1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. 2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. 4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: 5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: 6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: 7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: 8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. 9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 ¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man ? as the fool.
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 ¶ Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. 20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 ¶ There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto , more than I? 26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
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.