Pleasures are meaningless
1I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless. 2‘Laughter,’ I said, ‘is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?’ 3I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly – my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. as well – the delights of a man’s heart. 9I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labour,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
Wisdom and folly are meaningless
12Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?
13I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better than darkness.
14The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realise
that the same fate overtakes them both.
15Then I said to myself,
‘The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?’
I said to myself,
‘This too is meaningless.’
16For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
Toil is meaningless
17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labour under the sun. 21For a person may labour with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun? 23All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
24A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Amasanyu Tegagasa
12:1 Mub 7:4; 8:15; Luk 12:19Nayogera munda yange nti, “Jjangu kaakano ngezese okusanyuka. Weesanyuse.” Naye laba, na kino kyali butaliimu. 22:2 Nge 14:13; Mub 7:6Nagamba nti, “Okuseka busirusiru. Era okusanyuka kugasa ki?” 32:3 a nny 24-25; Mub 3:12-13 b Mub 1:17Nanoonyereza n’omutima gwange, bwe nnaasanyusa omubiri gwange n’omwenge, nga nkyagoberera okunoonya amagezi. Nayagala okulaba abantu kyebasaanira okukola wansi w’enjuba mu nnaku ez’obulamu bwabwe entono.
42:4 a 1Bk 7:1-12 b Lu 8:11Natandikawo emirimu egy’amaanyi: ne neezimbira amayumba ne neesimbira ennimiro ez’emizabbibu. 5Ne neerimira ennimiro, ne neekolera n’ebifo ebigazi, ne nsimbamu buli ngeri ya miti egy’ebibala. 6Ne neesimira ebidiba omuva amazzi ag’okufukirira ebibira by’emiti emito. 7Neefunira abaddu abasajja n’abakazi, era nalina abaddu abaazaalirwa mu nnyumba yange. Ne mbeera n’amagana g’ente n’ebisibo by’endiga okusinga bonna abansooka okubeera mu Yerusaalemi. 82:8 a 1Bk 9:28; 10:10, 14, 21 b 2Sa 19:35Ne neekuŋŋaanyiza ffeeza ne zaabu ebyavanga mu misolo, egyampebwanga bakabaka n’egyavanga mu bwakabaka bwabwe. Neefunira abayimbi abasajja n’abakazi, ne nfuna n’ebintu byonna ebisanyusa omuntu, ne neefunira n’abakazi. 92:9 1By 29:25; Mub 1:16Ne nfuuka mukulu ne nsukkirira bonna abansooka mu Yerusaalemi. Mu ebyo byonna nasigala siweebuuse mu magezi.
10Na buli amaaso gange kye gaayagala okulaba sa kigamma,
omutima gwange ne ngusanyusa mu buli kimu.
Omutima gwange gwasanyukira bye nakola byonna,
era eyo y’empeera yange olw’okutegana kwange kwonna.
112:11 a Mub 1:14 b Mub 1:3Awo bwe nalowooza byonna emikono gyange bye gyakola,
n’okutegana kwonna nga nkola,
laba, byonna bwali butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo,
tewaali na kimu kye nagobolola wansi w’enjuba.
Amagezi Agatali ga Katonda n’Obusirusiru Byombi Butaliimu
122:12 a Mub 1:17 b Mub 1:9; 7:25Awo ne nkyuka ne ndowooza ku magezi,
ne ku ddalu ne ku busirusiru,
kubanga oyo aliddirira kabaka mu bigere alibaako ki ky’akola,
okuggyako ekyo kabaka ky’akoze?
132:13 a Mub 7:19; 9:18 b Mub 7:11-12Awo ne ndaba amagezi nga gasinga obusirusiru,
n’ekitangaala nga kisinga ekizikiza.
142:14 Zab 49:10; Nge 17:24; Mub 3:19; 6:6; 7:2; 9:3, 11-12Omugezi amaaso ge gali mu mutwe gwe,
naye atalina magezi atambulira mu kizikiza.
Kyokka ne ntegeera
nga bombi akabi kabatuukako.
152:15 Mub 6:8Ne ndyoka njogera mu mutima gwange nti,
“Ekyo ekigwa ku musirusiru nange kirintuukako.
Kale lwaki mbeera omugezi?”
Era na kino ne nkizuula
nga butaliimu.
162:16 Mub 1:11; 9:5Kubanga ku mugezi ne ku musirusiru tewaliwo ajjukirwa lubeerera;
mu nnaku ezirijja bombi baliba beerabirwa dda.
Okufaanana ng’omusirusiru n’omugezi naye alifa.
172:17 Mub 4:2Awo ne nkyawa obulamu kubanga buli ekikolebwa wansi w’enjuba kindeetera buyinike. Byonna butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo. 182:18 Zab 39:6; 49:10Nakyawa okutegana kwange kwonna kwe nateganamu wansi w’enjuba, kubanga byonna ndi wakubirekera oyo alinzirira mu bigere. 19Kale ani amanyi obanga aliba musajja mugezi oba musirusiru? Kyokka ye y’aliba mukama w’ebyo byonna bye nateganira nga nkozesa amagezi gange wansi w’enjuba; era na kino nakyo butaliimu. 20Awo ne nterebuka olw’okutegana kwange kwonna wansi w’enjuba. 21Kubanga oluusi omuntu ategana ng’akozesa amagezi ge n’okumanya awamu n’obukalabakalaba bwe, naye byonna ateekwa okubirekera oyo atabiteganiranga nako. Na kino nakyo butaliimu na kabi keereere. 222:22 Mub 1:3; 3:9Omuntu afuna ki mu kutegana kwe kwonna n’okukaluubirirwa mu ebyo by’ateganamu wansi w’enjuba? 232:23 Yob 5:7; 14:1; Mub 1:18Kubanga ennaku ze zonna n’okutegana kwe bijjula bulumi; era ne mu kiro omutima gwe teguwummula; na kino nakyo butaliimu.
242:24 a Mub 8:15; 1Ko 15:32 b Mub 3:22 c Mub 3:12-13; 5:17-19; 9:7-10Tewali kisingira muntu kulya na kunywa na kusanyukira mu ebyo by’akola. Na kino nkiraba, kiva mu mukono gwa Katonda, 25kubanga awatali ye, ani ayinza okulya oba asobola okusanyuka? 262:26 a Yob 27:17 b Nge 13:22Kubanga omuntu asanyusa Katonda, Katonda amuwa amagezi n’okumanya n’essanyu; naye omwonoonyi Katonda amuwa omulimu gw’okukuŋŋaanyiza oyo asanyusa Katonda. Na kino nakyo butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo.
