; nikech joma ofuwo ema timo kamano.
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
Bende kik ipenjri ni angʼo momiyo ndalo machon gik moko ne timore maber moloyo ndalogi? Mano en penjo mar ngʼat mofuwo.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
Rieko ber mana kaka girkeni, en gima ber kendo en ohala ne joma mangima.
12 For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
Rieko en tipo mana kaka pesa bende en tipo, nimar rieko kelo ngima ni ngʼama ni kode.
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
Parane gima Nyasaye osetimo: En ngʼa manyalo rieyo gima osedolo?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
Ka gik moko dhini maber, to bed mamor, to ka chandruok omaki; to ngʼe ni Nyasaye ema oyie mondo gik moko ariyogo otimre. Emomiyo, dhano ok nyal fwenyo gimoro amora mabiro timorene e ndalo mabiro.
15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
E ngima madakie maonge tiendeni asefwenyo ni ngʼat ma ja-ratiro rumo nikech ratiro mare kendo ngʼat ma jaricho dak ndalo mangʼeny kotimo richo.
16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Kik ibed ngʼat mariek ahinya kata ngʼat mongʼeyo ahinya, nimar inyalo tiekori kendi iwuon.
17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
Kik ibed ngʼama timbene mono ahinya kata ngʼama ofuwo, nimar angʼo momiyo idwaro ni itho ka ndaloni pok ochopo?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
Kuom mano, e weche ariyogi kik iher moro moloyo machielo, nikech ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye ema dhi maber.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Gima rieko nyalo timo ne ngʼato duongʼ moloyo gima jotelo apar nyalo timo ne dala maduongʼ.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
Onge ngʼato kata achiel e piny ngima matimo mana gik mabeyo lilo ma ok oketho.
21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
Kik ichik iti ni weche ma ji wacho, dipo ka iwinjo ka jatichni kwongʼi,
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
nimar in bende ingʼeyo e chunyi ni kinde mangʼeny in iwuon isekwongʼo joma moko.
23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
Ne apimo gigo duto gi rieko ka aketo chunya mondo abed mariek, to ne ayudo ka ok anyal.
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
Ere kaka dhano difweny rieko? Otut moyombowa, kendo otek modhierowa winjo.
25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
Omiyo ne aloko pacha mondo anon kendo awinj tiend rieko, kaachiel gi chenro mar gik moko, bangʼe to ne ayudo ni ngʼat mofuwo en jaricho kendo janeko.
26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
Bangʼe ne ayudo ni dhako ma jachode rach moloyo, tho nimar chunye en obadho, to lwetene gin nyororo. Ngʼat moluoro Nyasaye notony e lwete, to jaricho to nokelne mana chandruok.
27 “Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation
Jayalo wacho niya, “Ma e gima asefwenyo kane adwaro tiend wechegi achiel kachiel,
28 which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man amongst a thousand, but I have not found a woman amongst all those.
to kane pod anono wechegi, to ne ayudo ni kuom ji alufu achiel, dichwo achiel kende ema nyalo bedo gi rieko, to dhako to onge mariek kata achiel.
29 Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
Gimoro kendo maseyudo en ni Nyasaye nochweyo ji duto momiyo rieko, makmana ni dhano osebaro ka dwaro gik mangʼeny.”
