Mhubiri 1
1 Haya ni maneno ya Mwalimu, mwana wa Daudi na mfalme katika Yerusalemu.
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Mwalimu asema hivi, “Kama mvuke wa ukungu, kama upepo mwanana katika upepo, kila kitu hutoweka na kuacha maswali mengi.
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 Ni faida gani wanadamu huipata kutoka katika kazi zote wazifanyazo chini ya jua?
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 Kizazi kimoja huenda, na kizazi kingine huja, lakini nchi yabaki milele.
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 Jua huchomoza na jua huzama na kwenda kwa kasi, na kurudi mahali linapochomozea tena.
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 Upepo huvuma kusini na huzunguka kasikazi, na mara zote ukizunguka katika njia yake na kurudi tena.
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 Mito yote hutiririka katika bahari, lakini bahari haijai. Mahali mito inakoenda, ndiko inakoenda tena.
All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 Kila kitu huwa uchovu, na hakuna yeyote awezae kukielezea. Jicho halishibina kile linachokiona, wala sikio halishibi na kile linachosikia.
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 Chochote kilichopo ndicho kitakachokuwepo, kila kilichofanyika ndicho kitakachofanyika. Hakuna jipya chini ya jua.
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Je kuna jambo lolote ambalo watu wanaweza kusema, 'Tazama, hili ni jipya'? Chochote kilichopo kimekwisha kuwepo muda mwingi, wakati uliokuwepo kabla yetu.
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 Hakuna anayeonekana kukumbuka kilichotokea nyakati za zamani. Na mambo yaliyo tokea siku zilizo pita na yale yatakayo tokea siku za mbele nayo hayatakumbukwa.”
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 Mimi ni mwalimu, na nimekuwa mfalme juu ya Isareli katika Yerusalemu.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Nilitia akili yangu katika kusoma na kutafuta kwa hekima kila kitu kinachofanywa chini ya mbingu. Hili nalo ni jukumu zito ambalo Mungu amewapa wana wa watu kujishughulisha nalo.
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 Nimeona matendo yote ambayo yanafanyika chini ya jua, na tazama yote ni mvuke ni kujaribu kuuchunga upepo.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 Palipopinda hapawezi kunyoshwa! Kisicho kuwepo hakiwezi kuhesabiwa!
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 Nimeuambia moyo wangu nikisema, “Tazama, nimepata hekima kubwa kuliko walioishi Yerusalemu kabla yangu. Akili yangu imeona hekima kubwa na ufahamu.”
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 nimetia moyo wangu kujua hekima na upumbuvu na ujinga. Nikagundua kuwa hili nalo pia lilikuwa ni kujaribu kuuchunga upepo.
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 Kwa kuwa katika wingi wa hekima kuna masumbufu mengi, naye aongezae ujuzi, aongeza masikitiko.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
