Kohelethu 5
1 Atĩrĩrĩ, ceemaga ũgĩtoonya nyũmba ya Ngai. Gũkuhĩrĩria na kũigua ndeto ciake nĩ kwega gũkĩra igongona rĩrĩa rĩrutagwo nĩ andũ arĩa akĩĩgu, tondũ matimenyaga nĩ ũũru mareeka.
When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.
2 Tiga kũhiũha kwaria ũtambĩte gwĩciiria, ndũgetĩkĩrie ngoro yaku ĩhiũhe kwaria ũndũ mbere ya Ngai. Ngai arĩ igũrũ, nawe ũrĩ gũkũ thĩ, nĩ ũndũ ũcio nyiihagia ciugo ciaku.
Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].
3 O ta ũrĩa mĩhangʼo mĩingĩ ĩtũmaga mũndũ aroote-rĩ, ũguo no taguo mũndũ mũkĩĩgu aingĩhagia mĩario.
If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.
4 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa wehĩta mwĩhĩtwa harĩ Ngai, ndũkanahũthĩrĩrie kũũhingia. Nĩ ũndũ we ndakenagio nĩ andũ akĩĩgu; hingagia mwĩhĩtwa waku.
When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.
5 Nĩ kaba kwaga kwĩhĩta, gũkĩra kwĩhĩta na kwaga kũhingia mwĩhĩtwa.
It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.
6 Ndũkareke kanua gaku gatũme wĩhie. Ndũkanoigĩre mbere ya mũtũmwo wa hekarũ atĩrĩ, “Mwĩhĩtwa wakwa ndehĩtire na mahĩtia.” Nĩ kĩĩ kĩngĩtũma ũrakarie Ngai na uuge waku, nake athũkie wĩra wa moko maku?
Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.
7 Irooto nyingĩ na ciugo nyingĩ nĩ cia tũhũ. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ikaraga wĩtigĩrĩte Ngai.
Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].
8 Ũngĩkoona mũthĩĩni akĩhinyĩrĩrio, na akaagithio ciira wa ma na kĩhooto bũrũri-inĩ, ndũkanamakio nĩ maũndũ macio; nĩgũkorwo mũnene ũmwe aroragwo nĩ mũnene ũngĩ, na igũrũ wa acio eerĩ nĩ harĩ angĩ anene kũmakĩra.
Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],
9 Uumithio wa bũrũri nĩ wa andũ othe; o na mũthamaki we mwene oonaga uumithio kuuma mĩgũnda-inĩ.
and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.
10 Mũndũ ũrĩa wothe wendeete mbeeca ndarĩ hĩndĩ aciiganagia; nake ũrĩa wothe wendeete ũtonga ndaiganagwo nĩ kĩrĩa oonaga. Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo no wa tũhũ.
Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.
11 O ũrĩa indo ikĩragĩrĩria kuongerereka, noguo arĩa macirĩĩaga mongererekaga. Mwene cio agunĩkaga nakĩ, tiga o gũciĩrorera na maitho?
The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).
12 Toro wa mũndũ ũrĩa ũrutaga wĩra nĩ mwega, o na angĩrĩa irio nini kana nyingĩ, no ũingĩ wa indo cia gĩtonga ndũrekaga kĩone toro.
Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.
13 Nĩnyonete ũndũ mũũru na wa kĩeha gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa: ũtonga ũrĩa mũndũ eigagĩra ũkaya kũmũthũkia we mwene,
I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,
14 kana ũtonga ũrĩa ũthiraga na njĩra ya mũtino, atĩ angĩgaaciara kahĩĩ, gatirĩ kĩndũ kangĩgaya.
[because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.
15 Mũndũ oimaga nda ya nyina arĩ njaga, na o ũguo okaga, noguo athiiaga. Ndarĩ kĩndũ o nakĩ kiumanĩte na wĩra wake agaakuua na moko make.
When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.
16 Ũndũ ũyũ o naguo nĩ mũũru, na wa kĩeha: Atĩ o ũrĩa mũndũ okaga, noguo athiiaga, nake-rĩ, nĩ ũndũ ũrĩkũ egunaga naguo, kuona atĩ enogagĩria o rũhuho?
That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].
17 Matukũ-inĩ make mothe arĩĩagĩra nduma-inĩ, arĩ na gũtangĩka kũnene, na kũhinyĩrĩrĩka, o na marakara.
[Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).
18 Ngĩcooka ngĩmenya atĩ nĩ wega na nĩ kwagĩrĩire mũndũ arĩĩage na anyuuage, na akenagĩre gwĩtungumania gwake arĩ gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa matukũ-inĩ manini ma gũtũũra muoyo marĩa aheetwo nĩ Ngai, tondũ rĩu nĩrĩo igai rĩake.
So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.
19 Na ningĩ-rĩ, mũndũ o wothe angĩheo ũtonga na indo nĩ Ngai, na amũhotithie gũcikenera, nake aamũkĩre igai rĩake na akenio nĩ wĩra wake-rĩ, kĩu nĩ kĩheo aheetwo nĩ Ngai.
If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.
20 Ti kaingĩ mũndũ ũcio ataranagia ũhoro wa matukũ ma muoyo wake, tondũ Ngai nĩamũikaragia arĩ na gĩkeno ngoro-inĩ.
Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.
