Ecclesiastes 2
1 [Then] I said to myself, “Okay, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy.” But I found out that doing that was also useless/senseless.
Megblɔ na ɖokuinye be, “Enyo, kpɔ dzidzɔ eye nàɖu agbe azɔ, abe ale si nàte ŋui ene.” Ke mekpɔe be esia hã nye tofloko ko
2 [So] I said [to myself], “It is foolish to laugh [all the time], and continually doing what I enjoy does not seem to bring any lasting benefit.”
elabena megblɔ be enye movidzɔdzɔ be woanɔ nu kom ɖaa; nyui kae doa go tso eme?
3 [So], after thinking a lot about it, I decided to (cheer myself/cause myself to be happy) by drinking [a lot of] wine. [So] while I was still trying to be wise, I decided to do things that [many] people do to be happy during the short time that they are alive on the earth.
Ale le tamebubu geɖe megbe la, meɖo be matsɔ ahanono ado dzidzɔ na ɖokuinye, gake maganɔ nunya yome tim. Medi be malé bometsitsi ɖe asi goŋgoŋgoŋ va se ɖe esime madze si nu si anyo na amegbetɔwo be woawɔ le dziƒoa te le woƒe ŋkeke sue si me woanɔ agbe la.
4 I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
Mewɔ nu gãwo na ɖokuinye: metu xɔwo, mede waingblewo,
5 I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
mewɔ abɔwo kple yaxɔƒewo, medo atiwo kple kutsetseti ɖe sia ɖe ƒomevi ɖe wo me.
6 I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
Meɖe tsitawo ale be mate ŋu aku tsi tso wo me ade ati siwo medo ɖe ave aɖe me.
7 I bought male and female slaves, and babies [who later became my slaves] were born in my palace. I also owned more livestock than any of the previous kings in Jerusalem had owned.
Meƒle kluviwo kple kosiwo, eye wodzi ɖewo le nye ŋutɔ nye aƒe me. Nyiwo kple alẽwo sɔ gbɔ ɖe asinye fũu wu fia siwo nɔ Yerusalem do ŋgɔ nam la si.
8 I also accumulated large amounts of silver and gold [that were paid to me] from the treasures of kings and rulers of provinces. [I hired] men and women to sing for me, and I had many (concubines/slave wives) who gave me [much] pleasure [EUP].
Mena fiawo kple dutatɔwo dzɔ klosalo kple sika nam. Meɖo ŋutsuwo kple nyɔnuwo ƒe hadzihawo, kpẽkuhawo kple ʋuƒohawo da ɖi. Hekpe ɖe esiawo ŋu la, nye ahiãviwo dze tugbe, eye wosɔ gbɔ fũu.
9 So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
Ale mexɔ ŋkɔ wu Fia bubu ɖe sia ɖe si nɔ Yerusalem kpɔ. Gawu la, meke ŋku ɖi be mate ŋu ade dzesi nu siawo katã ƒe asixɔxɔ.
10 I got everything [LIT] that I [SYN] saw and wanted. I did everything [LIT] that I thought would enable me to be happy. All those things that I [SYN] enjoyed were [like] a reward for all my hard work.
Mewɔ nu sia nu si dze ŋunye eye nyemehe ɖokuinye ɖa tso dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ aɖeke ƒomevi gbɔ o. Dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ gɔ̃ hã do dzidzɔ nam. Le nyateƒe me la, dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ sia koe nye nye agbagbadzedzewo katã ƒe fetu.
11 [But] then I thought about all the hard work that I [SYN] had done [to get all those things], and none of it seems to bring any lasting benefit [DOU]. It was all [like] chasing the wind.
Ke esi melé ŋku ɖe nu siwo katã mete kpɔ ŋu la, medze sii be wo katã nye tofloko kple yamenu ko, eye viɖe aɖeke mele naneke ŋu le afi aɖeke o.
12 Then I started to think about being wise, and [also about] being foolish [DOU]. [I said to myself, “I certainly do not think that] [RHQ] the next king will be able to do anything better than I can.”
Azɔ la, meɖo be malé ŋku ɖe nunya, tsukuku kple bometsitsi ŋu, elabena nu bubu ka ame si ava ɖe fia yome la ate ŋu awɔ? Nu si tututu wowɔ va yi la koe!
13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
Mekpɔe be viɖe le nunya ŋu wu bometsitsi abe ale si kekeli nyo wu viviti ene.
14 [because] wise people [walk in the daylight and] [IDM] can see where they are going, but foolish people walk in the darkness [and cannot see where they are going].” But I [also] realized that both wise people and foolish people eventually die.
Nunyala kpɔa nu le esime bometsila zɔa viviti me. Ke mede dzesii be nu ɖeka ma ke koe dzɔna ɖe nunyala kple bometsila siaa dzi.
15 So I said to myself, “I am very wise, but I will [die at the end of my life], like foolish people do. So (how has it benefited me to be very wise?/it certainly has not benefited me to be very wise [RHQ]). I do not understand why [people consider that] it is valuable to be wise.
Eya ta megblɔ le nye dzi me be ale si bometsila aku la, nenema tututue nye hã makue, eya ta viɖe kae le nunya ŋu nam? Medze sii azɔ be nunya gɔ̃ hã, toflokoe;
16 Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
elabena nunyala kple bometsila siaa le kuku ge eye woaŋlɔ wo ame eveawo be keŋkeŋ le ŋkeke siwo gbɔna la me.
17 So I hated being alive, because everything that we do here on the earth [MTY] distresses me. It all seems to be useless [like] chasing the wind.
Eya ta azɔ la, melé fu agbenɔnɔ blibo la, elabena susu aɖeke mele nu siwo wowɔna le ɣea te la dometɔ aɖeke me o, elabena wo katã nye tofloko kple dagbadagba ɖe yame ko.
18 I [also began to] hate all the hard work that I had done, because [when I die], everything [that I have acquired] will belong to the next king.
Nu si gate ɖe dzinyee nye magblẽ nye dagbadagbawo katã ƒe metsonu ɖi na ame bubuwo.
19 And (who/no one) knows [RHQ] whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.
Ame kae anya do ŋgɔ ne vinye ŋutsu anye nunyala loo alo bometsila? Evɔa, ele be woatsɔ nu sia nu si le asinye la nɛ! Esia hã nye tofloko ko!
20 I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
Ale metrɔ be mana dzi naɖe le ƒonye le dɔ siwo katã mewɔ le ɣea te la ŋu,
21 Some people work wisely and skillfully, using the things that they have learned. But [when they die], they leave everything, and someone who has not worked hard acquires those things. And that also [seemed to] be senseless and caused me to be discouraged.
elabena ame aɖe li si tsɔ nunya kple gɔmesese kple aɖaŋu wɔ eƒe dɔe, ke ele nɛ be wòagblẽ nu siwo wòkpɔ tso dɔwɔwɔ me la ɖi na ame aɖe si mewɔ naneke kura tso dɔ la ŋu o la, woazu etɔ. Esia hã anye tofloko kple nu vɔ̃ɖi aɖe
22 So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
elabena nu ka ame kpɔna tso eƒe dagbadagba kple eƒe dzi ƒe agbagbadzedze le dɔ siwo katã wòwɔna le ɣea te ŋu la me?
23 Every day the work that they do causes them to experience pain and to be worried. And during the night, their minds are not able to rest. That also is very frustrating.
Kpɔ ɖa, eƒe ŋkekewo katã nye vevesese ko eye eƒe dɔwɔwɔwo katã nye nuxaxa ko. Le zã me gɔ̃ hã la, eƒe dzi mekpɔa gbɔdzɔe o. Esia gɔ̃ hã nye tofloko ko.
24 [So I decided that] the best thing that we can do is to enjoy what we eat and drink, and [also] enjoy our work. And I realized that those things are what God intends for us.
Ale metso nya me be naneke meli si nyo na amegbetɔ wu be wòaɖu nu, ano nu eye wòana eƒe luʋɔ nakpɔ dzidzɔ le eƒe agbagbadzedzewo ŋu o. Mekpɔe be esia hã, Mawu ƒe asimee wòtsona,
25 There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
elabena ame kae ate ŋu ato Mawu megbe aɖu nu alo aɖu agbe?
26 God enables those who please him to be wise, to know [many things], and to enjoy [many things]. But if sinful people work hard and become rich, God [can] take their money away from them and give it to those who please him. But that also is something that is difficult for me to understand. [Their working hard seems] useless, [like] chasing the wind.
Elabena Mawu naa nunya, gɔmesese kple dzidzɔ ame siwo ŋu wòkpɔ ŋudzedze le, ke etsɔa dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ na nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo be woaƒo ƒu nu alo ali kɔ nu, ale be Mawu natsɔ wo ana ame si dze eŋu. Ale eme kɔ ƒãa be esia hã nye tofloko kple dagbadagba ɖe yame ko ƒe kpɔɖeŋu.
