Oppression, toil, friendlessness
1Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed –
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors –
and they have no comforter.
2And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
3But better than both
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
4And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
5Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.
6Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
7Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8there was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
‘For whom am I toiling,’ he asked,
‘and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?’
This too is meaningless –
a miserable business!
9Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labour:
10if either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no-one to help them up.
11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement is meaningless
13Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Amaziga g’Abanyigirizibwa
14:1 a Zab 12:5; Mub 3:16 b Kgb 1:16Ate nalaba okunnyigirizibwa kwonna okukolebwa wansi w’enjuba.
Ate laba, amaziga gaabo abanyigirizibwa,
era nga tebalina wakugabasangulako!
Ababanyigiriza baalina obuyinza,
kyokka nga tewali asobola kubagambako.
24:2 a Yer 20:17-18; 22:10 b Yob 3:17; 10:18Ne ndowooza ku abo abaafa,
nga baali ba mukisa okusinga
abo abakyali abalamu;
34:3 a Yob 3:16; Mub 6:3 b Yob 3:22naye abasinga abo,
y’oyo atannaba kuzaalibwa,
atannalaba bibi
obukolebwa wansi w’enjuba.
44:4 Mub 1:14Awo ne ndaba ng’okutegana, n’okutuukiriza mu bikolebwa, kuva mu kukwatirwa obuggya muliraanwa. Na kino butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo.
54:5 Nge 6:10Omusirusiru awumba emikono gye,
ne yeezikiriza yekka.
64:6 Nge 15:16-17; 16:8Kirungi okuba n’emirembe emijjuvu
okusinga okujjula okubonaabona
n’okugoberera empewo.
7Ate era ne ndaba obutaliimu wansi w’enjuba:
84:8 Nge 27:20nalaba omuntu ng’ali bwannamunigina,
nga talina mwana wabulenzi wadde muganda we, naye ng’ategana okukamala, nga tamatira na bugagga bwe,
ne yeebuuza nti, “Nteganira ani
ne neefiiriza essanyu?
Kino nakyo butaliimu,
era tekiriiko kye kigasa.”
9Ababiri basinga omu,
kubanga bagasibwa nnyo mu kukola kwabwe.
10Kubanga singa omu agwa,
munne amuyimusa.
Naye zimusanze oyo ali obw’omu,
bw’agwa tabaako amuyimusa.
11Ababiri bwe bagalamira bombi awamu babuguma;
naye oyo ali obw’omu, ayinza atya okubuguma?
12Omu awangulwa mangu,
kyokka ababiri bayinza okwerwanako.
Kubanga omuguwa ogw’emiyondo esatu tegukutuka mangu.
13Omuvubuka omwavu nga mugezi, akira kabaka amusinga emyaka nga musirusiru, atafaayo ku kubuulirirwa. 14Omuvubuka ayinza okuba ng’avudde mu kkomera n’alya obwakabaka, oba okulya obwakabaka ng’abadde mwavu. 15Nalaba abalamu bonna abatambula wansi w’enjuba nga bagoberera omuvubuka oyo ow’okulya obwakabaka. 16Abantu be yafuganga baali bangi nnyo. Naye abo abajja oluvannyuma lwe tebaamusiima. Na kino nakyo butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo.
