Ecclesiastes 2:1-26
2 Then mi sei insaed heart blo mi: “Mi trae for enjoyim laef* firstaem and lukim sapos eni gud samting kamaot from datwan.” Bat lukim, datwan tu hem iusles nomoa!
2 Mi sei olsem abaotem wei for laflaf, “Hem karangge samting!”
And abaotem wei for enjoyim laef,* “Hao, eni gud samting lo diswan tu?”
3 Mi disaed for traem wine firstaem, bat mi no drink gogo mi lusim wisdom blo mi. Mi duim tu olketa karangge samting for faendaot wat nao best samting for olketa man duim lo tu-thri day wea olketa laef anda lo skae.
4 Mi duim olketa big samting. Mi buildim olketa haos for miseleva, mi plantim olketa grape planteison for miseleva.
5 Mi wakem olketa garden and olketa park for miseleva, and mi plantim lo there evri difren kaen tree wea savve garem frut.
6 Mi wakem olketa pool wata for miseleva, for watarem olketa smol tree wea grow insaed lo forest.
7 Mi garem staka man and woman servant, and mi garem olketa servant wea born insaed lo haos* blo mi. Mi garem tu staka animal, olketa buluka, olketa sheepsheep, and olketa goat. Mi garem staka samting winim eniwan wea rul firstaem lo mi lo Jerusalem.
8 Mi hipimap staka silver and gold for miseleva, olketa treasure* blo olketa king and blo olketa province. Mi garem olketa man and woman singer blo mi, and tu, samting wea savve mekem olketa man hapi fogud, hem nao woman, yes, staka woman.
9 So mi rich winim eni narawan wea stap bifor mi lo Jerusalem. And wisdom blo mi evritaem helpem mi.
10 Eniting wea mi laek duim, mi duim.* Mi no stopem heart blo mi for kasem eniting wea bae mekem hem hapi, bikos heart blo mi hapi lo evri hard waka blo mi, and diswan nao reward* blo mi for evri hard waka wea mi duim.
11 Bat taem mi ting abaotem evri waka wea mi duim witim own hand blo mi and evriting wea mi waka hard for duim, mi lukim evri samting hem iusles nomoa, hem olsem man aftarem wind. No eni gud samting anda lo sun hem stap for olowe.
12 Then mi study abaotem wisdom, karangge fasin, and stupid samting. (Bikos wat nomoa eniwan wea rul bihaen lo king savve duim? Bae hem duim nomoa wat olketa duim finis.)
13 And mi luksavve dat for wise hem gud winim for stupid, olsem laet hem gud winim darkness.
14 Man wea wise eye blo hem stap lo hed blo hem.* Bat man wea stupid hem wakabaot lo darkness. And tu, mi luksavve dat tufala evriwan bae kasem sem samting nomoa lo end.
15 So mi sei insaed heart blo mi: “Wat bae happen lo stupid man bae happen lo mi tu.” Wat gud samting nomoa mi kasem taem mi barava wise? So mi sei insaed heart blo mi: “Diswan tu hem iusles nomoa.”
16 No eniwan bae rememberim wise man or stupid man for olowe. Gogo, olketa bae no rememberim eniwan lo tufala. And hao nao bae wise man dae? Hem bae dae olsem stupid man tu.
17 So gogo mi heitim laef, bikos evriting wea olketa man duim anda lo sun hem mekem mi wari fogud, from evriting iusles nomoa, hem olsem man aftarem wind nomoa.
18 Gogo, mi heitim evriting wea mi waka hard for kasem anda lo sun, bikos mi mas lusim evriting hia for samwan wea laef bihaen lo mi.
19 And hu nao savve sapos bae man hia wise or stupid? Nomata olsem, hem bae kontrolem evri samting wea mi iusim strong and wisdom blo mi for kasem anda lo sun. Diswan tu hem iusles nomoa.
20 So heart blo mi sorre tumas taem mi tingim evri hard waka wea mi duim anda lo sun.
21 Bikos wanfala man savve iusim wisdom and knowledge and skill blo hem for waka hard, bat hem mas givim share* blo hem for man wea nating waka hard nomoa for datwan. Diswan tu hem iusles and barava sorre samting.*
22 Hao, man savve kasem eniting tu from hard waka blo hem and strong tingting* wea mekem hem waka hard anda lo sun?
23 Bikos for full laef blo hem waka blo hem mekem hem kasem pain and hem wari fogud, and nomata lo naet tu heart blo hem nating rest. Diswan tu hem iusles nomoa.
24 No eni samting hem beta winim for man kaikai and drink and enjoyim* hard waka blo hem. Mi luksavve diswan tu hem from hand blo tru God,
25 bikos hu nao kaikaim and hu nao drinkim gud samting winim mi?
26 Tru God hem givim wisdom and knowledge and hapi lo man wea mekem hem hapi, bat lo man wea duim sin, God givim waka for hipim and kolektem samting for givim lo man wea mekem hem hapi. Diswan tu hem iusles nomoa, hem olsem man hem aftarem wind.
Olketa footnote
^ Or, “hapi.”
^ Or, “hapi.”
^ Heb., “olketa son blo haos.”
^ Or, “property.”
^ Heb., “Mi duim eniting wea eye blo mi askem.”
^ Or, “share.”
^ Or, “open.”
^ Or, “evriting.”
^ Or, “bigfala trabol.”
^ Or, “heart.”
^ Or, “mekem soul blo hem for lukim gud samting from.”
