Everything Is Meaningless
1These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also the king in Jerusalem.
2“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Everything is completely meaningless!
Nothing has any meaning.”
3What do people get for all their work?
Why do they work so hard on this earth?
4People come and people go.
But the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises. Then it sets.
And then it hurries back to where it rises.
6The wind blows to the south.
Then it turns to the north.
Around and around it goes.
It always returns to where it started.
7Every stream flows into the ocean.
But the ocean never gets full.
The streams return
to the place they came from.
8All things are tiresome.
They are more tiresome than anyone can say.
But our eyes never see enough of anything.
Our ears never hear enough.
9Everything that has ever been will come back again.
Everything that has ever been done will be done again.
Nothing is new on earth.
10There isn’t anything about which someone can say,
“Look! Here’s something new.”
It was already here long ago.
It was here before we were.
11No one remembers the people of long ago.
Even those who haven’t been born yet
won’t be remembered
by those who will be born after them.
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13I decided to study things carefully. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on human beings! 14I’ve seen what is done on this earth. All of it is meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.
15People can’t straighten things that are crooked.
They can’t count things that don’t even exist.
16I said to myself, “Look, I’ve now grown wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge.” 17Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.
18A lot of human wisdom leads to a lot of sorrow.
More knowledge only brings more sadness.
Maũndũ Mothe nĩ ma Tũhũ
11:1 Koh 1:12; Thim 1:1Ici nĩcio ciugo cia Mũrutani, mũrũ wa Daudi, ũrĩa warĩ mũthamaki kũu Jerusalemu:
21:2 Thab 39:5-6; Arom 8:20-21“Maũndũ mothe nĩ ma tũhũ! Ĩĩ nĩ ma tũhũ!”
Ũguo nĩguo Mũrutani ekuuga.
“Ti-itherũ nĩ ma tũhũ mũtheri!
Maũndũ mothe nĩ ma tũhũ.”
31:3 Koh 2:11, 22Mũndũ-rĩ, nĩ uumithio ũrĩkũ onaga harĩ wĩra
ũrĩa wothe arutaga gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa?
41:4 Ayub 8:19Rũciaro rũmwe rwathira-rĩ, nĩ rũngĩ rũũkaga,
no rĩrĩ, thĩ ĩtũũraga o ho nginya tene na tene.
51:5 Thab 19:5-6Riũa rĩrathaga na rĩgathũa,
ningĩ rĩgacooka na ihenya kũrĩa rĩrathagĩra.
6Rũhuho rũhurutanaga rwerekeire mwena wa gũthini,
na rũgacooka rũkeerekera mwena wa gathigathini;
rũthiiaga o rũgĩthiũrũrũkaga rũtegũtigithĩria,
o rũgĩcookaga njĩra-inĩ yaruo.
7Njũũĩ ciothe ciĩitagĩrĩra iria-inĩ,
no rĩrĩ, iria rĩtirĩ hĩndĩ rĩiyũraga.
O kũu njũũĩ ciumaga,
nokuo icookaga.
81:8 Thim 27:20Maũndũ mothe marehanagĩra mĩnoga
ĩrĩa ĩtangĩgweteka.
Riitho rĩtirĩ hĩndĩ rĩiganagia kuona,
o na kana gũtũ gũkaigania kũigua.
91:9 Koh 3:15Maũndũ marĩa maanakorwo kuo no mo macookaga gũkorwo kuo rĩngĩ,
naguo ũndũ ũrĩa waneekwo noguo ũcookaga ũgeekwo rĩngĩ;
gũtirĩ ũndũ ũtarĩ woneka gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa.
10Hihi nĩ harĩ ũndũ mũndũ angiuga atĩrĩ:
“Ta rora! Ũyũ nĩ ũndũ ũtarĩ wonekana”?
Ũndũ ũcio warĩ kuo hĩndĩ ndaaya hĩtũku;
warĩ kuo tũtarĩ twaciarwo.
111:11 Kĩam 40:23; Thab 88:12Andũ arĩa maarĩ kuo tene matiririkanagwo,
na o na arĩa matarĩ maraciarwo
matikaaririkanwo
nĩ arĩa magaaciarwo thuutha wao.
Ũũgĩ no wa Tũhũ
12Niĩ Mũrutani-rĩ, ndaarĩ mũthamaki wathamakagĩra Isiraeli kũu Jerusalemu. 131:13 Koh 3:10; Ayub 28:3Nĩnderutĩire na kĩyo kwĩruta, na gũtuĩria na ũũgĩ maũndũ mothe marĩa mekagwo gũkũ thĩ. Kaĩ Ngai nĩakuuithĩtie andũ mũrigo mũritũ-ĩ! 14Nĩndĩĩoneire maũndũ marĩa mothe mekagwo gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa; maũndũ mothe no ma tũhũ, na ũguo no ta gũtengʼeria rũhuho.
151:15 Koh 7:13Kĩndũ kĩrĩa kĩogomu gĩtingĩrũngĩka;
nakĩo kĩrĩa gĩtarĩ ho gĩtingĩtarwo.
161:16 1Ath 3:12Na niĩ ngĩĩciiria, ngiuga na ngoro yakwa atĩrĩ, “Ndĩ mũkũrũ na ngagĩa na ũũgĩ mũingĩ gũkĩra andũ arĩa othe manaathana Jerusalemu mbere yakwa; nĩmenyete maũndũ maingĩ makoniĩ ũũgĩ na ũmenyo.” 171:17 Koh 2:3, 12; 7:25Ningĩ nĩnderutire na ngoro yakwa kũmenya ũhoro wa ũũgĩ, o na kũmenya ũhoro wa ũgũrũki na wa ũrimũ, no ngĩmenya atĩ ũhoro ũcio, o naguo, no ta gũtengʼeria rũhuho.
181:18 Koh 12:12Nĩgũkorwo o ũrĩa ũũgĩ waingĩha, noguo ihooru rĩingĩhĩte;
na ũrĩa ũmenyo waingĩha, noguo kĩeha kĩingĩhĩte.
