Ecclesiastes 5
1 When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.
Ne èle gegem ɖe gbedoxɔ me la, ke wò towo ɖi eye nàmia wò nu! Mèganye bometsila si menyana gɔ̃ hã be enye nu vɔ̃ be nàɖe adzɔgbe na Mawu tamemabumabutɔe o,
2 Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].
Wò nu megatsɔ blablabla o, eye wò dzi megatsɔ ne wòaƒo nu le Mawu ŋkume o, elabena Mawu le dziƒo ke, le esime wò ya nèle anyigba dzi le afii eya ta mègaƒo nu blablabla o.
3 If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.
Abe ale si hloloetsotso fũu akpa nana wokua drɔ̃e vɔ̃wo ene la, nenema kee bometsitsi nana woƒoa nukpoloe.
4 When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.
Eya ta ne èɖe adzɔgbe na Mawu be yeawɔ nane la, mègahe nua wɔwɔ ɖe megbe o, elabena Mawu mekpɔa dzidzɔ le bometsilawo ŋu o. Wɔ wò adzɔgbeɖeɖe dzi nɛ.
5 It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.
Ne èzi kpi, mèdo ŋugbe be yeawɔ nane o la, enyo sãa wu be nàdo ŋugbe be yeawɔ nane eye nàgbe ewɔwɔ.
6 Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.
Mègana wò nu nakplɔ wò de nu vɔ̃ me o eye mègagblɔ na dɔtsɔla si le gbedoxɔ me be, “Vodadae nye nye adzɔgbeɖeɖe” o. Nu ka ta Mawu ado dɔmedzoe le nya si nègblɔ ta eye wòagblẽ nu si nèwɔ kple asi?
7 Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].
Gɔmesese mele drɔ̃ekuku geɖewo kple nya sɔgbɔwo me o eya ta nɔ anyi le Mawuvɔvɔ̃ me.
8 Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],
Ne èkpɔ wole ame dahe aɖe tem ɖe to eye womedrɔ̃ ʋɔnu dzɔdzɔe nɛ o le teƒe aɖe le anyigba blibo la dzi la, mègana wòawɔ nuku na wò o elabena amegã ɖe sia ɖe le tatɔ aɖe te eye ame bubuwo gale tatɔawo hã tame.
9 and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.
Fia la le ame siawo katã tame. Oo, ɖe woakpɔ fia aɖe wòatsɔ eɖokui aɖo anyi ɖe dukɔa ƒe nyonyo ta hafi. Eya koe ate ŋu ahe ɖoɖo ade tɔtɔ sia me.
10 Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.
Ame si lɔ̃a ga la, makpɔ ga wòasɔ gbɔ nɛ, adze eŋu gbeɖe o. Enye bometsitsi be ame nabu be kesinɔnuwoe naa dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ ame!
11 The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).
Ale si nèkpɔ ga wòsɔ gbɔe la, nenema tututue wò gaŋudɔwɔwɔ hã anɔ; ekema nu nyui kae le gakpɔkpɔ ŋu? Ɖewohĩ nu nyui si le gakpɔkpɔ ŋu koe nye nàkpɔ ga la wòaƒu du ato wò asibidɛwo dome adzo le gbɔwò!
12 Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.
Ame dahe si wɔa dɔ sesĩe la, dɔa alɔ̃ nyuie ne eɖu nu sue aɖe alo ne eɖu nu fũu, ke kesinɔtɔwo ya tsia dzimaɖi eye womekpɔa alɔ̃ dɔna o.
13 I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,
Mekpɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi gã aɖe le ɣea te: eyae nye kesinɔnu si woli kɔe da ɖi wòva zu nuveviwɔame na nutɔ
14 [because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.
alo kesinɔnu si wobu to dzɔgbevɔ̃e me, ale be ne viŋutsu le amea si la, naneke matsi anyi na viŋutsu la o.
15 When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.
Ame si ɖoa ŋu ɖe dɔwɔna sia tɔgbi ŋu la, trɔna kaba yia ahedada me, afi si wòdze dɔa gɔme tsoe.
16 That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].
Abe ale si megblɔ do ŋgɔ ene la: Nya sia nye nya sesẽ aɖe, elabena amea ƒe dagbadagba sia katã va zua tofloko kple ayadɔwɔwɔ ko. Eƒe nuwo katã buna.
17 [Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).
Eƒe gome le eƒe agbemeŋkeke mamlɛawo katã me la zua viviti, dziɖeleameƒo, dadaƒu kple dɔmedzoedodo.
18 So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.
Ke nu ɖeka pɛ ya nyo, eyae nye wòaɖu nu nyuie, ano wain kɔŋkɔ gã ɖeka, ana eƒe ɖoƒe le agbe me nadze eŋu eye wòana dɔ sia dɔ si wòwɔna la nado dzidzɔ nɛ to ɣeyiɣi si me Mawu ana wòanɔ agbe la me.
19 If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.
Gawu la, ne Mawu na kesinɔnuwo kple nunɔamesiwo ame aɖe eye wòna amenuvevee be wòaɖui, axɔ nu si nye etɔ gome eye wòakpɔ dzidzɔ le eƒe dɔwɔwɔ me la, nunanae wònye tso Mawu gbɔ.
20 Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.
Ƒãa hafi wòbua eƒe agbemeŋkekewo ŋu. Mawu naa eƒe susu nɔa dzidzɔ si le eƒe dzi me la ŋu ɣeawo katã ɣi.
