Ecclesiastes 1
1 Ọ̀rọ̀ Oniwaasu, ọmọ Dafidi, ọba Jerusalẹmu:
Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
2 “Asán inú asán!” Oníwàásù náà wí pé, “Asán inú asán! Gbogbo rẹ̀ asán ni.”
“Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
3 Kí ni ènìyàn rí jẹ ní èrè lórí gbogbo iṣẹ́ rẹ̀, lórí èyí tí ó ń ṣe wàhálà sí lábẹ́ oòrùn?
What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
4 Bí ìran kan ti wá ni ìran mìíràn ń kọjá lọ, síbẹ̀ ayé dúró títí láé.
People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
5 Oòrùn ń ràn, oòrùn sì ń wọ̀, ó sì sáré padà sí ibi tí ó ti yọ.
The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
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 south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
7 Gbogbo odò ń sàn sí inú Òkun, síbẹ̀síbẹ̀ Òkun kò kún. Níbi tí àwọn odò ti wá, níbẹ̀ ni wọ́n tún padà sí.
Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.
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.
Everything just keeps on going. You can't say all there is to say. You can't see all there is to see. You can't hear all there is to hear.
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.
Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
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.
There's nothing anyone can point to and say, “Look! Here's something new.” In fact it's been around for ages, long before our time.
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.
The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
12 Èmi, Oniwaasu ti jẹ ọba lórí Israẹli ní Jerusalẹmu rí.
I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from 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.
I decided to focus my mind to explore, using wisdom, everything that happens here on earth. This is a tough assignment that God has given people to keep them busy!
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 examined everything people do here on earth, and discovered that it's all so temporary—trying to understand it is like trying to pin down 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.
You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
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 thought to myself, “I've become very wise, wiser than all the kings of Jerusalem before me. My mind has gained a great deal 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 decided to use my mind to learn everything about wisdom, and madness and foolishness as well. But I found out that this is as hard as trying to catch hold 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 great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
