Lallaba 7
1 Shittoo urgaaʼaa irra maqaa gaarii wayya; guyyaa dhalootaa irra guyyaa duʼaa wayya.
A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 Mana cidhaa dhaquu mannaa mana booʼichaa dhaquu wayya; galgalli nama hundaa duʼumaatii; namni lubbuun jiraatu waan kana garaatti haa qabatu.
It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
3 Fuulli gaddu waan garaa gammachiisuuf kolfa irra gadda wayya.
Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 Qalbiin ogeessaa mana booʼichaa jira, qalbiin gowwaa garuu mana gammachuu jira.
The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
5 Sirba gowwootaa dhagaʼuu mannaa ifannaa ogeessaa dhaggeeffachuu wayya.
It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
6 Kolfi gowwaa akkuma qoraattii xuwwee jalaa xaaxaʼuu ti. Kunis faayidaa hin qabu.
Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 Cunqursaan ogeessa gowwaa godha; mattaʼaanis sammuu nama xureessa.
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
8 Jalqaba waan tokkoo irra dhuma isaa wayya; of tuuluu irras obsa wayya.
The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Hafuura keetiin aaruuf hin ariifatin; aariin bobaa gowwootaa keessa jiraatii.
Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Ati, “Barri durii maaliif bara kana caale?” hin jedhin; waan kana gaafachuun ogummaa miti.
Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Ogummaan akkuma dhaalaa waan gaarii dha; warra aduu arganiifis buʼaa qaba.
Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
12 Akkuma maallaqni daʼoo taʼe sana ogummaanis daʼoo dha; faayidaan beekumsaa garuu kana: innis ogummaan warra ishee qabaniif jireenya kennuu ishee ti.
Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Waan Waaqni hojjete mee ilaali: Waan inni jalʼise eenyutu qajeelchuu dandaʼa?
Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
14 Yommuu yeroon gaarii taʼutti gammadi; yommuu yeroon hammaatu garuu itti yaadi: Waaqni isa tokko hojjete isa kaanis hojjeteera. Kanaafuu namni egeree isaa beekuu hin dandaʼu.
In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.
15 Ani jireenya koo kan faayidaa hin qabne kana keessatti waan kana lachuu argeera; kunis: Qajeelaan qajeelummaa isaatiin baduu isaatii fi hamaan immoo hammina isaatiin bara dheeraa jiraachuu isaa ti.
These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
16 Ati akka malee qajeelaa hin taʼin; yookaan akka malee ogeessa hin taʼin; maaliif of galaafatta?
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Ati akka malee hamaa hin taʼin; gowwaas hin taʼin; maaliif utuu yeroon kee hin gaʼin duuta?
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
18 Utuu isa kaan gad hin dhiisin waan tokko qabaachuun gaarii dha. Namni Waaqa sodaatu waan hundaan ni milkaaʼa.
It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
19 Ogummaan, bulchitoota magaalaa tokko keessa jiran kudhan caalaa nama ogeessa tokko humna qabeessa gooti.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 Namni qajeelaan waan qajeelaa malee cubbuu tokko illee hin hojjenne lafa irra hin jiru.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 Waan namni jedhu hunda hin dhaggeeffatin; yoo kana goote utuu hojjetaan kee si abaaruu dhageessaa;
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 ati mataan kee iyyuu yeroo baayʼee namoota kaan akka abaarte garaan kee beekaatii.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 Ani waan kana hunda ogummaadhaanan qoradhee, “Ani ogeessan taʼa” nan jedhe. Wanni kun garuu narraa fagoo ture.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 Wanti jiru hundi fagoo dha; gad fagoo dha; eenyutu qoratee bira gaʼuu dandaʼa?
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
25 Kanaafuu ani gara ogummaa fi maalummaa wantootaa hubachuutti, sakattaʼuutti, qorachuutti akkasumas hammina gowwummaatii fi maraatummaa gowwummaa hubachuutti qalbii koo nan deebifadhe.
I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
26 Ani waan duʼa caalaa hadhaaʼuu nan arge; kunis: dubartii kiyyoo taate, kan yaadni ishee kiyyoo, harki ishee immoo foncaa taʼee dha. Namni Waaqa gammachiisu ishee jalaa ni baʼa; cubbamaan garuu isheedhaan qabama.
And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 Lallabaan akkana jedha; “Kunoo wanni ani qoradhee bira gaʼe kanaa dha: “Mala isaa beekuuf waan tokko fuudhanii waan kaanitti dabaluu dha;
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
28 ani ammas nan sakattaʼe; garuu hin arganne. Ani kuma keessaa dhiira qajeelaa tokko nan argadhe; hunduma isaanii keessaa garuu dubartii qajeeltuu tokko iyyuu hin arganne.
For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
29 Kunoo ani waan kana qofa nan argadhe: Waaqni qajeeltota godhee ilmaan namaa uume; namoonni garuu mala baayʼee barbaacha deeman.”
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
