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Amasanyu Tegagasa

(A)Nayogera munda yange nti, “Jjangu kaakano ngezese okusanyuka. Weesanyuse.” Naye laba, na kino kyali butaliimu. (B)Nagamba nti, “Okuseka busirusiru. Era okusanyuka kugasa ki?” (C)Nanoonyereza 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.

(D)Natandikawo emirimu egy’amaanyi: ne neezimbira amayumba ne neesimbira ennimiro ez’emizabbibu. Ne neerimira ennimiro, ne neekolera n’ebifo ebigazi, ne nsimbamu buli ngeri ya miti egy’ebibala. Ne neesimira ebidiba omuva amazzi ag’okufukirira ebibira by’emiti emito. Neefunira 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. (E)Ne 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. (F)Ne nfuuka mukulu ne nsukkirira bonna abansooka mu Yerusaalemi. Mu ebyo byonna nasigala siweebuuse mu magezi.

10 Na 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.
11 (G)Awo 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

12 (H)Awo 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?
13 (I)Awo ne ndaba amagezi nga gasinga obusirusiru,
    n’ekitangaala nga kisinga ekizikiza.
14 (J)Omugezi amaaso ge gali mu mutwe gwe,
    naye atalina magezi atambulira mu kizikiza.
Kyokka ne ntegeera
    nga bombi akabi kabatuukako.

15 (K)Ne ndyoka njogera mu mutima gwange nti,

“Ekyo ekigwa ku musirusiru nange kirintuukako.
    Kale lwaki mbeera omugezi?”
Era na kino ne nkizuula
    nga butaliimu.
16 (L)Kubanga ku mugezi ne ku musirusiru tewaliwo ajjukirwa lubeerera;
    mu nnaku ezirijja bombi baliba beerabirwa dda.
Okufaanana ng’omusirusiru n’omugezi naye alifa.

17 (M)Awo ne nkyawa obulamu kubanga buli ekikolebwa wansi w’enjuba kindeetera buyinike. Byonna butaliimu na kugoberera mpewo. 18 (N)Nakyawa okutegana kwange kwonna kwe nateganamu wansi w’enjuba, kubanga byonna ndi wakubirekera oyo alinzirira mu bigere. 19 Kale 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. 20 Awo ne nterebuka olw’okutegana kwange kwonna wansi w’enjuba. 21 Kubanga 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. 22 (O)Omuntu afuna ki mu kutegana kwe kwonna n’okukaluubirirwa mu ebyo by’ateganamu wansi w’enjuba? 23 (P)Kubanga ennaku ze zonna n’okutegana kwe bijjula bulumi; era ne mu kiro omutima gwe teguwummula; na kino nakyo butaliimu.

24 (Q)Tewali kisingira muntu kulya na kunywa na kusanyukira mu ebyo by’akola. Na kino nkiraba, kiva mu mukono gwa Katonda, 25 kubanga awatali ye, ani ayinza okulya oba asobola okusanyuka? 26 (R)Kubanga 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.

Pleasures Are Meaningless

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—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.

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(E) and planted vineyards.(F) I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(G) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold(H) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(I) I acquired male and female singers,(J) and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(K) before me.(L) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(M)
    nothing was gained under the sun.(N)

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.(O)
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?(P)
13 I saw that wisdom(Q) is better than folly,(R)
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.(S)

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”(T)
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(U)
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(V)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(W)

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So 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.(X) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(Y) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(Z) 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. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor 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. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AA) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AB) even at night their minds do not rest.(AC) This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AD) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(AE) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(AF) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(AG) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(AH) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(AI) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(AJ) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.