Everything is meaningless
1The words of the Teacher,1:1 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12 son of David, king of Jerusalem:
2‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’
says the Teacher.
‘Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.’
3What do people gain from all their labours
at which they toil under the sun?
4Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains for ever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which one can say,
‘Look! This is something new’?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11No-one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
Wisdom is meaningless
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said to myself, ‘Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.’ 17Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Asán ni ohun ayé
1Ọ̀rọ̀ Oniwaasu, ọmọ Dafidi, ọba Jerusalẹmu:
2“Asán inú asán!”
oníwàásù náà wí pé,
“Asán inú asán!
Gbogbo rẹ̀ asán ni.”
3Kí ni ènìyàn rí jẹ ní èrè lórí gbogbo iṣẹ́ rẹ̀,
lórí èyí tí ó ń ṣe wàhálà sí lábẹ́ oòrùn?
4Bí ìran kan ti wá ni ìran mìíràn ń kọjá lọ,
síbẹ̀ ayé dúró títí láé.
5Oòrùn ń ràn, oòrùn sì ń wọ̀,
ó sì sáré padà sí ibi tí ó ti yọ.
6Afẹ́fẹ́ ń fẹ́ lọ sí ìhà gúúsù,
Ó sì ń fẹ́ yípo sí ìhà àríwá,
a sì tún padà sí ọ̀nà rẹ̀.
7Gbogbo odò ń sàn sí inú Òkun,
síbẹ̀síbẹ̀ Òkun kò kún.
Níbi tí àwọn odò ti wá,
níbẹ̀ ni wọ́n tún padà sí.
8Ohun gbogbo ni ó ń mú àárẹ̀ wá,
ju èyí tí ẹnu le è sọ.
Ojú kò tí ì rí ìrírí tí ó tẹ́ ẹ lọ́rùn,
bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, etí kò tí ì kún fún gbígbọ́.
9Ohun tí ó ti wà tẹ́lẹ̀ náà ni yóò sì máa wà, ohun tí a ti ṣe sẹ́yìn
òun ni a ó tún máa ṣe padà
kò sí ohun tuntun lábẹ́ oòrùn.
10Ǹjẹ́ ohun kan wà tí ẹnìkan le è sọ wí pé,
“Wò ó! Ohun tuntun ni èyí”?
Ó ti wà tẹ́lẹ̀ rí ní ọjọ́ tó ti pẹ́,
o ti wà ṣáájú tiwa.
11Kò sí ìrántí ohun ìṣáájú
bẹ́ẹ̀ ni ìrántí kì yóò sí fún
ohun ìkẹyìn tí ń bọ̀
lọ́dọ̀ àwọn tí ń bọ̀ ní ìgbà ìkẹyìn.
Asán ni ọgbọ́n ènìyàn
12Èmi, Oniwaasu ti jẹ ọba lórí Israẹli ní Jerusalẹmu rí. 13Mo fi àsìkò mi sílẹ̀ láti kọ́ àti láti ṣe àwárí pẹ̀lú ọgbọ́n, gbogbo ohun tí ó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ lábẹ́ ọ̀run. Háà! Ẹrù wúwo tí Ọlọ́run ti gbé lé àwọn ènìyàn: 14Èmi ti rí ohun gbogbo tí ó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ lábẹ́ oòrùn, gbogbo rẹ̀ kò ní ìtumọ̀ bí ẹní gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́ ni.
15Ohun tí ó ti wọ́ kò le è ṣe é tọ́ mọ́,
ohun tí kò sí kò le è ṣe é kà.
16Mo rò nínú ara mi, “Wò ó, mo ti dàgbà, ọgbọ́n mi sì ti pọ̀ ju ti ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó ti ṣe alákòóso Jerusalẹmu síwájú mi lọ, mo ti ní ìrírí púpọ̀ nípa ọgbọ́n àti ìmọ̀.” 17Nígbà náà ni mo fi ara jì láti ní ìmọ̀ nípa ọgbọ́n, àti pàápàá àìgbọ́n àti òmùgọ̀, ṣùgbọ́n mo rí, wí pé èyí pẹ̀lú bí ẹni ń gbìyànjú àti mú afẹ́fẹ́ ni.
18Nítorí pé ọgbọ́n púpọ̀ ìbànújẹ́ púpọ̀ ní ń mú wá,
bí ìmọ̀ bá sì ṣe pọ̀ tó náà ni ìbànújẹ́ ń pọ̀ tó.
