Nyagblɔla 7
1 Ŋkɔ nyui xɔ asi wu amiʋeʋĩ xɔasitɔ kekeake. Ame ƒe kugbe nyo wu eƒe dzigbe!
Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
2 Kuteƒedede nyo wu aglotuƒedede elabena èle kuku ge eye enye nu nyui be nàbu ku ŋu le esime ɣeyiɣi gale ŋgɔwò.
Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
3 Nuxaxa nyo wu nukoko elabena blanuiléle wɔa dɔ nyui ɖe mía dzi.
Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
4 Ɛ̃, nunyala bua ku ŋu vevie ke bometsila bua agbeɖuɖu fifia ko ŋu.
The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Ne nunyala ka mo na ame la, enyo wu bometsila nakafu ame
Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6 elabena bometsila ƒe amekafukafu nu yina kaba abe agbalẽ kakɛe ge ɖe dzo me ene eya ta enye numanyamanya be ame nana bometsitsi ma tɔgbi ƒe nya nawɔ dɔ ɖe edzi.
For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
7 Zãnuxɔxɔ nana nunyala trɔna zua bometsila elabena zãnuxɔxɔ gblẽa eƒe nugɔmesese me.
Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
8 Nuwuwu nyo wu gɔmedzedze! Dzigbɔɖi nyo wu ɖokuidodoɖedzi.
Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9 Mègado dɔmedzoe kabakaba o, elabena dɔmedzoedodo kabakaba nana ame zua bometsila.
Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
10 Mègatsi dzi ɖe “ŋkekenyui siwo va yi” la ŋu o elabena mènya ne wonyo wu egbeŋkeke siawo o!
Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
11 Nunya nye domenyinu xɔasi kple viɖe na ame siwo le agbe;
Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
12 Àte ŋu atsɔ ga alo nunya akpɔ nu sia nu, gake nyui geɖe le nunyalanyenye me.
For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
13 Kpɔ mɔ si dzi Mawu wɔa eƒe nuwo toe la ɖa eye nàzɔ mɔ ma dzi. Mègatsi tsitre ɖe dzɔdzɔme ƒe sewo ŋu o.
See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
14 Kpɔ dzidzɔ le dzɔgbenyui ƒe ɣeyiɣiwo me, eye ne dzɔgbevɔ̃e tu wò la, dze sii be Mawue naa dzɔgbenyui kple dzɔgbevɔ̃e siaa, ale be ame sia ame nanya be kakaɖedzi mele naneke ŋu le agbe sia me o.
In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
15 Medze si nu sia nu le nye agbenɔnɔ ƒuƒlu sia me. Medze sii be ame nyui aɖewo kuna kaba ke ame vɔ̃ɖi aɖewo nɔa agbe didi
The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
16 eya ta mègawɔ nu dzɔdzɔe akpa o eye mèganya nu tso eme akpa o. Nu ka ta nàwu ɖokuiwò?
Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
17 Ke mègavɔ̃ɖi akpa loo alo nàtsi bome akpa o! Nu ka ta nàku hafi wò azã nasu?
Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
18 Lé fɔ ɖe dɔdeasi ɖe sia ɖe si le ŋuwò la ŋu, eye ne èvɔ̃a Mawu la, àte ŋu akpɔ mɔ na Mawu ƒe yayra.
[It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
19 Ŋusẽ le nunyala ɖeka ŋu wu du gã ewo ƒe dziɖulawo!
The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20 Ame aɖeke mele xexe blibo la me si nye ame nyui ale gbegbe be mewɔa nu vɔ̃ aɖeke kura o.
Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
21 Mègade xa ɖi hena nyasese o, àva se wò dɔla wòanɔ fi ƒom de wò!
Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
22 Wò ŋutɔ ènya zi geɖe siwo nèƒoa fi dea amewoe!
For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
23 Medze agbagba ɖe sia ɖe be manya nu. Megblɔ be, “Mazu nunyala kokoko” Ke medze edzi nam nenema o.
All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
24 Nunya le didiƒe ke eye esesẽ ŋutɔ be woake ɖe eŋu.
Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
25 Medii le afi sia afi, meɖo ta me kplikpaa be nye asi nasu nunya kple ŋuɖoɖowo na nye biabiawo dzi, eye maɖee fia ɖokuinye be vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi nye lãdzɔdzɔ, eye bometsitsi nye tsukuku.
I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
26 Nyɔnu si nye gamɔ kple ɖɔ si ɖea ame la ƒe aɖi nu sẽna wu ku tɔ. Mawu naɖi be nàte ŋu asi le enu, ke nu vɔ̃ wɔla mesina le eƒe mɔtetrewo nu o.
And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27 Nyagblɔla gblɔ be, “Kpɔ ɖa, nu si ŋu meke ɖo lae nye, woatsɔ nu ɖeka akpe bubu be woanya ɖoɖo si le nuwo me.
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
28 Esi mele nuwo me kum, nyemeke ɖe naneke ŋu o la, mekpɔ ŋutsu si nye ame dzɔdzɔe ɖeka le ame akpe ɖeka dome, ke nyemekpɔ nyɔnu ɖeka si nye ame dzɔdzɔe la le wo katã dome o.
(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Mekpɔe hã be togbɔ be Mawu wɔ amegbetɔwo wonye ame dzɔdzɔewo hã la, wo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe trɔ dze eya ŋutɔ ƒe nu vɔ̃ mɔ dzi.”
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
