Ɔsɛnkafo 6
1 Mahu bɔne foforo bi wɔ owia yi ase a ɛhyɛ nnipa so yiye:
I have observed another evil here on earth, and it has a great impact on humanity.
2 Onyankopɔn ma onipa ahonyade, adenya ne anuonyam sɛnea biribiara a ne koma pɛ no ɛremmɔ no, nanso Onyankopɔn amma no kwan sɛ ɔmfa nnye nʼani, na ɔhɔho mmom na ɔde gye nʼani. Eyi yɛ ahuhude, ɔhaw a ɛyɛ yaw.
God gives wealth, possessions, and honor to someone. They have everything they want. But God doesn't let them enjoy what they have. Instead somebody else does! This is hard to fathom, and is truly evil.
3 Onipa betumi anya mma ɔha na wanyin akyɛ; nanso ne mfe dodow yi akyi no, nʼahonya no amma nʼani annye na ne sie nso anyɛ fɛ a, ɔpɔn ba so wɔ mfaso sen no.
A man could have one hundred children, and grow old, but it wouldn't matter how long his life was if he couldn't enjoy it and at the end receive a decent burial. I would say that a stillborn child would be better off than him.
4 Ne ba no yɛ ade hunu, sum mu na ɔkɔ, na sum akata ne din so.
The way a stillborn child comes into the world and then leaves is painfully hard to understand—arriving and departing in darkness—and who he would have been is never known.
5 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wanhu owia na onnim hwee de, nanso obenya ahomegye bebree sen nea saa ɔbarima no benya,
He never saw the light of day or knew what it was like to live. Yet the child finds rest, and not this man.
6 mpo sɛ ɔtena ase mfe apem mmɔho na wamfa nʼahonyade annye nʼani a, wɔn nyinaa nkɔ faako ana?
Even if this man were to live a thousand years twice over he still wouldn't be happy. Don't we all end up in the same place—the grave?
7 Onipa brɛ nyinaa yɛ nʼano ntia, nanso nʼakɔnnɔde mmee no da.
Everyone works so they can live, but they're never satisfied.
8 Na dɛn na onyansafo wɔ de sen ɔkwasea? Sɛ ohiani yɛ nʼakwan yiye wɔ afoforo anim a mfaso bɛn na obenya?
So then, what real advantage do wise people have over those who are fools? And do poor people really gain anything in knowing how to behave in front of others?
9 Nea aniwa hu no ye sen nea akɔnnɔ kyin hwehwɛ. Eyi nso yɛ ahuhude, ɛte sɛ wotaa mframa.
Be happy with what you have instead of running after what you don't! But this is also hard to do, like running after the wind.
10 Nea ɛwɔ hɔ biara, wɔato din dedaw, na sɛnea onipa te nso, wonim dedaw; onipa biara rentumi ne nea ɔwɔ ahoɔden sen no nnye eyi ho akyinnye.
Everything that exists has already been described. Everyone knows what people are like, and that you can't win an argument with a superior.
11 Nsɛm dɔɔso a, mu ntease sua, na so wɔ mfaso ma onipa ana?
For the more words you use, the harder it is to make sense. So what's the point?
12 Na hena na onim nea eye ma onipa wɔ ne nkwanna kakraa bi a ɛyɛ ahuhude na ɔfa mu kɔ sɛ sunsuma no mu? Hena na obetumi aka nea ebesi wɔ owia yi ase akyerɛ no bere a ɔkɔ no?
Who knows what's best for us and our lives? During our short lives that pass like shadows we have many unanswered questions. And who can tell us what will happen when we're gone?
