Ihwani mambo
1 Ndiyani unonga nthu wakatjenjela? Kakale ndiyani unoziba tjeneso ye tjithu? Butjenjedu gwe nthu gopenyesa tjiso tjitje, ne buso gugwe gwakafubala goshatha.
Bhulutanani mambo
2 Londolodza nlayo wa mambo, ngoti wakatuna mbeli kwe Ndzimu. 3 Usitjimbidze wadwa mbeli kwa mambo. Usime ha ndebo yakabipa, ngobe unoyita tjaanoda. 4 Ngobe dama la mambo ndilo le bupelo, iko ndiyani ungati kunli, “Unothamani?” 5 Iye unolondolodza nlayo aangawigwe nge mbhatsha ne nkumbulo we nlume wakatjenjela unowoziba tjibaka ne zila. 6 Ngoti ndebo i mmwe ne i mmwe ina tjibaka tjayo ne zila yayo, nenguba nthu epawugwa nge mang'oni awe. 7 Ngekuti aatoziba tjinowobepo, kakale ndiyani unowombudza kuti kowobepo nge zila yakatini? 8 Akuna nthu una simba pezhugwi pe meya kene una simba le kulaula zhuba le lufu, akuna unosiyiwa ha kuyendiwa ku ngwa, ne bubi agunga sunungule ibabo banoguthama.
Babiibi ne balulwami
9 Kose ikoku ndakakubona ipapo ndilingisisa ne nkumbulo wangu kose kunoshingwa mu shango, ha bona bathu bakabhatisana kunolema behwisana zogwadza. 10 Kudwapo ndakabona bathu babi be biganyiwa, bakatongobe bengina bebhuda mu Bugalo gwakayengemala, bakabe bekudziwa ha beshinga bubi igogo. Ikokubo madatha. 11 Ngekuti kulobgwa shamu kulobegwa nlandu wathamiwa kusinga shingikadziwe tjinyolotjo, mimoyo ye bathu yakazwimisila kuthama mbipo. 12 Nenguba ntjinyi angathama bubi ka zana (100), e tjila lubaka gulefu, koga ndoziba kuti kowolulwamila ibabo banotja Ndzimu, ngobe banoutja, 13 koga akutowolulwamila mbimbi, ntome Ndzimu aungathame butjilo gugwe bulefu kufanana ne ntutshi ngobe aatotja Ndzimu. 14 Kuna madatha anoshingikala mu shango, balulwami kwabanoshingikaligwa nge zwithu zwakafanila shingikalila babiibi, kakale kuna babiibi banoshingikaligwa nge zwithu zwakafanila shingikalila balulwami. Ndakati ikokubo madatha. 15 Kwazo ndokulumbidza lushatho, ngobe nthu aana tjibuya mu shango kuzhe kwe ja ne ng'wa ne kuzwishathisa, ikoku kowogala naye mu kushinga kukwe kwe mazhuba e butjilo gugwe gwaakapiwa ne Ndzimu mu shango. 16 Ndakati ndilonga meya mu nyama kushakisisa kuziba butjenjedu ne kubona tjinoshingikala mu shango tjekuti mesho e nthu atobona hwope siku ne sikati, 17 ndipo pa ndakabona yose mishingo ye Ndzimu, kuti nthu aangazwizibe zose zwinoshingikala mu shango. Kutobe nthu angashakisisa nge kwako kungapani, aangake akakuwana nenguba nthu wakatjenjela ezwidwa eti unoziba, aangake akakubona.
1 Who is smart enough
to explain everything?
Wisdom makes you cheerful
and gives you a smile.
Obey the King
2 If you promised God that you would be loyal to the king, I advise you to keep that promise. 3 Don't quickly oppose the king or argue when he has already made up his mind. 4 The king's word is law. No one can ask him, “Why are you doing this?” 5 If you obey the king, you will stay out of trouble. So be wise and learn what to do and when to do it. 6 Life is hard, but there is a time and a place for everything, 7 though no one can tell the future. 8 We cannot control the wind or determine the day of our death. There is no escape in time of war, and no one can hide behind evil. 9 I noticed all this and thought seriously about what goes on in the world. Why does one person have the power to hurt another?
Who Can Understand the Ways of God?
10 I saw the wicked buried with honor, but God's people had to leave the holy city and were forgotten. None of this makes sense. 11 When we see criminals commit crime after crime without being punished, it makes us want to start a life of crime. 12 They commit hundreds of crimes and live a long time, in spite of the saying:
Everyone who lives right
and respects God
will prosper,
13 but no one who sins
and rejects God
will prosper or live very long.
14 There is something else that doesn't make sense to me. Good citizens are treated as criminals, while criminals are honored as though they were good citizens. 15 So I think we should get as much out of life as we possibly can. There is nothing better than to enjoy our food and drink and have a good time. Then we can make it through this troublesome life that God has given us here on earth.
16 Day and night I went without sleep, trying to understand what goes on in this world. 17 I saw everything God does, and I realized no one can really understand what happens. We may be very wise, but no matter how much we try or how much we claim to know, we cannot understand it all.