Ecclesiastes 2
1 Mo rò nínú ọkàn mi, “Wá nísinsin yìí, èmi yóò sì dán ọ wò pẹ̀lú ìgbádùn láti ṣe àwárí ohun tí ó dára.” Ṣùgbọ́n eléyìí náà jásí asán.
[Then] I said to myself, “Okay, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy.” But I found out that doing that was also useless/senseless.
2 “Mo wí fún ẹ̀rín pé òmùgọ̀ ni. Àti fún ìre-ayọ̀ pé kí ni ó ń ṣe?”
[So] I said [to myself], “It is foolish to laugh [all the time], and continually doing what I enjoy does not seem to bring any lasting benefit.”
3 Mo tiraka láti dun ara mi nínú pẹ̀lú ọtí wáìnì, àti láti fi ọwọ́ lé òmùgọ̀—ọkàn mi sì ń tọ́ mi pẹ̀lú ọgbọ́n. Mo fẹ́ wo ohun tí ó yẹ ní ṣíṣe fún ènìyàn ní abẹ́ ọ̀run ní ìwọ̀nba ọjọ́ ayé rẹ̀.
[So], after thinking a lot about it, I decided to (cheer myself/cause myself to be happy) by drinking [a lot of] wine. [So] while I was still trying to be wise, I decided to do things that [many] people do to be happy during the short time that they are alive on the earth.
4 Mo ṣe àwọn iṣẹ́ ńlá ńlá. Mo kọ́ ilé púpọ̀ fún ara mi, mo sì gbin ọgbà àjàrà púpọ̀.
I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
5 Mo ṣe ọgbà àti àgbàlá, mo sì gbin onírúurú igi eléso sí inú wọn.
I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
6 Mo gbẹ́ adágún láti máa bu omi rin àwọn igi tí ó ń hù jáde nínú ọgbà.
I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
7 Mo ra àwọn ẹrú ọkùnrin àti àwọn ẹrú obìnrin, mo sì tún ní àwọn ẹrú mìíràn tí a bí sí ilé mi. Mo sì tún ní ẹran ọ̀sìn ju ẹnikẹ́ni ní Jerusalẹmu lọ.
I bought male and female slaves, and babies [who later became my slaves] were born in my palace. I also owned more livestock than any of the previous kings in Jerusalem had owned.
8 Mo kó fàdákà àti wúrà jọ fún ara mi àti àwọn ohun ìṣúra ti ọba àti ìgbèríko. Mo ní àwọn akọrin ọkùnrin àti obìnrin, àti dídùn inú ọmọ ènìyàn, aya àti obìnrin púpọ̀.
I also accumulated large amounts of silver and gold [that were paid to me] from the treasures of kings and rulers of provinces. [I hired] men and women to sing for me, and I had many (concubines/slave wives) who gave me [much] pleasure [EUP].
9 Mo di ẹni ńlá ju ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó wà ní Jerusalẹmu ṣáájú mi. Nínú gbogbo èyí, ọgbọ́n mi kò fi mí sílẹ̀.
So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
10 Èmi kò jẹ́ kí ojú mi ṣe aláìrí ohun tí ó bá ń fẹ́. N kò sì jẹ́ kí ọkàn mi ó ṣe aláìní ìgbádùn. Ọkàn mi yọ̀ nínú gbogbo iṣẹ́ mi, èyí sì ni èrè fún gbogbo wàhálà mi.
I got everything [LIT] that I [SYN] saw and wanted. I did everything [LIT] that I thought would enable me to be happy. All those things that I [SYN] enjoyed were [like] a reward for all my hard work.
11 Síbẹ̀, nígbà tí mo wo gbogbo ohun tí ọwọ́ mi ti ṣe àti ohun tí mo ti ṣe wàhálà láti ní: gbogbo rẹ̀, asán ni. Ó dàbí ẹni gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́, kò sí èrè kan ní abẹ́ oòrùn; ọgbọ́n àti òmùgọ̀, asán ni.
[But] then I thought about all the hard work that I [SYN] had done [to get all those things], and none of it seems to bring any lasting benefit [DOU]. It was all [like] chasing the wind.
12 Nígbà náà ni mo tún bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ọgbọ́n, àti ìsínwín àti àìgbọ́n kí ni ọba tí ó jẹ lẹ́yìn tí ọba kan kú le è ṣe ju èyí tí ọba ìṣáájú ti ṣe lọ.
Then I started to think about being wise, and [also about] being foolish [DOU]. [I said to myself, “I certainly do not think that] [RHQ] the next king will be able to do anything better than I can.”
13 Mo sì ri wí pé ọgbọ́n dára ju òmùgọ̀ gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìmọ́lẹ̀ ti dára ju òkùnkùn lọ.
And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
14 Ojú ọlọ́gbọ́n ń bẹ lágbárí rẹ̀, nígbà tí aṣiwèrè ń rìn nínú òkùnkùn, ṣùgbọ́n mo wá padà mọ̀ wí pé ìpín kan náà ni ó ń dúró de ìsọ̀rí àwọn ènìyàn méjèèjì.
[because] wise people [walk in the daylight and] [IDM] can see where they are going, but foolish people walk in the darkness [and cannot see where they are going].” But I [also] realized that both wise people and foolish people eventually die.
15 Nígbà náà ni mo rò nínú ọkàn wí pé, “Irú ìpín tí òmùgọ̀ ní yóò bá èmi náà pẹ̀lú kí wá ni ohun tí mo jẹ ní èrè nípa ọgbọ́n?” Mo sọ nínú ọkàn mi wí pé, “Asán ni eléyìí pẹ̀lú.”
So I said to myself, “I am very wise, but I will [die at the end of my life], like foolish people do. So (how has it benefited me to be very wise?/it certainly has not benefited me to be very wise [RHQ]). I do not understand why [people consider that] it is valuable to be wise.
16 Nítorí pé ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn, gẹ́gẹ́ bí i òmùgọ̀, a kì yóò rántí rẹ̀ fún ìgbà pípẹ́; gbogbo wọn ni yóò di ohun ìgbàgbé ní ọjọ́ tó ń bọ̀. Ikú tí ó pa aṣiwèrè náà ni yóò pa ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn.
Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
17 Nítorí náà, mo kórìíra ìwàláàyè, nítorí pé iṣẹ́ tí wọn ń ṣe ní abẹ́ oòrùn ti mú ìdààmú bá mi. Gbogbo rẹ̀ asán ni, ó dàbí ẹni ń gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́ ni.
So I hated being alive, because everything that we do here on the earth [MTY] distresses me. It all seems to be useless [like] chasing the wind.
18 Mo kórìíra gbogbo ohun tí mo ti ṣiṣẹ́ fún ní abẹ́ oòrùn, nítorí pé mo ní láti fi wọ́n sílẹ̀ fún ẹni tí ó wà lẹ́yìn mi ni.
I [also began to] hate all the hard work that I had done, because [when I die], everything [that I have acquired] will belong to the next king.
19 Ta ni ó wá mọ̀ bóyá ọlọ́gbọ́n ènìyàn ni yóò jẹ́ tàbí aṣiwèrè? Síbẹ̀ yóò ní láti ṣe àkóso lórí gbogbo iṣẹ́ tí mo tí ṣe yìí pẹ̀lú.
And (who/no one) knows [RHQ] whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.
20 Nítorí náà, ọkàn mi bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ní kábámọ̀ lórí gbogbo àìsimi iṣẹ́ ṣíṣe mi ní abẹ́ oòrùn.
I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
21 Nítorí pé ènìyàn le è ṣe iṣẹ́ rẹ̀ pẹ̀lú ọgbọ́n, òye àti ìmọ̀ ní abẹ́ oòrùn, tí ó sì ti kọ́ ṣe iṣẹ́ fúnra rẹ̀. Asán ni eléyìí pẹ̀lú àti àdánù ńlá.
Some people work wisely and skillfully, using the things that they have learned. But [when they die], they leave everything, and someone who has not worked hard acquires those things. And that also [seemed to] be senseless and caused me to be discouraged.
22 Kí ni ohun tí ènìyàn rí gbà fún gbogbo wàhálà àti ìpọ́njú tí ó fi ṣiṣẹ́ lábẹ́ oòrùn?
So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
23 Gbogbo ọjọ́ rẹ, iṣẹ́ rẹ kún fún ìrora, àti ìbànújẹ́, kódà ọkàn rẹ̀ kì í ní ìsinmi ní alẹ́. Asán ni eléyìí pẹ̀lú.
Every day the work that they do causes them to experience pain and to be worried. And during the night, their minds are not able to rest. That also is very frustrating.
24 Ènìyàn kò le è ṣe ohunkóhun tí ó dára jù pé kí ó jẹ kí ó sì mu, kí ó sì rí ìtẹ́lọ́rùn nínú iṣẹ́ rẹ̀. Mo rí wí pé eléyìí pẹ̀lú wá láti ọwọ́ Ọlọ́run.
[So I decided that] the best thing that we can do is to enjoy what we eat and drink, and [also] enjoy our work. And I realized that those things are what God intends for us.
25 Nítorí wí pé láìsí òun, ta ni ó le jẹ tàbí kí ó mọ adùn?
There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
26 Fún ẹni tí ó bá tẹ́ Ọlọ́run lọ́rùn ni Ọlọ́run yóò fún ní ọgbọ́n, ìmọ̀ àti ìdùnnú, ṣùgbọ́n fún ẹni dẹ́ṣẹ̀, Ó fún un ní iṣẹ́ láti ṣà àti láti kó ohun ìní pamọ́ kí ó sì fi fún ẹni tí ó tẹ́ Ọlọ́run lọ́rùn. Eléyìí pẹ̀lú, asán ni, ó dàbí ẹni gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́.
God enables those who please him to be wise, to know [many things], and to enjoy [many things]. But if sinful people work hard and become rich, God [can] take their money away from them and give it to those who please him. But that also is something that is difficult for me to understand. [Their working hard seems] useless, [like] chasing the wind.
