UmTshumayeli 9
1 Ngoba konke lokhu ngakubeka enhliziyweni yami ukuhlolisisa konke lokhu, ukuthi abalungileyo labahlakaniphileyo lezenzo zabo kusesandleni sikaNkulunkulu; loba uthando kumbe inzondo, kakho umuntu okwaziyo, konke okuphambi kwabo.
I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
2 Konke kwehla ngokufananayo kubo bonke; sinye isehlakalo kolungileyo lakomubi, komuhle, lakohlambulukileyo lakongahlambulukanga, lakonikela umhlatshelo lakonganikeli umhlatshelo; njengolungileyo sinjalo isoni, ofungayo njengowesaba isifungo.
Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
3 Yilobu ububi phakathi kwakho konke okwenziwa ngaphansi kwelanga, ukuthi sinye isehlakalo kukho konke, futhi lenhliziyo yabantwana babantu igcwele ububi, lobuhlanya busenhliziyweni yabo besaphila, lemva kwalokhu baya kwabafileyo.
This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
4 Ngoba kulowo ohlanganiswe labo bonke abaphilayo kulethemba, ngoba inja ephilayo ingcono kulesilwane esifileyo.
But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5 Ngoba abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bazakufa, kodwa abafileyo kabazi lutho, njalo kabaselawo umvuzo, ngoba ukukhunjulwa kwabo sekukhohlakele.
The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
6 Futhi uthando lwabo lenzondo yabo lomona wabo sekubhubhile, njalo kabasayikuba lesabelo laphakade kukho konke okwenziwayo ngaphansi kwelanga.
Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7 Hamba, udle ukudla kwakho ngentokozo, unathe iwayini lakho ngenhliziyo elenjabulo, ngoba uNkulunkulu usethokozile ngemisebenzi yakho.
So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
8 Izigqoko zakho kazibe ngezimhlophe ngesikhathi sonke, lamafutha angasweleki ekhanda lakho.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 Kholisa impilo lomkakho omthandayo zonke izinsuku zempilo yakho eyize akunike yona ngaphansi kwelanga, zonke izinsuku zakho eziyize, ngoba lesi yisabelo sakho empilweni, lemtshikatshikeni owutshikatshika ngaphansi kwelanga.
Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
10 Loba kuyini isandla sakho esikutholayo ukukwenza kwenze ngamandla akho, ngoba kawukho umsebenzi lecebo lolwazi lenhlakanipho engcwabeni lapho oya khona. (Sheol h7585)
Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
11 Ngaphenduka ngabona ngaphansi kwelanga ukuthi umjaho kawusiwabalejubane, lempi kayisiyamaqhawe, futhi lesinkwa kasisabahlakaniphileyo, futhi lenotho kayisiyabalolwazi, futhi lomusa kawusiwezingcitshi, kodwa isikhathi lesehlakalo kwehlela bonke.
I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
12 Ngoba futhi umuntu kasazi isikhathi sakhe; njengenhlanzi ezibanjwa embuleni elibi, lanjengezinyoni ezibanjwa emjibileni, njengazo abantwana babantu bayabanjwa esikhathini esibi, lapho sibajuma.
You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
13 Lale inhlakanipho ngayibona ngaphansi kwelanga, njalo yaba nkulu kimi.
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
14 Kwakukhona umuzi omncinyane, okwakulabantu abalutshwana phakathi kwawo; kwasekusiza inkosi enkulu kuwo, yawuvimbezela, yawakhela amadundulu amakhulu okuvimbezela.
Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
15 Kwasekutholakala phakathi kwawo umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ongumyanga, yena-ke ngenhlakanipho yakhe wawukhulula lowomuzi. Kanti kakho owake wamkhumbula lowomuntu ongumyanga.
In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
16 Mina ngasengisithi: Inhlakanipho ingcono kulamandla, lanxa ukuhlakanipha komyanga kuseyiswa lamazwi akhe engalalelwa.
As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
17 Amazwi abahlakaniphileyo azwiwa ekupholeni ngcono kulokumemeza kobusayo phakathi kwezithutha.
It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Inhlakanipho ingcono kulezikhali zempi, kodwa isoni esisodwa sichitha ubuhle obunengi.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
