UmTshumayeli 6
1 Sengibone obunye ububi ngaphansi kwelanga engibona ukuthi bunzima kakhulu ebantwini:
Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun, —and it is, common, among men:
2 UNkulunkulu upha umuntu inotho lempahla lodumo ukuze angasileli lutho oluloyiswa yinhliziyo yakhe, kodwa uNkulunkulu kamniki amandla okuthi azikholise lezozinto, zikholiswa ngowemzini. Lokhu kuyize, ububi obudanisayo.
A man to whom God giveth riches and gains and honour, so that nothing doth he lack for his soul—of all that he craveth, and yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but, a man unknown, eateth it, —this, was vanity, and, an incurable evil, it was.
3 Umuntu angaba labantwana abalikhulu aphile okweminyaka eminengi; ikanti loba angaze aphile kanganani kodwa nxa engeke akholise inotho yakhe njalo angangcwatshwa ngendlela eqondileyo, ngithi umphunzo ungcono kulaye.
Though a man should beget a hundred children, and live, many years, so that many should be the days of his years but, his own soul, should not be satisfied with the good, and he should not even have, a burial, I said, Better than he, is an untimely birth!
4 Ufika ungasilutho, unyamalale emnyameni lebizo lawo liphelele emnyameni.
For, in vain, it came in, and, in darkness, it departeth, —and, with darkness, its name, is covered:
5 Loba lowomphunzo ungazange ulibone ilanga loba wazi ulutho usekuphumuleni okungcono kulalowomuntu
even the sun, it never saw, nor aught did it know, —more quietness, hath this than the other.
6 loba angaze aphile okweminyaka eyinkulungwane iphindwe kabili kodwa angaze akholisa inotho yakhe. Kabayi ndawonye bonke na?
Even though one hath lived a thousand years twice told, yet, good, hath he not seen, —is it not, unto one place, that, all, are going?
7 Yonke imizamo yomuntu iya emlonyeni wakhe, kodwa iphango lakhe kaligcwali.
All the toil of man, is for his mouth, —though, even the desire, is not satisfied!
8 Umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ungcono ngani kulesiwula? Umuntu ongumyanga uzuzani ngokwazi ukuziphatha kuhle phambi kwabanye na?
For what profit hath the wise man, over the dullard? What can, the poor man, know—so as to walk before the living?
9 Kungcono okubonwa lilihlo kulokuhwaywa liphango. Lokhu lakho kuyize, yikuxotshana lomoya.
Better what the eyes behold, than the wandering of desire, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
10 Loba yini ekhona seyavele yethiwa ibizo, laloba yini umuntu ayiyo yona kuvele sekusaziwa; akulamuntu ongaphuthumana lomunye olamandla kulaye.
Whatsoever one may be, long ago, was he called by his name, and it is known that it is—Son of Earth, —he cannot, therefore, contend with one stronger than he.
11 Ngokwanda kwamazwi siyancipha lesisindo sawo; pho kumsiza ngani umuntu?
Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
12 Kambe ngubani okwaziyo okulungele umuntu ekuphileni kwakhe ngensuku ezimbalwa ezingatsho lutho adlula kuzo njengethunzi na? Ngubani ongamtshela okuzakwenzeka ngaphansi kwelanga yena esedlule?
For who knoweth what is good for a man throughout his life, for the number of the days of his life of vanity, seeing he will make them, like a shadow, —for who can tell a man, what shall be after him, under the sun?
