Bhelelo linofanana la bose
1 Koga ikoku kose ndakakulingisisa, ha kushakisisa kose, kuti balulwami ne batjenjedu ne mishingo yabo bamu luboko gwe Ndzimu tjini, kungabe ludo kene lubengo koga nthu aatoziba tjimwe. Tjimwe ne tjimwe mbeli kwabo madatha, 2 ngobe bhelelo labo bose ling'ompela, ku balulwami ne babiibi, ku babuya ne babiibi, kuna bakatjenapala ne kuna bakatemapala, kuna unodusa zwibhayilo ne kuna usingaduse zwibhayilo. Sekwa kuli iko ku nlulwami kwaka jalobo ku ntjinyi, ne unotuna unofanana koga ne usingatune. 3 Ikoku bubi mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinoshingwa mu shango, kuti bhelelo le bathu ling'ompela, kakale kuti mimoyo ye bathu izhele bubi ne bupengo gumu mimoyo yabo ha batjatjila, kudwa ipapo banoyenda ku bafi. 4 Koga iye unozwibhatshanya ne banotjila una kugalabgwe, mbgwa phenyu inoyita pa shumba yakafa. 5 Bathu banotjila banoziba kuti banowofa, koga bafi abatoziba tjimwe, abatjina mbhayilo, akutjakumbugwa nge kwabo. 6 Ludo gwabo ne benga kwabo ne yemula kwabo kwakadzima, abatjowobe ne gobe muna zwinoshingikala mu shango. 7 Yenda, unoja zojiwa ne kushatha, ung'we nkumbi we zhambi nge moyo wakashatha, ngobe Ndzimu waka kudumila kale kwaunothama. 8 Zwiambalo zwizo ngazwigale zwili zwitjena, usitongo letja kugala wakazhodza nsholo uwo mafuta. 9 Zipigwa ne butjilo ne nkadzi uwo wa unoda, mazhuba wose asi a tjimwe awakapiwa ne Ndzimu mu shango, ngobe ndilo gobe lilo mu butjilo ne mu kushinga kwaunoshinga mu shango. 10 Tjaunoshinga ne maboko awo, utjishinge ne masimba, ngobe akuna nshingo kene njalakang'wa kene luzibo kene butjenjedu ku bugalo gwe bafi, iko kwaunoyenda. 11 Ndakabona kakale mu shango kuti lubilo ate gwe balelu kene kuti ngwa aitokundiwa ne bakasima kene zojiwa ku batjenjedu, kene fumwa kuna be luzibo gupezhugwi kene kudiwa kuna bana bunyambi, koga banowigwa bose ne zwinoyitikala. 12 Nthu aatoziba tjibaka tjitje. Se hwobe dzinobhakwa ne gwanga gwakabangalala, kakale se nyuni dzinobhatshigwa ne bhuzhu, ndiko bakololo be nthu sekwa banoteyiwa ne dati nge tjibaka tjakabipa atjibawila.
Mikumbulo ye butjenjedu ne ye bulengwe
13 Ndakabona ifaniso tje butjenjedu igogu mu shango, kukalingika kuli kukulu kwazo kundili. 14 Kwakabe kuna ne nzi ntukununu una balume bashomanana, mambo mmwe nkulu kaunginilila kaukomba, akabaka makuma makulu e ngwa kuwopoteleka. 15 Koga kwakawanika mu nzi iwoyo kuna nlume we nshayi wakatjenjela, ngono nge butjenjedu gugwe akasunungula nzi uwoyo. Koga akuna nthu wakadwapo kakumbula nlume iwoyo we nshayi. 16 Imi ndinoti butjenjedu gopinda masimba, nenguba butjenjedu gwe nshayi gulingigwa pasi ne matama awe asingatjengetiwe. 17 Matama e ntjenjedu ha eteedzegwa pasina zhoba anoyita kupinda kumimila kwe ntungamili pakati pe zwilengwe. 18 Butjenjedu go pinda zwibhayano zwe ngwa, koga ntjinyi ung'ompela unopaladza bubuya gunjinji.
One Day at a Time
1 I thought about these things. Then I understood that God has power over everyone, even those who are wise and live right. Anything can happen to any one of us, and so we never know if life will be good or bad. 2 But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we don't, if we keep our promises or are afraid to make them.
3 It's terribly unfair for the same thing to happen to each of us. We are mean and foolish while we live, and then we die. 4 As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 We know we will die, but the dead don't know a thing. Nothing good will happen to them—they are gone and forgotten. 6 Their loves, their hates, and their jealous feelings have all disappeared with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens on this earth.
7 So be happy and enjoy eating and drinking! God decided long ago that this is what you should do. 8 Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best. 9 Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is what you are supposed to do as you struggle through life on this earth. 10 Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or even knows anything.
11 Here is something else I have learned:
The fastest runners
and the greatest heroes
don't always win races
and battles.
Wisdom, intelligence, and skill
don't always make you healthy,
rich, or popular.
We each have our own share
of misfortune.
12 None of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap.
Better To Be Wise than Foolish
13 Once I saw what people really think of wisdom, and it made an impression on me. 14 It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. 15 But the city was saved by the wisdom of a poor person who was soon forgotten. 16 So I decided that wisdom is better than strength. Yet if you are poor, no one pays any attention to you, no matter how smart you are.
17 Words of wisdom spoken softly
make much more sense
than the shouts of a ruler
to a crowd of fools.
18 Wisdom is more powerful
than weapons,
yet one mistake can destroy
all the good you have done.