Ɔsɛnkafoɔ 2
1 Mekaa mʼakomam sɛ, “Afei bra, mede anigyeɛ bɛsɔ wo ahwɛ na yɛahunu deɛ ɛyɛ.” Nanso, ankɔsi hwee.
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with happiness. So enjoy pleasure.” But look, this also was just a temporary breeze.
2 Mekaa sɛ, “Ɔsereɛ yɛ nkwaseadeɛ. Na ɛdeɛn na anigyeɛ tumi yɛ?”
I said about laughter, “It is crazy,” and about pleasure, “What use is it?”
3 Mepɛɛ sɛ mehunu deɛ ɛyɛ pa ara ma yɛn wɔ ɛberɛ tiawa a yɛwɔ wɔ asase yi so. Enti meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mede nsã bɛsɛpɛ me ho na mahwehwɛ, ahunu nkwaseasɛm asekyerɛ, a mʼankasa deɛ, mennyɛ ɔkwasea.
I explored in my heart how to gratify my desires with wine. I let my mind guide me with wisdom although I was still holding on to folly. I wanted to find out what is good for people to do under heaven during the days of their lives.
4 Mede me nsa hyɛɛ nnwuma akɛseɛ ase; mesisii adan yɛɛ bobe nturo.
I accomplished great things. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
5 Meyɛɛ nturo ne ahomegyebea na meduaduaa nnuaba ahodoɔ bebree wɔ mu.
I built for myself gardens and parks; I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 Mesisii nsukoraeɛ a mɛtwe nsuo afiri mu, de agugu nnua a ɛrenyini no so.
I created pools of water to water a forest where trees were grown.
7 Metɔɔ nkoa ne mfenaa, na menyaa ebinom nso a wɔwoo wɔn wɔ me fie. Afei nso menyaa anantwie ne nnwan bebree sene obiara a wadi mʼanim wɔ Yerusalem.
I purchased male slaves and female slaves; I had slaves born in my palace. I also had large herds and flocks of livestock, much more than any king who ruled before me in Jerusalem.
8 Mepɛɛ dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ, gyegyee ahemfo ne amantam no ademudeɛ kaa ho. Mefaa mmarima ne mmaa nnwomtofoɔ, pɛɛ mmaa atenaeɛ nso; deɛ ɛyɛ ɔbarima akoma anigyedeɛ biara.
I also accumulated for myself silver and gold, the treasures of kings and provinces. I got male and female singers for myself—the delights of the children of humanity—and many concubines.
9 Megyee edin sene obiara a wadi mʼanim wɔ Yerusalem. Yeinom nyinaa mu no, me nimdeɛ kɔɔ so yɛɛ adwuma.
So I became greater and wealthier than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me.
10 Deɛ mʼani hwehwɛeɛ biara, mamfa ankame no; mansi mʼakoma anigyeɛ ho ɛkwan. Mʼakoma ani gyee me nnwuma nyinaa ho, na yei yɛ mʼadwumayɛ so akatua.
Whatever my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, because my heart rejoiced in all my labor and pleasure was my reward for all my work.
11 Nanso sɛ mehwɛ deɛ me nsa ayɛ nyinaa ne deɛ mabrɛ anya a, ne nyinaa nka hwee, ɛte sɛ deɛ wɔtu mmirika taa mframa. Mannya mfasoɔ biara wɔ owia yi ase.
Then I looked on all the deeds that my hands had accomplished, and on the work that I had done, but again, everything was vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. There was no profit under the sun in it.
12 Mede mʼadwene kɔɔ nimdeɛ, abɔdamsɛm ne nkwaseasɛm so. Ɛdeɛn bio na deɛ wɔadi ɔhene adeɛ bɛtumi ayɛ asene deɛ wɔayɛ dada no?
Then I turned to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. For what can the next king do who comes after the king, which has not already been done?
13 Mehunuu sɛ, nimdeɛ yɛ sene nkwaseasɛm, sɛdeɛ hann yɛ sene esum no.
Then I began to understand that wisdom has advantages over folly, just as light is better than darkness.
14 Onyansafoɔ ani wɔ ne tirim, na ɔkwasea deɛ, ɔnante esum mu; nanso mehunuu sɛ wɔn nyinaa hyɛberɛ yɛ pɛ.
The wise man uses his eyes in his head to see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness, although I know the same event happens to all of them.
15 Afei mesusuu mʼakomam sɛ, “Ɔkwasea hyɛberɛ bɛto me nso. Enti sɛ mehunu nyansa a, mfasoɔ bɛn na menya?” Mekaa wɔ mʼakomam sɛ, “Yei nso nka hwee.”
Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool, will also happen to me. So what difference does it make if I am very wise?” I concluded in my heart, “This too is only vapor.”
16 Te sɛ ɔkwasea no, ɔnyansafoɔ nso, wɔrenkae no daa; nna a ɛreba no mu, wɔrenkae wɔn baanu no. Te sɛ ɔkwasea no, onyansafoɔ nso bɛwu!
For the wise man, like the fool, is not remembered for very long. In the days to come everything will have been long forgotten. The wise man dies just like the fool dies.
17 Ɛno enti asetena fonoo me, na adwuma a yɛyɛ wɔ owia yi ase no haa me. Ne nyinaa yɛ ahuhudeɛ, te sɛ deɛ wɔtu mmirika taa mframa.
So I detested life because all the work done under the sun was evil to me. This was because everything is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.
18 Mekyirii deɛ mayɛ adwuma apɛ nyinaa wɔ owia yi ase, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ megya hɔ ma deɛ ɔbɛdi mʼadeɛ.
I hated all my accomplishments for which I had worked under the sun because I must leave them behind to the man who comes after me.
19 Na hwan na ɔnim sɛ onipa ko no bɛyɛ onyansafoɔ anaa ɔkwasea? Nanso deɛ mabiri me mogya ani apɛ wɔ owia yi ase nyinaa bɛkɔ ne nsam. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over everything under the sun that my work and wisdom have built. This also is vapor.
20 Enti mepaa aba wɔ owia yi ase adwumaden ho.
Therefore my heart began to despair over all the work under the sun that I did.
21 Na onipa bɛfiri ne nimdeɛ, nyansa ne adwumayɛ ho nimdeɛ mu ayɛ nʼasɛdeɛ, na afei ɛsɛ sɛ ogya nʼadwumayɛ so aba ma obi a ɔnyɛɛ adwuma biara. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ, na ɛha adwene.
For there might be someone who works with wisdom, with knowledge, and skill, but he will leave everything he has to a man who has not made any of it. This also is vapor and a great tragedy.
22 Ɛdeɛn na onipa nya firi ne brɛ ne dadwene a ɔde yɛ adwuma wɔ owia yi ase mu?
For what profit does the person gain who works so hard and tries in his heart to complete his labors under the sun?
23 Ne nkwa nna nyinaa, nʼadwumayɛ yɛ ɔyea ne ɔhaw; anadwo mpo nʼadwene yɛ adwuma. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
Every day his work is painful and stressful, so at night his soul does not find rest. This also is vapor.
24 Biribiara nsene sɛ onipa bɛdidi na wanom na wanya ahomeka wɔ adwumayɛ mu. Yei nso mehunuu sɛ ɛfiri Onyankopɔn,
There is nothing better for anyone than to simply eat and drink and be satisfied with what is good in his work. I saw that this truth comes from God's hand.
25 ɛfiri sɛ ɛnyɛ ɔno a, anka hwan na ɔbɛtumi adidi anaasɛ ɔbɛnya ahomeka?
For who can eat or who can have any kind of pleasure apart from God?
26 Onipa a ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani no, ɔma no nimdeɛ, nyansa ne anigyeɛ, nanso omumuyɛfoɔ deɛ, ɔma ɔboaboa ahonyadeɛ ano ma deɛ ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ, sɛdeɛ wɔde mmirikatuo taa mframa.
For to anyone who pleases him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. However, to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and storing up so that he may give it away to someone who pleases God. This also amounts to vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.
