Kohelethu 12
1 Ririkanaga Mũkũũmbi matukũ-inĩ ma ũnini waku, mũiria wa matukũ ma thĩĩna makinye, na mĩaka ĩkuhĩrĩrie rĩrĩa ũkoiga atĩrĩ, “Kaĩ ndikenagĩra mĩaka ĩno-ĩ”:
While you are still young, keep thinking about [God], who created you. Do that before [you are old] and you experience many troubles, during the years when you say “I no [longer] enjoy being alive.”
2 riũa na ũtheri, na mweri na njata ĩtanatuĩka nduma, namo matu matanacooka ho mbura yathira;
[When you become old], the light from the sun and moon and stars will [seem] dim [to you], and [it will seem that the rain] clouds [always] return [quickly] after it rains.
3 rĩrĩa aikaria a nyũmba makainaina, nao arĩa marĩ hinya mainame, rĩrĩa ithĩi igaatiga gũthĩa nĩ ũndũ nĩ nini, nao arĩa macũthagĩrĩria na ndirica matumanĩrwo nĩ nduma;
Then your [arms that you use to protect] [MET] your bodies will shake/tremble, and your [legs that support] [MET] your bodies will become weak. Many of your [teeth that you use to] grind/chew [your food] will fall out, and your [eyes that you use to] look out of windows will not see clearly.
4 rĩrĩa mĩrango ya kuumĩra barabara ĩkaahingwo, na mũgambo wa gũthĩa ũnyiihe; rĩrĩa andũ magookagĩrio nĩ mĩgambo ya nyoni, no nyĩmbo ciao ciothe ikaaga kũiguĩka;
Your [ears] [MET] will not hear the noise in the streets, and you will not be able to hear clearly the sound of people grinding grain with millstones. You will be awakened in the morning by hearing the birds singing/chirping, [but] you will not be able to hear well the songs that (the birds/people) sing.
5 rĩrĩa andũ marĩ na guoya wa kũhaica igũrũ, na mageetigĩra mogwati ma mabarabara-inĩ; rĩrĩa mũtĩ wa mũrothi ũrutĩte kĩro, nayo ndaahi ithiiage ĩĩkururĩtie, namo merirĩria mage hinya. Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũndũ ainũke kũrĩa agaatũũra tene na tene, nao acakai mathiĩ magĩcakayaga njĩra-inĩ.
You will be afraid to be in high places and afraid of dangers on the roads that you walk on. [Your hair] will become [white like] [MET] the flowers of almond trees. [When you try to walk], you will drag yourself along like [MET] grasshoppers, and you will no longer desire [to have sex]. Then you will [die and] go to your eternal home, and people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.
6 Ririkanaga Mũkũũmbi: mbere ya mũhĩndo wa betha ũtanatuĩka, o na kana mbakũri ya thahabu ĩtaanooragwo; mbere ya ndigithũ gũthethererwo itherũkĩro-inĩ rĩa maaĩ, kana kũgũrũ kwa ngaari kuunĩkĩre gĩthima-inĩ,
[Think much about God now, because] soon our lives will end, [like] [MET] silver chains or golden bowls that break easily, or like pitchers/jugs that are broken at the water fountain, or like broken pulleys at a well.
7 naruo rũkũngũ rũcooke tĩĩri-inĩ kũrĩa ruoimire, naguo roho ũcooke kũrĩ Ngai ũrĩa waũheanire.
Then our corpses will [decay and] become dirt again, and our spirits will return to God, the one who gave us our spirits.
8 “Maũndũ mothe nĩ ma tũhũ! Nĩ ma tũhũ!” Ũguo nĩguo Mũrutani ekuuga. “Maũndũ mothe nĩ ma tũhũ!”
[So] I say [again] that it is difficult to understand why everything happens; everything is mysterious.
9 Mũrutani to kũũhĩga aarĩ mũũgĩ, no nĩ aarutire andũ maũndũ.
I was considered to be a very wise man, and I taught the people many things. I assembled/collected and wrote down many proverbs, and I carefully thought about and studied them.
10 Nĩacũũranirie na agĩtuĩria maũndũ, na agĩtabanĩria thimo nyingĩ na mũbango. Mũrutani nĩatuĩririe nĩgeetha one ciugo o iria ciagĩrĩire, na ũrĩa aandĩkire warĩ mũrũngĩrĩru na wa ma.
I searched for the right words, and what I have written is reliable and true.
11 Ciugo cia andũ arĩa oogĩ nĩ ta mĩcengi, nayo mĩario yao ĩcookanĩrĩirio ĩhaana ta nyambo ihũũrĩirwo wega ikarũma, iheanĩtwo nĩ Mũrĩithi ũmwe.
The things that [I and other] wise people say [teach people what they should do]; they are like [SIM] (goads/sharp sticks that people use to strike animals to direct where they should go). They are like [SIM] nails that stick out of pieces of wood. They are given to us by [God, who is like] [MET] our shepherd.
12 Ĩtĩkĩra gũtaarwo, mũrũ wakwa, ndũkaneeke ũndũ wa gũciongerera. Ha ũhoro wa gũthondeka mabuku maingĩ-rĩ, ndũrĩ mũthia, nakuo gũthoma mũno kũnogagia mwĩrĩ.
[So], my son, pay careful attention to what I have written, and choose carefully what you read that others have written, [because] writing proverbs/books is endless, and [trying to] study them all will cause you to become exhausted.
13 Rĩu-rĩ, maũndũ mothe nĩmarĩkĩtie kũiguuo; kĩrĩkĩrĩro kĩa ũhoro ũcio wothe nĩ gĩkĩ: Wĩtigĩre Ngai na ũrũmagie maathani make, nĩ ũndũ gwĩka ũguo nĩkũhingia maũndũ mothe marĩa mũndũ agĩrĩirũo nĩ gwĩka.
[Now] you have heard all [that I have told you], and here is the conclusion: Revere God, and obey his commandments, because those commandments summarize everything that people should do.
14 Nĩgũkorwo Ngai nĩagaciirithanĩria ũndũ o wothe wĩkĩtwo, hamwe na maũndũ mothe marĩa mahithe, marĩ mega kana marĩ mooru.
And do not forget that God will judge everything that we do, good things and bad things, [even] things that we do secretly.
