Ecclesiastes 1
1 Ọ̀rọ̀ Oniwaasu, ọmọ Dafidi, ọba Jerusalẹmu:
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Asán inú asán!” Oníwàásù náà wí pé, “Asán inú asán! Gbogbo rẹ̀ asán ni.”
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 Kí ni ènìyàn rí jẹ ní èrè lórí gbogbo iṣẹ́ rẹ̀, lórí èyí tí ó ń ṣe wàhálà sí lábẹ́ oòrùn?
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 Bí ìran kan ti wá ni ìran mìíràn ń kọjá lọ, síbẹ̀ ayé dúró títí láé.
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 Oòrùn ń ràn, oòrùn sì ń wọ̀, ó sì sáré padà sí ibi tí ó ti yọ.
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 Afẹ́fẹ́ ń fẹ́ lọ sí ìhà gúúsù, Ó sì ń fẹ́ yípo sí ìhà àríwá, a sì tún padà sí ọ̀nà rẹ̀.
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 Gbogbo odò ń sàn sí inú Òkun, síbẹ̀síbẹ̀ Òkun kò kún. Níbi tí àwọn odò ti wá, níbẹ̀ ni wọ́n tún padà sí.
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 Ohun gbogbo ni ó ń mú àárẹ̀ wá, ju èyí tí ẹnu le è sọ. Ojú kò tí ì rí ìrírí tí ó tẹ́ ẹ lọ́rùn, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, etí kò tí ì kún fún gbígbọ́.
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 Ohun tí ó ti wà tẹ́lẹ̀ náà ni yóò sì máa wà, ohun tí a ti ṣe sẹ́yìn òun ni a ó tún máa ṣe padà kò sí ohun tuntun lábẹ́ oòrùn.
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Ǹjẹ́ ohun kan wà tí ẹnìkan le è sọ wí pé, “Wò ó! Ohun tuntun ni èyí”? Ó ti wà tẹ́lẹ̀ rí ní ọjọ́ tó ti pẹ́, o ti wà ṣáájú tiwa.
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 Kò sí ìrántí ohun ìṣáájú bẹ́ẹ̀ ni ìrántí kì yóò sí fún ohun ìkẹyìn tí ń bọ̀ lọ́dọ̀ àwọn tí ń bọ̀ ní ìgbà ìkẹyìn.
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 Èmi, Oniwaasu ti jẹ ọba lórí Israẹli ní Jerusalẹmu rí.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Mo fi àsìkò mi sílẹ̀ láti kọ́ àti láti ṣe àwárí pẹ̀lú ọgbọ́n, gbogbo ohun tí ó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ lábẹ́ ọ̀run. Háà! Ẹrù wúwo tí Ọlọ́run ti gbé lé àwọn ènìyàn.
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 Èmi ti rí ohun gbogbo tí ó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ lábẹ́ oòrùn, gbogbo rẹ̀ kò ní ìtumọ̀ bí ẹní gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́ ni.
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 Ohun tí ó ti wọ́ kò le è ṣe é tọ́ mọ́, ohun tí kò sí kò le è ṣe é kà.
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 Mo rò nínú ara mi, “Wò ó, mo ti dàgbà, ọgbọ́n mi sì ti pọ̀ ju ti ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó ti ṣe alákòóso Jerusalẹmu síwájú mi lọ, mo ti ní ìrírí púpọ̀ nípa ọgbọ́n àti ìmọ̀.”
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 Nígbà náà ni mo fi ara jì láti ní ìmọ̀ nípa ọgbọ́n, àti pàápàá àìgbọ́n àti òmùgọ̀, ṣùgbọ́n mo rí, wí pé èyí pẹ̀lú bí ẹni ń gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́ ni.
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 Nítorí pé ọgbọ́n púpọ̀ ìbànújẹ́ púpọ̀ ní ń mú wá, bí ìmọ̀ bá sì ṣe pọ̀ tó náà ni ìbànújẹ́ ń pọ̀ tó.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
