Ɔsɛnkafo 7
1 Din pa yɛ sen aduhuam papa, na owuda yɛ sen awoda.
Better [is] a name than good perfume, 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.
Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
3 Awerɛhow ye sen ɔserew, efisɛ anim a ayɛ mmɔbɔmmɔbɔ de koma mu nsiesie pa ba.
Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
4 Onyansafo koma wɔ ayi ase, nanso nkwaseafo koma wɔ ahosɛpɛwfo fi.
The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Eye sɛ wobetie onyansafo animka sen sɛ wobetie nkwaseafo dwom.
Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6 Sɛnea nsɔe turuturuw wɔ ɔsɛn ase no saa ara na nkwaseafo serew te. Eyi nso yɛ ahuhude.
For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
7 Asisi ma onyansafo dan ɔkwasea, na kɛtɛasehyɛ sɛe koma.
Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
8 Asɛm awiei ye sen ne mfiase, na ntoboase ye sen ahantan.
Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9 Mma wo koma nsɔre ntɛmntɛm, na abufuw da nkwaseafo srɛ so.
Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
10 Nka se, “Adɛn nti na tete nna no ye sen nnɛ mmere yi?” Onyansafo mmisa nsɛm sɛɛ.
Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
11 Nimdeɛ, ɛyɛ ade pa sɛ agyapade ara pɛ, so wɔ mfaso ma wɔn a wohu owia.
Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding 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.
For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
13 Dwene nea Onyankopɔn ayɛ ho: Hena na obetumi ateɛ nea wɔama akyea?
See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
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 a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything 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.
The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
16 Nyɛ wo ho ɔtreneeni ntra so, na nyɛ wo ho onyansafo mmoro so; adɛn nti na wosɛe wo ho?
Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
17 Nyɛ omumɔyɛfo ntra so, na nyɛ ɔkwasea nso, adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ wuwu ansa na wo bere aso.
Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within 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 that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
19 Nimdeɛ ma onyansafo baako tumi bebree sen kuropɔn mu asodifo du.
The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20 Onipa treneeni biara nni asase so a ɔyɛ papa na ɔnyɛ bɔne da.
Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
21 Mfa nea nnipa ka nyinaa nyɛ asɛm, anyɛ saa a wobɛte sɛ wo somfo redome wo,
Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
22 na wunim wɔ wo koma sɛ wo nso woadome nkurɔfo mpɛn bebree.
For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
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 tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
24 Sɛnea nimdeɛ te biara, ɛwɔ akyiri na emu dɔ, hena na obetumi ahwehwɛ ahu?
Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds 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 have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
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 am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27 Ɔsɛnkafo no se, “Hwɛ eyi ne nea mahwehwɛ ahu: “Mekekaa nneɛma bobɔɔ so pɛɛ sɛ mihu sɛnea nneɛma nhyehyɛe te,
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
28 mereyɛ nhwehwɛmu, na minhu hwee no, mihuu ɔbarima treneeni baako wɔ mmarima apem mu, nanso manhu ɔbea treneeni biara wɔ wɔn mu.
(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Eyi nko ara na mahu: Onyankopɔn yɛɛ adesamma atreneefo, nanso nnipa adan wɔn ho hwehwɛ nhyehyɛe foforo.”
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
