1 I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. 2 I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good. 3 Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth.
4 I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. 5 I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; 6 I dug ponds to irrigate them. 7 I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want.
9 Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward. 11 Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind—of no use at all. 12 After all, a king can only do what previous kings have done.
So I started thinking about what it meant to be wise or reckless or foolish. 13 Oh, I know, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise can see where they are going, and fools cannot.” But I also know that the same fate is waiting for us all. 15 I thought to myself, “What happens to fools is going to happen to me, too. So what have I gained from being so wise?” “Nothing,” I answered, “not a thing.” 16 No one remembers the wise, and no one remembers fools. In days to come, we will all be forgotten. We must all die—wise and foolish alike. 17 So life came to mean nothing to me, because everything in it had brought me nothing but trouble. It had all been useless; I had been chasing the wind.
18 Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, because I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, 19 and he might be wise, or he might be foolish—who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. 20 So I came to regret that I had worked so hard. 21 You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn't had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn't right! 22 You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it? 23 As long as you live, everything you do brings nothing but worry and heartache. Even at night your mind can't rest. It is all useless.
24 The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from God. 25 How else could you have anything to eat or enjoy yourself at all? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to those who please him, but he makes sinners work, earning and saving, so that what they get can be given to those who please him. It is all useless. It is like chasing the wind.
1 Ndakazwidwa ndikati, “Izha ngwenu, ndowogwisa kuzwishathisa ndikapembela.” Koga bonani, naikobo madatha. 2 Ndakati ngekwe tjiseko, “Bupengo,” ngekwe shatho, “Bhatsho yayo ini wali?” 3 Ndakatongo zwibhuzwa mu nkumbulo kuti kene ndinga shathisa mbili wangu nge nkumbi we zhambi; nkumbulo wangu utjandilakidza nge butjenjedu kuziba bulengwe, kuswikilila ndingabona tjakalulwamila kushingwa nge bakololo be bathu mu shango mu mazhuba mashomanana e butjilo gwabo. 4 Ndakashinga mishingo mikulu; ndakabaka ng'umba azwilimila minda ye mizhambi, 5 ndakazwithamila minda ne pulazi, ngono ndakadzwala mitjelo yakasiyanasiyana muili. 6 Ndakazwitshila matshime kuti ndidilidzile miti yandakadzwala. 7 Ndakatenga balandalume ne balandakadzi ne bamwe balanda bakazwaligwa mu nzi wangu, ndakabe ne fumwa njinji ye ng'ombe ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi, kupinda bose bakatongobepo mbeli kwangu mu Jerusalema. 8 Ndakazwikubunganyila siliva ne golide ne fumwa ya bomambo nenge mituthu, ndakazwishakila bambi be tjilume ne be tjikadzi ne zwamba zwinjinji, kuli shatho ye nthu tjilume. 9 Ndizo wali ndakabe nkulu kwazo kupinda bose bakazha kunditangila mu Jerusalema ne butjenjedu gwakabaka mundili. 10 Zose zwakabe zwiyemugwa nge mesho angu andizo anyima izo, andizodzibila moyo wangu mizipo, moyo wangu wakawana lushatho mu kushinga kwangu kose, ikoko kwakabe iwo mbhayilo wangu we kushinga kose. 11 Ipapo ndakati ndilinga zose zwakashingwa nge maboko angu ne dukuta landakatebula mu kushinga zwithu izwezo, bona, kose kwakabe madatha ne tatana ne phepo, akuna nthu tjaangabhula mu shango.
Butjenjedu ne bulengwe madatha
12 Ndizo ipapo ashanduka alingisisa butjenjedu ne bupengo ne bulengwe, ngoti nthu unozha shule kwa mambo ungathamani wali kuzhe kwe tjakathamiwa kale. 13 Ndipo pandakabona kuti butjenjedu gopinda bulengwe se tjedza tjipinda zhalima. 14 Ntjenjedu una mesho mu nsholo uwe koga tjilengwe tjoyenda mu zhalima. Ngono ndakabona kuti bhelelo labo lofanana. 15 Ipapo ndakazwidwa nditi, “Tjinowila tjilengwe tjowondiwilabo, ini ndakabe ne butjenjedu gungapa wali?” Ndakazwidwa nditi naikobo madatha koga. 16 Ngoti ntjenjedu koga se tjilengwe unokanganika, se tibona kuti mu mazhuba anozha bose banowobe bakanganika ntolo. Koga se tjilengwe ntjenjedu unofa bo! 17 Ndizo abenga butjilo ngoti zose zwinoshingwa mu shango zwakandihwisa zogwadza, ngoti kose madatha ne tatana ne phepo. 18 Ndakabenga kushinga kwangu kwandakashinga mu shango, ha ndibona kuti ndakafanila siyila unowozha shule kwangu mu shango, 19 kakale ndiyani unoziba kuti unowobe ali ntjenjedu kene tjilengwe? Nenguba ewobe mweni wa zose zwa ndakashingila ndishingisa butjenjedu gwangu mu shango. Naiko ikoku bo madatha. 20 Ndizo wali ndakanyala moyo atemeka mafupa ngekwe nshingo wangu wose wandakashinga mu shango. 21 Ngoti nthu ungashinga nge butjenjedu nge luzibo nenge bunyambi kudwapo kasiya fumwa yose kujiwa nge nthu usaka ishingila. Naikoko bo madatha ne mbipo yakabangalala. 22 Hwuti nthu unobuyigwa ngeni mu kutukutila eshinga ezikitila mu shango? 23 Nekuti mazhuba awe wose azhele zogwadza, ne nshingo uwe uzhele buyendasi, ne kuli busiku nkumbulo uwe autonyaluluka. Ikoku naiko bo madatha.
24 Akuna tjimwe tjibuya tje nthu kuzhe kwe kuti aje ang'we, kakale awane kushatha mu kushinga kukwe. Ikoku naiko bo, ndakabona, kodwa mu luboko gwe Ndzimu, 25 nekuti hakwabe kusi iwo, ndiyani ungaja kene akabe ne kushatha? 26 Nthu unoshathisa Ndzimu, unopiwa butjenjedu ne luzibo ne kushatha, koga ku ntjinyi Ndzimu unompa kukubunganya ne kubutitika, ngono kapelela apa iye unoshathisa Ndzimu. Ikoko bo madatha ne tatana ne phepo.