Ecclesiastes 3
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
Atĩrĩrĩ, o ũndũ nĩ ũrĩ ihinda rĩaguo, na o ũndũ o wothe wĩkagwo gũkũ thĩ nĩ ũrĩ mahinda maguo:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
kũrĩ hĩndĩ ya gũciarwo na hĩndĩ ya gũkua, hĩndĩ ya kũhaanda na hĩndĩ ya kũmunya kĩrĩa kĩhaande,
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
hĩndĩ ya kũũraga na hĩndĩ ya kũhonia, hĩndĩ ya gũtharia na hĩndĩ ya gwaka,
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
hĩndĩ ya kũrĩra na hĩndĩ ya gũtheka, hĩndĩ ya gũcakaya na hĩndĩ ya kũina,
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
hĩndĩ ya kũhurunja mahiga na hĩndĩ ya kũmacookanĩrĩria, hĩndĩ ya kũhĩmbĩria na hĩndĩ ya kwaga kũhĩmbĩria,
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
hĩndĩ ya gũcaria na hĩndĩ ya kũũrĩrwo nĩ indo, hĩndĩ ya kũiga, na hĩndĩ ya gũte,
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
hĩndĩ ya gũtembũra na hĩndĩ ya gũtuma, hĩndĩ ya gũkira na hĩndĩ ya kwaria,
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
hĩndĩ ya kwenda na hĩndĩ ya gũthũũra, hĩndĩ ya mbaara na hĩndĩ ya thayũ.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
Mũruti wa wĩra-rĩ, nĩ uumithio ũrĩkũ oonaga harĩ gwĩtungumania gwake?
10 I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
Nĩnyonete mathĩĩna marĩa Ngai aheete andũ nĩguo mathĩĩnĩkage nĩ mo.
11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.
Ngai oombire kĩndũ o gĩothe kĩrĩ gĩthaka hĩndĩ yakĩo. Ningĩ nĩekĩrĩte ũhoro wa tene na tene ngoro-inĩ cia andũ; no andũ matingĩhota kũmenya wĩra ũrĩa Ngai arutĩte kuuma kĩambĩrĩria nginya kĩrĩkĩrĩro.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live.
Nĩnjũũĩ atĩ gũtirĩ ũndũ ũngĩ mwega andũ mangĩĩka ũkĩrĩte gũkena na gwĩka maũndũ mega rĩrĩa rĩothe megũtũũra muoyo.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.
O na ningĩ ngamenya atĩ mũndũ o wothe angĩrĩa na anyue, na akenere gwĩtungumania gwake, kĩu nĩ kĩheo kuuma kũrĩ Ngai.
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him.
Nĩnjũũĩ atĩ ũndũ ũrĩa wothe Ngai ekaga nĩ wagũtũũra nginya tene; ndũngĩongerereka kana ũnyihanyiihe. Ngai awĩkaga nĩgeetha andũ mamwĩtigagĩre.
15 That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.
Ũrĩa gũtariĩ rĩu noguo gwatariĩ tene, na ũrĩa gũgaatuĩka thuutha-inĩ noguo gwatariĩ mbere ĩyo; nake Ngai acaragia atĩ ũndũ ũrĩa wahĩtũkire ũcooke o ro ho.
16 And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
O na ningĩ ngĩona ũndũ ũngĩ gũkũ thĩ kwaraga riũa: Handũ harĩa haatuuagĩrwo ciira-rĩ, waganu warĩ ho, na ho handũ harĩa ha kĩhooto-rĩ, waganu warĩ ho.
17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ngĩĩra atĩrĩ na ngoro yakwa, “Ngai nĩwe ũgaaciirithia andũ arĩa athingu na arĩa aaganu, tondũ nĩgũgakorwo ihinda rĩa o ũndũ o wothe wĩkagwo gũkũ thĩ, o na ihinda rĩa wĩra o wothe.”
18 I said in my heart, [It is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts.
Ningĩ ngĩĩciiria atĩrĩ, “Ha ũhoro wa andũ-rĩ, Ngai amageragia nĩgeetha mone atĩ mahaana o ta nyamũ.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.
Maũndũ marĩa makoraga mũndũ no mo makoraga nyamũ; mũndũ na nyamũ makoragwo nĩ ũndũ o ro ũmwe: O ta ũrĩa mũndũ akuuaga, noguo nyamũ ĩkuaga. Mĩhũmũ ya mũndũ na nyamũ no ĩmwe; mũndũ ndarĩ handũ akĩrĩte nyamũ. Ũndũ o wothe nĩ wa tũhũ.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Mũndũ na nyamũ mathiiaga o kũndũ kũmwe; othe moimĩte tĩĩri-inĩ, na othe macookaga o tĩĩri-inĩ.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth?
Nũũ ũũĩ kana hihi roho wa mũndũ wambataga na igũrũ, naguo roho wa nyamũ ũgaikũrũka na thĩ?”
22 Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him [back] to see what shall be after him?
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩona atĩ hatirĩ ũndũ mwega harĩ mũndũ ũkĩrĩte gũkenera wĩra wake, tondũ rĩu nĩrĩo igai rĩake. Nĩ ũndũ-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩmũcookia rĩngĩ nĩguo one ũrĩa gũgeekĩka thuutha wake?
