Hekima
17:1 Ufu 14:13; Wim 1:3; Mit 22:1; Ay 10:18Afadhali sifa nzuri kuliko manukato safi,
nayo siku ya kufa kuliko ya kuzaliwa.
27:2 Za 90:12; Mit 11:19; Mhu 2:14Afadhali kwenda kwenye nyumba ya msiba
kuliko kwenda kwenye nyumba ya karamu,
kwa kuwa kifo ni hatima ya kila mwanadamu,
imewapasa walio hai kuliweka hili mioyoni mwao.
37:3 2Kor 7:10; Mit 14:13Huzuni ni afadhali kuliko kicheko,
kwa sababu uso wenye huzuni wafaa kwa moyo.
47:4 Mhu 2:1; Yer 16:8Moyo wa wenye hekima uko katika nyumba ya msiba,
lakini moyo wa wapumbavu uko katika nyumba ya anasa.
57:5 Za 141:5; Mit 13:18; 15:31-32Afadhali kusikia karipio la mtu mwenye hekima,
kuliko kusikiliza wimbo wa wapumbavu.
67:6 Za 58:9; Mhu 2:2; Mit 14:13Kama ilivyo kuvunjika kwa miiba chini ya sufuria,
ndivyo kilivyo kicheko cha wapumbavu.
Hili nalo pia ni ubatili.
77:7 Kut 18:21; 23:8; Kum 16:19Dhuluma humfanya mtu mwenye hekima kuwa mpumbavu,
nayo rushwa huuharibu moyo.
87:8 Mit 14:29; Gal 5:22Mwisho wa jambo ni bora kuliko mwanzo wake,
uvumilivu ni bora kuliko kiburi.
97:9 Mit 16:32; 14:17, 29; Mt 5:22Usiwe mwepesi kukasirika rohoni mwako,
kwa kuwa hasira hukaa kifuani mwa wapumbavu.
10Usiseme, “Kwa nini siku za kale zilikuwa bora kuliko siku hizi?”
Kwa maana si hekima kuuliza maswali kama hayo.
117:11 Mit 8:10-11; Mhu 2:13; 11:7Hekima, kama ulivyo urithi, ni kitu chema
na huwafaidia wale walionalo jua.
12Hekima ni ulinzi kama fedha ilivyo ulinzi,
lakini faida ya maarifa ni hii:
kwamba hekima huhifadhi maisha ya aliye nayo.
137:13 Isa 14:27; Mhu 2:24; 1:15Tafakari kile Mungu alichokitenda:
Nani awezaye kunyoosha
kile ambacho yeye amekipinda?
147:14 Ay 1:21; Mhu 2:24Nyakati zikiwa nzuri, ufurahi,
lakini nyakati zikiwa mbaya, tafakari:
Mungu amefanya hiyo moja,
naam, sanjari7:14 Sanjari hapa maana yake mwandamano wa vitu, wanyama au watu. na hiyo nyingine.
Kwa hiyo, mwanadamu hawezi kugundua
kitu chochote kuhusu maisha yake ya baadaye.
157:15 Mhu 8:14; Yer 12:1; Ay 21:7; 7:7Katika maisha haya yangu ya ubatili nimeshaona haya mawili:
mtu mwadilifu akiangamia katika uadilifu wake,
naye mtu mwovu akiishi maisha marefu katika uovu wake.
16Usiwe mwenye haki kupita kiasi,
wala usiwe na hekima kupita kiasi:
kwa nini kujiangamiza mwenyewe?
177:17 Ay 15:32; Za 55:23Usiwe mwovu kupita kiasi,
wala usiwe mpumbavu:
kwa nini kufa kabla ya wakati wako?
187:18 Mhu 3:14Ni vyema kushika hilo moja
na wala usiache hilo jingine likupite.
Mtu amchaye Mungu ataepuka huko kupita kiasi.7:18 Au: atafuata hayo yote mawili.
197:19 Mhu 2:13; 9:13-18; Mit 8:14Hekima humfanya yeye aliye nayo kuwa na uwezo zaidi
kuliko watawala kumi katika mji.
207:20 1Fal 8:46; Rum 3:12, 23; Gal 3:22; Za 14:3; Mit 20:9; Ay 4:17Hakuna mtu mwenye haki duniani
ambaye hufanya mambo ya haki
na kamwe asitende dhambi.
217:21 Mit 30:10Usitie maanani kila neno linalosemwa na watu,
la sivyo, waweza kumsikia
mtumishi wako akikulaani:
22kwa kuwa unafahamu moyoni mwako
kwamba wewe mwenyewe mara nyingi
umewalaani wengine.
237:23 Mhu 1:17; Rum 1:22Yote haya niliyajaribu kwa hekima, nikasema,
“Nimeamua kuwa na hekima”:
lakini hii ilikuwa nje ya uwezo wangu.
247:24 Ay 28:12; 11:12; Isa 55:8-9Vyovyote hekima ilivyo,
hekima iko mbali sana na imejificha,
ni nani awezaye kuigundua?
257:25 Ay 28:3; Mhu 1:17Nikageuza fikira zangu ili kuelewa,
kuchunguza na kuitafuta hekima
na kusudi la mambo,
na ili kuelewa ujinga wa uovu,
na wazimu wa upumbavu.
267:26 Kut 10:7; Amu 14:15; Mit 7:23; 22:14; 2:16-19; 5:3-5Nimeona jambo lililo chungu kuliko mauti,
mwanamke ambaye ni mtego,
ambaye moyo wake ni wavu wa kutegea
na mikono yake ni minyororo.
Mtu ampendezaye Mungu atamkwepa,
bali mwenye dhambi atanaswa naye.
27Mhubiri anasema, “Tazama, hili ndilo nililogundua:
“Nimegundua kitu kimoja baada ya kingine nilipokuwa katika kusudi la mambo:
287:28 1Fal 11:3ningali natafiti
lakini sipati:
nilimpata mwanaume mmoja mnyofu miongoni mwa elfu,
lakini hakuna mwanamke mmoja mnyofu miongoni mwao.
29Hili ndilo peke yake nililolipata:
Mungu amemuumba mwanadamu mnyofu,
lakini mwanadamu amebuni mambo mengi.”
Good Advice About How to Live
1A good name is better than fine perfume.
People can learn more from mourning when someone dies
than from being happy when someone is born.
2So it’s better to go where people are mourning
than to go where people are having a good time.
Everyone will die someday.
Those who are still living
should really think about that.
3Not being able to figure things out is better than laughter.
That’s because sorrow is good for the heart.
4Those who are wise are found where there is sorrow.
But foolish people are found where there is pleasure.
5Pay attention to a wise person’s warning.
That’s better than listening to the songs of those who are foolish.
6A foolish person’s laughter
is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot.
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
7When a wise person takes wealth by force, they become foolish.
It is sinful to take money from people who want special favors.
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning.
So it’s better to be patient than proud.
9Don’t become angry quickly.
Anger lives in the hearts of foolish people.
10Don’t say, “Why were things better in the good old days?”
It isn’t wise to ask that kind of question.
11Wisdom is a good thing.
It’s like getting a share of the family wealth.
It benefits those who live on this earth.
12Wisdom provides safety,
just as money provides safety.
But here’s the advantage of wisdom.
It guards those who have it.
13Think about what God has done.
Who can make straight
what he has made crooked?
14When times are good, be happy.
But when times are bad, here’s something to think about.
God has made bad times.
He has also made good times.
So no one can find out anything
about what’s ahead for them.
15In my meaningless life here’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve seen godly people dying
even though they are godly.
And I’ve seen sinful people living a long time
even though they are sinful.
16Don’t claim to be better than you are.
And don’t claim to be wiser than you are.
Why destroy yourself?
17Don’t be too sinful.
And don’t be foolish.
Why die before your time comes?
18It’s good to hold on to both of those things.
Don’t let go of either one.
Whoever has respect for God will avoid
going too far in either direction.
19Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.
20It is true that there isn’t anyone on earth
who does only what is right and never sins.
21Don’t pay attention to everything people say.
If you do, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22Many times you yourself have cursed others.
Deep down inside, you know that’s true.
23I used wisdom to test all these things. I said,
“I’ve made up my mind to be wise.”
But it was more than I could accomplish.
24Whatever exists is far away and very deep.
Who can find it?
25So I tried to understand wisdom more completely.
I wanted to study it and figure it out.
I tried to find out everything I could about it.
I tried to understand why it’s foolish to be evil.
I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.
26A woman who hunts a man down
is more painful than death.
Her heart is like a trap.
Her hands are like chains.
A man who pleases God will try to get away from her.
But she will trap a sinner.
27“Look,” says the Teacher. “Here’s what I’ve discovered.
“I added one thing to another to find out
everything I could about wisdom.
28I searched and searched
but found very little.
I did find one honest man among a thousand.
But I didn’t find one honest woman among a thousand.
29Here’s the only other thing I found.
God created human beings as honest.
But they’ve made many evil plans.”
