Don't Make Rash Promises
1 Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong. 2 Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to. 3 The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. 4 So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. 5 Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for? 7 No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.
Life Is Useless
8 Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.
9 Even a king depends on the harvest.
10 If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. 11 The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich. 12 Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
13 Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it, 14 and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children. 15 We leave this world just as we entered it—with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. 16 It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? 17 We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick.
18 Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. 19 If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. 20 Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.
Itjani Yahwe
1 Utjengete thambo dzidzo ha uyenda ku Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, kusedzela ukateedza kuyita pana kudusa tjibhayilo tje zwilengwe, ngobe zwisingazibe kuti zobezwithama bubi. 2 Usitongo tjimbidza wazhula nlomo uwo, kene ukaletja moyo uwo ukaleba limwe dama mbeli kwe Ndzimu, ngobe Ndzimu ukudzimu, iwe umushango, ndizo ita kuti matama awo abe mashomanana. 3 Hwope dzozha ne mishingo minji ne hwi le tjilengwe lina matama manjinji. 4 Ha utuna ku Ndzimu kuti unowouthamila tjimwe, usinonoke kutjithama, ngobe Ndzimu autoshathisiwa nge zwilengwe. Lipa tjaunobe watuna nge kwatjo. 5 Koyita kusatuna panakuti utune kudwapo usinga lipe. 6 Usiletje nlomo uwo ukakuthamisa tjibi, kakale usitongo zwiwana uli mu tjimo tjaunowodwa ntumwa we Ndzimu kuti wakabe uzana zo, ini Ndzimu wafanila gwadzilamoyo hwi lilo, ube ukolomola nshingo we maboko awo kene? 7 Kana ha hwope dzipaphidzika, matama asi e tjimwe anopaphidzika, koga iwe itja Ndzimu.
Fumwa madatha
8 Ha ubona bashayi betshambilidziwa mu ntuthu, ndulamo ne fanilo dzabo dzitogwa, usitjenamisiwe naikoko, ngobe nlauli ntukunu wakatungamigwa ne nkulu pa nli kakale kuna bamwe ba pezhugwi kwa ibabo. 9 Kupinda zose, zwimila zwe minda zotogwa na bose na mambo banobhatshiwa bo ndizo. 10 Iye unoda mari aangagutshiwe nge mari, kene unoda fumwa aangawane mimwiso, ikoku naiko bo madatha. 11 Ha fumwa ipaphidzika, baji bayo banopaphidzikabo, mweni wayo unobuyigwa ngeni aisi kuilinga nge mesho koga? 12 Hwope dze nlanda dzozipa, kene unoja kushomana kene kunjinji, koga guta kwe nfumi akutowon'wanisa hwope. 13 Kuna bubi gwakabangalala gwandakabona mu shango, fumwa mweni yaakazwibigigwa inopelela i nlonga buyendasi, 14 iyeyo fumwa iko mpalalila nge kuishingisa butjapa ngono ana mwana we tjilisana waanowofa esiya asina tjaanatjo. 15 Sekwa akadwa mu ntumbu wa mmeyabe, unowobgwilila ali mbujo sekwa akazha, akuna tje dukuta lile tjaanowo bgwilila akasenga mu maboko. 16 Ikoku naikobo bubi gumwe gunotjenamisa, sekwa akazha, ndiko sekwa anowobgwilila, wakabuyigwa ngeni mukushingila phepo, 17 ne mazhuba awe wose wakaapitsha mu zhalima ne mu buyendasi ne kudziyidzika kukulu ne mu bugwele ne moyo wakagwadza. 18 Bonani, tjandakabona tjakalulwama ntome tjifanila hwuja ne kung'wa ne kushatha mu kushinga kwe mu shango, mu mazhuba mashomana e butjilo gwaakapiwa ne Ndzimu, ngobe ndilo gobe lile. 19 Nthu mmwe ne mmwe bo wakapiwa nge Ndzimu fumwa ne thundu, akapiwa ne simba kuti azwije zwinzipile, ne kuamutjila gobe lile ne kushathila tja akashinga ikoku tjipo tje Ndzimu. 20 Ndizo ha atjowoalakana mazhuba e butjilo gugwe ngobe Ndzimu wakampa lushatho gunjinji mu moyo uwe.