Anasa Ni Ubatili
12:1 Za 10:6; Lk 12:19; Mhu 7:4; 8:15Nikafikiri moyoni mwangu, “Haya basi, nitakujaribu kwa anasa nione ni lipi lililo jema.” Lakini hilo nalo likaonekana ni ubatili. 22:2 Mit 14:13; Isa 22:12-13; Mhu 7:6Nikasema, “Kicheko nacho ni upumbavu. Nayo matokeo ya anasa ni nini?” 32:3 Amu 9:13; Rut 3:3; Amo 6:3-6; Mhu 3:12-13; 5:18; 8:15Nikajaribu kujifurahisha kwa mvinyo na kukumbatia upumbavu, huku bado akili yangu inaniongoza kwa hekima. Nilitaka kuona ni lipi bora watu wafanye kwa siku chache wanazoishi chini ya mbingu.
42:4 1Fal 7:1-12; Wim 8:11; 2Nya 2:1Nikafanya miradi mikubwa: Nikajijengea majumba na kulima mashamba ya mizabibu. 5Nikatengeneza bustani na viwanja vya starehe nikaotesha huko kila aina ya miti ya matunda. 6Nikajenga mabwawa ya kukusanya maji ya kunyweshea hii miti iliyokuwa inastawi vizuri. 7Nikanunua watumwa wa kiume na wa kike na watumwa wengine walizaliwa nyumbani mwangu. Pia nilikuwa na makundi ya ngʼombe, kondoo na mbuzi kuliko mtu yeyote aliyewahi kuishi Yerusalemu kabla yangu. 82:8 1Fal 9:28; 10:10-21; 2Sam 19:35; Amu 3:15Nikajikusanyia fedha na dhahabu, hazina za wafalme na za majimbo. Nikajipatia waimbaji wanaume na wanawake, nazo nyumba za masuria: vitu ambavyo moyo wa mwanadamu hufurahia. 92:9 1Nya 29:25; Mhu 1:12-16Nikawa maarufu sana kuliko mtu mwingine yeyote aliyepata kuishi Yerusalemu kabla yangu. Katika haya yote bado nikawa nina hekima.
10Sikujinyima kitu chochote ambacho macho yangu yalikitamani,
hakuna anasa ambayo niliunyima moyo wangu.
Moyo wangu ulifurahia kazi zangu zote,
hii ilikuwa thawabu ya kazi zangu zote.
11Hata hivyo nilipokuja kuangalia yote ambayo
mikono yangu ilikuwa imefanya
na yale niliyotaabika kukamilisha,
kila kitu kilikuwa ni ubatili, ni kukimbiza upepo;
hapakuwa na faida yoyote chini ya jua.
Hekima Na Upumbavu Ni Ubatili
12Kisha nikageuza mawazo yangu kufikiria hekima,
wazimu na upumbavu.
Ni nini zaidi mtu anayetawala baada ya mfalme
anachoweza kufanya ambacho hakijafanywa?
132:13 Mhu 7:11-12, 19; 9:18Nikaona kuwa hekima ni bora kuliko upumbavu,
kama vile nuru ilivyo bora kuliko giza.
142:14 Za 49:10; Mit 17:24; Mhu 8:1; 3:19; 7:2; 9:3, 11-12Mtu mwenye hekima ana macho katika kichwa chake,
lakini mpumbavu anatembea gizani;
lakini nikaja kuona kwamba
wote wawili hatima yao inafanana.
152:15 Mhu 6:8Kisha nikafikiri moyoni mwangu,
“Hatima ya mpumbavu itanipata mimi pia.
Nitafaidi nini basi kwa kuwa na hekima?”
Nikasema moyoni mwangu,
“Hili nalo ni ubatili.”
162:16 Za 49:10; 112:6; Mhu 1:11Kwa maana kwa mtu mwenye hekima,
kama ilivyo kwa mpumbavu,
hatakumbukwa kwa muda mrefu,
katika siku zijazo wote watasahaulika.
Kama vile ilivyo kwa mpumbavu,
mtu mwenye hekima pia lazima atakufa!
Kutaabika Ni Ubatili
17Kwa hiyo nikachukia maisha, kwa sababu kazi inayofanyika chini ya jua ilikuwa masikitiko kwangu. Yote hayo ni ubatili, ni kukimbiza upepo. 182:18 Za 39:6; 49:10; 1Fal 12:13Nikachukia kila kitu nilichokuwa nimetaabikia chini ya jua, kwa sababu ni lazima nimwachie yule ajaye baada yangu. 19Nani ajuaye kama atakuwa ni mtu mwenye hekima au mpumbavu? Lakini hata hivyo yeye ndiye atakayetawala kazi zote ambazo nimemiminia juhudi na ustadi chini ya jua. Hili nalo ni ubatili. 20Kwa hiyo moyo wangu ukaanza kukata tamaa juu ya kazi yangu yote niliyoifanya kwa taabu chini ya jua. 21Kwa kuwa mtu anaweza kufanya kazi yake kwa hekima, maarifa na ustadi, kisha analazimika kuacha vyote alivyo navyo kwa mtu mwingine ambaye hajavifanyia kazi. Hili nalo pia ni ubatili tena ni balaa kubwa. 222:22 Mhu 3:9; 1:3Mtu atapata nini kwa taabu yote na kuhangaika kwa bidii katika kazi anayotaabikia chini ya jua? 232:23 Ay 5:7; 7:2; 14:1; Mhu 1:18; Mwa 3:17Siku zake zote kazi yake ni maumivu na masikitiko, hata usiku akili yake haipati mapumziko. Hili nalo pia ni ubatili.
242:24 1Kor 15:32; Mhu 3:12-13, 22; 7:7-10; 8:15; 5:17-19; 9:7-10; 11:7-10; Ay 2:10Hakuna kitu bora anachoweza kufanya mtu zaidi ya kula na kunywa na kuridhika katika kazi yake. Hili nalo pia, ninaona, latokana na mkono wa Mungu, 25kwa sababu pasipo yeye, ni nani awezaye kula na kufurahi? 262:26 Ay 27:17; 9:4; Mit 13:22Kwa yule mtu anayempendeza Mungu, Mungu humpa hekima, maarifa na furaha, bali kwa mwenye dhambi Mungu humpa kazi ya kukusanya na kuhifadhi utajiri ili Mungu ampe yule anayempenda. Hili nalo pia ni ubatili, ni kukimbiza upepo.
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.
