Ɔsɛnkafoɔ 2 – ASCB & NIRV

Asante Twi Contemporary Bible

Ɔsɛnkafoɔ 2:1-26

Anigyeɛ Ne Adwuma Yɛ Adehuhuo

1Mekaa mʼakomam sɛ, “Afei bra, mede anigyeɛ bɛsɔ wo ahwɛ na yɛahunu deɛ ɛyɛ.” Nanso, ankɔsi hwee. 2Mekaa sɛ, “Ɔsereɛ yɛ nkwaseadeɛ. Na ɛdeɛn na anigyeɛ tumi yɛ?” 3Mepɛɛ sɛ mehunu deɛ ɛyɛ pa ara ma yɛn wɔ ɛberɛ tiawa a yɛwɔ wɔ asase yi so. Enti meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mede nsã bɛsɛpɛ me ho na mahwehwɛ, ahunu nkwaseasɛm asekyerɛ, a mʼankasa deɛ, mennyɛ ɔkwasea.

4Mede me nsa hyɛɛ nnwuma akɛseɛ ase; mesisii adan yɛɛ bobe nturo. 5Meyɛɛ nturo ne ahomegyebea na meduaduaa nnuaba ahodoɔ bebree wɔ mu. 6Mesisii nsukoraeɛ a mɛtwe nsuo afiri mu, de agugu nnua a ɛrenyini no so. 7Metɔɔ nkoa ne mfenaa, na menyaa ebinom nso a wɔwoo wɔn wɔ me fie. Afei nso menyaa anantwie ne nnwan bebree sene obiara a wadi mʼanim wɔ Yerusalem. 8Mepɛɛ dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ, gyegyee ahemfo ne amantam no ademudeɛ kaa ho. Mefaa mmarima ne mmaa nnwomtofoɔ, pɛɛ mmaa atenaeɛ nso; deɛ ɛyɛ ɔbarima akoma anigyedeɛ biara. 9Megyee edin sene obiara a wadi mʼanim wɔ Yerusalem. Yeinom nyinaa mu no, me nimdeɛ kɔɔ so yɛɛ adwuma.

10Deɛ mʼani hwehwɛeɛ biara, mamfa ankame no;

mansi mʼakoma anigyeɛ ho ɛkwan.

Mʼakoma ani gyee me nnwuma nyinaa ho,

na yei yɛ mʼadwumayɛ so akatua.

11Nanso sɛ mehwɛ deɛ me nsa ayɛ nyinaa

ne deɛ mabrɛ anya a,

ne nyinaa nka hwee, ɛte sɛ deɛ wɔtu mmirika taa mframa.

Mannya mfasoɔ biara wɔ owia yi ase.

Nimdeɛ Ne Nkwaseadeɛ Yɛ Ade Huhuo

12Mede mʼadwene kɔɔ nimdeɛ,

abɔdamsɛm ne nkwaseasɛm so.

Ɛdeɛn bio na deɛ wɔadi ɔhene adeɛ bɛtumi ayɛ

asene deɛ wɔayɛ dada no?

13Mehunuu sɛ, nimdeɛ yɛ sene nkwaseasɛm,

sɛdeɛ hann yɛ sene esum no.

14Onyansafoɔ ani wɔ ne tirim,

na ɔkwasea deɛ, ɔnante esum mu;

nanso mehunuu sɛ

wɔn nyinaa hyɛberɛ yɛ pɛ.

15Afei mesusuu mʼakomam sɛ,

“Ɔkwasea hyɛberɛ bɛto me nso.

Enti sɛ mehunu nyansa a, mfasoɔ bɛn na menya?”

Mekaa wɔ mʼakomam sɛ,

“Yei nso nka hwee.”

16Te sɛ ɔkwasea no, ɔnyansafoɔ nso, wɔrenkae no daa;

nna a ɛreba no mu, wɔrenkae wɔn baanu no.

Te sɛ ɔkwasea no, onyansafoɔ nso bɛwu!

Adwumayɛ Nka Hwee

17Ɛno enti asetena fonoo me, na adwuma a yɛyɛ wɔ owia yi ase no haa me. Ne nyinaa yɛ ahuhudeɛ, te sɛ deɛ wɔtu mmirika taa mframa. 18Mekyirii deɛ mayɛ adwuma apɛ nyinaa wɔ owia yi ase, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ megya hɔ ma deɛ ɔbɛdi mʼadeɛ. 19Na hwan na ɔnim sɛ onipa ko no bɛyɛ onyansafoɔ anaa ɔkwasea? Nanso deɛ mabiri me mogya ani apɛ wɔ owia yi ase nyinaa bɛkɔ ne nsam. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ. 20Enti mepaa aba wɔ owia yi ase adwumaden ho. 21Na onipa bɛfiri ne nimdeɛ, nyansa ne adwumayɛ ho nimdeɛ mu ayɛ nʼasɛdeɛ, na afei ɛsɛ sɛ ogya nʼadwumayɛ so aba ma obi a ɔnyɛɛ adwuma biara. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ, na ɛha adwene. 22Ɛdeɛn na onipa nya firi ne brɛ ne dadwene a ɔde yɛ adwuma wɔ owia yi ase mu? 23Ne nkwa nna nyinaa, nʼadwumayɛ yɛ ɔyea ne ɔhaw; anadwo mpo nʼadwene yɛ adwuma. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.

24Biribiara nsene sɛ onipa bɛdidi na wanom na wanya ahomeka wɔ adwumayɛ mu. Yei nso mehunuu sɛ ɛfiri Onyankopɔn, 25ɛfiri sɛ ɛnyɛ ɔno a, anka hwan na ɔbɛtumi adidi anaasɛ ɔbɛnya ahomeka? 26Onipa a ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani no, ɔma no nimdeɛ, nyansa ne anigyeɛ, nanso omumuyɛfoɔ deɛ, ɔma ɔboaboa ahonyadeɛ ano ma deɛ ɔsɔ Onyankopɔn ani. Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ, sɛdeɛ wɔde mmirikatuo taa mframa.

New International Reader’s Version

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

Pleasure Is Meaningless

1I said to myself, “Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless. 2“Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “And what can pleasure do for me?” 3I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in a foolish way. But wisdom was still guiding my mind. I wanted to see what was good for people to do on earth during their short lives.

4So I started some large projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards. 5I made gardens and parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made lakes to water groves of healthy trees. 7I bought male and female slaves. And I had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem ever had before. 8I stored up silver and gold for myself. I gathered up the treasures of kings and their kingdoms. I got some male and female singers. I also got many women for myself. Women delight the hearts of men. 9I became far more important than anyone in Jerusalem had ever been before. And in spite of everything, I didn’t lose my wisdom.

10I gave myself everything my eyes wanted.

There wasn’t any pleasure that I refused to give myself.

I took delight in everything I did.

And that was what I got for all my work.

11But then I looked over everything my hands had done.

I saw what I had worked so hard to get.

And nothing had any meaning.

It was like chasing the wind.

Nothing was gained on this earth.

Wisdom and Foolish Pleasure Are Meaningless

12I decided to think about wisdom.

I also thought about foolish pleasure.

What more can a new king do?

Can he do anything more than others have already done?

13I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness,

just as light is better than darkness.

14The eyes of a wise person see things clearly.

A person who is foolish lives in darkness.

But I finally realized that death catches up

with both of them.

15Then I said to myself,

“What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too.

So what do I gain by being wise?”

I said to myself,

“That doesn’t have any meaning either.”

16Like a foolish person, a wise person won’t be remembered very long.

The days have already come when both of them have been forgotten.

Like a person who is foolish,

a wise person must die too!

Work Is Meaningless

17So I hated life. That’s because the work done on this earth made me sad. None of it has any meaning. It’s like chasing the wind. 18I hated everything I had worked for on earth. I’ll have to leave all of it to someone who lives after me. 19And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Either way, they’ll take over everything on earth I’ve worked so hard for. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 20So I began to lose hope because of all my hard work on this earth. 21A person might use wisdom, knowledge and skill to do their work. But then they have to leave everything they own to someone who hasn’t worked for it. That doesn’t have any meaning either. In fact, it isn’t fair. 22What do people get for all their hard work on earth? What do they get for all their worries? 23As long as they live, their work is nothing but pain and sorrow. Even at night their minds can’t rest. That doesn’t have any meaning either.

24A person can’t do anything better than eat, drink and be satisfied with their work. I’m finally seeing that those things also come from the hand of God. 25Without his help, who can eat or find pleasure? 26God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to the person who pleases him. But to a sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth. Then the sinner must hand it over to the one who pleases God. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.