Ɔsɛnkafo 7
1 Din pa yɛ sen aduhuam papa, na owuda yɛ sen awoda.
A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 Eye sɛ obi bɛkɔ ayi ase sen sɛ ɔbɛkɔ aponto ase, efisɛ owu yɛ onipa biara nkrabea na ɛsɛ sɛ ateasefo hyɛ eyi nsow.
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 Awerɛhow ye sen ɔserew, efisɛ anim a ayɛ mmɔbɔmmɔbɔ de koma mu nsiesie pa ba.
Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 Onyansafo koma wɔ ayi ase, nanso nkwaseafo koma wɔ ahosɛpɛwfo fi.
The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
5 Eye sɛ wobetie onyansafo animka sen sɛ wobetie nkwaseafo dwom.
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 Sɛnea nsɔe turuturuw wɔ ɔsɛn ase no saa ara na nkwaseafo serew te. Eyi nso yɛ ahuhude.
Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 Asisi ma onyansafo dan ɔkwasea, na kɛtɛasehyɛ sɛe koma.
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
8 Asɛm awiei ye sen ne mfiase, na ntoboase ye sen ahantan.
The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Mma wo koma nsɔre ntɛmntɛm, na abufuw da nkwaseafo srɛ so.
Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Nka se, “Adɛn nti na tete nna no ye sen nnɛ mmere yi?” Onyansafo mmisa nsɛm sɛɛ.
Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Nimdeɛ, ɛyɛ ade pa sɛ agyapade ara pɛ, so wɔ mfaso ma wɔn a wohu owia.
Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
12 Sɛnea nimdeɛ yɛ bammɔ no, saa ara na sika nso te; nanso nhumu ho ade a eye ne sɛ: nea ɔwɔ nimdeɛ no bɔ ne nkwa ho ban.
Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Dwene nea Onyankopɔn ayɛ ho: Hena na obetumi ateɛ nea wɔama akyea?
Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
14 Mmere pa mu, ma wʼani nnye; nanso mmere bɔne mu, hu sɛ Onyankopɔn na wayɛ ne nyinaa. Ɛno nti onipa rentumi nhu nea ɛbɛto no daakye.
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 Me nkwanna a ɛyɛ ahuhude yi mu, mahu nneɛma abien: Ɔtreneeni a owu wɔ ne trenee mu, ne omumɔyɛfo a ɔtena ase kyɛ wɔ nʼamumɔyɛ mu.
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 Nyɛ wo ho ɔtreneeni ntra so, na nyɛ wo ho onyansafo mmoro so; adɛn nti na wosɛe wo ho?
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Nyɛ omumɔyɛfo ntra so, na nyɛ ɔkwasea nso, adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ wuwu ansa na wo bere aso.
Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
18 Eye sɛ wubeso baako no mu den nanso nnyaa nea aka no mu. Onipa a osuro Onyankopɔn no besiw nneyɛe mmoroso nyinaa ano.
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 Nimdeɛ ma onyansafo baako tumi bebree sen kuropɔn mu asodifo du.
Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 Onipa treneeni biara nni asase so a ɔyɛ papa na ɔnyɛ bɔne da.
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 Mfa nea nnipa ka nyinaa nyɛ asɛm, anyɛ saa a wobɛte sɛ wo somfo redome wo,
Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 na wunim wɔ wo koma sɛ wo nso woadome nkurɔfo mpɛn bebree.
Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 Mede nimdeɛ asɔ eyinom nyinaa ahwɛ, na mekae se, “Masi mʼadwene pi sɛ mɛyɛ onyansafo” nanso na eyi boro me so.
All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 Sɛnea nimdeɛ te biara, ɛwɔ akyiri na emu dɔ, hena na obetumi ahwehwɛ ahu?
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
25 Afei meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mɛte ase, ayɛ nhwehwɛmu na mapɛɛpɛɛ nimdeɛ ne sɛnea nneɛma nhyehyɛe te na mate amumɔyɛ mu agyimisɛm ase, ne nkwaseasɛm mu adammɔsɛm nso.
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 Mahu nea ɛyɛ nwene sen owu; ɔbea a ɔyɛ afiri; ne koma yɛ nnaadaa na ne nsa yɛ mpokyerɛ. Onipa a ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani no renkɔ ne ho nanso ɔbɔnefo de ɔbɛtɔ nʼafiri mu.
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 Ɔsɛnkafo no se, “Hwɛ eyi ne nea mahwehwɛ ahu: “Mekekaa nneɛma bobɔɔ so pɛɛ sɛ mihu sɛnea nneɛma nhyehyɛe te,
Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
28 mereyɛ nhwehwɛmu, na minhu hwee no, mihuu ɔbarima treneeni baako wɔ mmarima apem mu, nanso manhu ɔbea treneeni biara wɔ wɔn mu.
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 Eyi nko ara na mahu: Onyankopɔn yɛɛ adesamma atreneefo, nanso nnipa adan wɔn ho hwehwɛ nhyehyɛe foforo.”
This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
