< 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.
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
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.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 O ta ũrĩa mĩhangʼo mĩingĩ ĩtũmaga mũndũ aroote-rĩ, ũguo no taguo mũndũ mũkĩĩgu aingĩhagia mĩario.
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by a multitude of words.
4 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa wehĩta mwĩhĩtwa harĩ Ngai, ndũkanahũthĩrĩrie kũũhingia. Nĩ ũndũ we ndakenagio nĩ andũ akĩĩgu; hingagia mwĩhĩtwa waku.
When thou vowest a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Nĩ kaba kwaga kwĩhĩta, gũkĩra kwĩhĩta na kwaga kũhingia mwĩhĩtwa.
Better [is it] that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and not pay.
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?
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
7 Irooto nyingĩ na ciugo nyingĩ nĩ cia tũhũ. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ikaraga wĩtigĩrĩte Ngai.
For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.
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.
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perversion of judgment and justice in a province, wonder not at the matter: for [he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and [there are] higher than they.
9 Uumithio wa bũrũri nĩ wa andũ othe; o na mũthamaki we mwene oonaga uumithio kuuma mĩgũnda-inĩ.
Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.
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.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.
11 O ũrĩa indo ikĩragĩrĩria kuongerereka, noguo arĩa macirĩĩaga mongererekaga. Mwene cio agunĩkaga nakĩ, tiga o gũciĩrorera na maitho?
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners of them, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?
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.
The sleep of a laboring man [is] sweet, whether he eateth little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
13 Nĩnyonete ũndũ mũũru na wa kĩeha gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa: ũtonga ũrĩa mũndũ eigagĩra ũkaya kũmũthũkia we mwene,
There is a grievous evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners of them to their hurt.
14 kana ũtonga ũrĩa ũthiraga na njĩra ya mũtino, atĩ angĩgaaciara kahĩĩ, gatirĩ kĩndũ kangĩgaya.
But those riches perish by evil labor: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand.
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.
As he came into the world, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
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?
And this also [is] a grievous evil, [that] in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?
17 Matukũ-inĩ make mothe arĩĩagĩra nduma-inĩ, arĩ na gũtangĩka kũnene, na kũhinyĩrĩrĩka, o na marakara.
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and [he hath] much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
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.
Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.
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.
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this [is] the gift of God.
20 Ti kaingĩ mũndũ ũcio ataranagia ũhoro wa matukũ ma muoyo wake, tondũ Ngai nĩamũikaragia arĩ na gĩkeno ngoro-inĩ.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

< Kohelethu 5 >