1Mahunu bɔne foforɔ bi wɔ owia yi ase a ɛhyɛ nnipa so yie: 2Onyankopɔn ma onipa ahonyadeɛ, adenya ne animuonyam sɛdeɛ biribiara a nʼakoma pɛ no ɛmmɔ no, nanso Onyankopɔn amma no kwan sɛ ɔmfa nnye nʼani, na ɔhɔhoɔ mmom na ɔde gye nʼani. Yei yɛ ahuhudeɛ, ɔhaw a ɛyɛ yea.
3Onipa bɛtumi anya mma ɔha na wanyini akyɛre; nanso ne mfeɛ dodoɔ yi akyi no, nʼahonya no amma nʼani annye, na ne sie nso anyɛ fɛ a, ɔpɔn ba ho wɔ mfasoɔ sene no. 4Ne ba no yɛ adehunu, esum mu na ɔkorɔ, na esum akata ne din so. 5Ɛwom sɛ wanhunu owia na ɔnnim hwee deɛ, nanso ɔbɛnya ahomegyeɛ bebree sene deɛ saa ɔbarima no bɛnya. 6Mpo sɛ ɔtena ase mfeɛ apem mmɔho na wammfa nʼahonyadeɛ annye nʼani a, wɔn nyinaa nkɔ faako anaa?
7Onipa brɛ nyinaa yɛ nʼano ntia,
nanso nʼakɔnnɔdeɛ mmee no da.
8Na ɛdeɛn na onyansafoɔ wɔ de sene ɔkwasea?
Sɛ ohiani yɛ nʼakwan yie wɔ afoforɔ anim a
mfasoɔ bɛn na ɔbɛnya?
9Deɛ aniwa hunu no
yɛ sene deɛ akɔnnɔ kyini hwehwɛ.
Yei nso yɛ ahuhudeɛ.
Ɛte sɛ wotaa mframa.
10Deɛ ɛwɔ hɔ biara, wɔato edin dada,
na sɛdeɛ onipa teɛ nso, wɔnim dada;
onipa biara rentumi ne deɛ ɔwɔ ahoɔden
sene noɔ nnye yei ho akyinnyeɛ.
11Nsɛm dɔɔso a,
emu aba yɛ kakraa bi,
na ɛho wɔ mfasoɔ ma onipa anaa?
12Na hwan na ɔnim deɛ ɛyɛ ma onipa wɔ ne nkwanna kakra bi a ɛyɛ ahuhudeɛ na ɔfa mu kɔ sɛ sunsumma no? Hwan na ɔbɛtumi aka deɛ ɛbɛsi wɔ owia yi ase akyerɛ no ɛberɛ a ɔkorɔ no.
1I’ve seen another evil thing on this earth. And it’s a heavy load on human beings. 2God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor. They have everything their hearts desire. But God doesn’t let them enjoy those things. Instead, strangers enjoy them. This doesn’t have any meaning. It’s a very evil thing.
3A man might have a hundred children. He might live a long time. But suppose he can’t enjoy his wealth. And suppose he isn’t buried in the proper way. Then it doesn’t matter how long he lives. I’m telling you that a baby that is born dead is better off than that man is. 4That kind of birth doesn’t have any meaning. The baby dies in darkness and leaves this world. And in darkness it is forgotten. 5It didn’t even see the sun. It didn’t know anything at all. But it has more rest than that man does. 6And that’s true even if he lives for 2,000 years but doesn’t get to enjoy his wealth. All people die and go to the grave, don’t they?
7People eat up everything they work to get.
But they are never satisfied.
8What advantage do wise people have
over those who are foolish?
What do poor people gain
by knowing how to act toward others?
9Being satisfied with what you have
is better than always wanting more.
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
It’s like chasing the wind.
10God has already planned what now exists.
He has already decided what a human being is.
No one can argue with someone
who is stronger.
11The more words people use,
the less meaning there is.
And that doesn’t help anyone.
12Who knows what’s good for a person? They live for only a few meaningless days. They pass through life like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen on earth after they are gone?
