1 ǂKhabab hîa ta ge ǃhūbaib ai mûb ge hâ, tsî kai sîsenǂuiba khoesib ai ūhâ. 2 Mâ-i hoa-eb ge Eloba ǃkhūsib, ǁuib tsî ǃgôasiba ra mā, tsî-i ǀguis khami ī ǃnubusi-i tsîna ūhâ tama hâ. Xaweb ge Eloba nē khoe-e nē xūna ǀamas di ǁkhāsiba mā tama hâ, tsî i ge ǃhaokhoe-e ǁîna ra ǀama. 3 Khoe-i ga ǀguikaidisi ǀgôana ūhâ tsî ǂgui kurina ûi; xawe i ge mâtikō kurina iga ûi xawe ǁî-i ūhâxūna ǀama tama i tsî ǁkhāti ǃamkuse ǁkhōhe tama i, o-i ge ǁō hâse ǃnae hâ ǀgôaro-e ǁî-i ǃgâ-ai nî ǃgôahe. 4 ǁAuse i ra hās ǁkhās khami i ge ǃkhaenab ǃnâ nî bē, tsîs ge ǀons â-e ǃkhaenab ǃnâ sâusâsase nî hâ. 5 ǁÎ-i ge tātsēs tsîna tsēs di ǃnâba mû tamas ka io ûib mâti tsâsa ǂan tama hâ, xawe i ge toxopa ǁnā khoe-i ûib â-e ge ǀama tama hâ i-i ǃgâ-ai go sâ. 6 ǀGam ǃnāra di ǀoadisi kuriga iga ûi tsî i ga xawe ǃgâi xūna mû tama i xawen ge hoa ǀgamna ǀgui ǃkhaibǀî ǀgui ra ǃgû.
7 ǂÛs ǃaroma iga khoe-e ǀhupuǀhupusen
xaweb ge ǁî-i di turaba tātsē ǂâu tama hâ.
8 O mâsa gā-ai khoeb di harebesa,
gâb dis ǃoagu.
Tare xū-e i ǀgâsaba ra harebeba
mâti naun aiǃâ ǃgûsab ga ǂano?
9 Khoe-i ra mû-i
ge ǁî-i ra tura-i ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi;
nēs tsîn ge a harebeoǃnâ tsî ǂoaba saurus khami ī.
10 Khoe-i hîa kurusa-i hoa-i ge ǂansa tsî ǀonsa ūhâ,
tsîs ge ǁî-i a khoe ǃkhaisa a ǂansa.
ǁÎb ge ǀgaisa khoeb ǃoagu hâ ǂnoagusa a dan ǁoa.
11 Mîdi ra ǂguis ǁkhās khamib ge
harebeoǃnâsiba ra ǀarosen.
O mâ harebesas ǁnāsa khoesiba ūba hâ.
12 Tari-e a ǂan tare-eb khoesiba ǁî-i di ûib ǃnâ ūhâsa? ǁÎ-i ûitsēdi di harebeoǃnâsiba i ge sommi khami ra hâǃkharu.
1 I have noticed that in this world a serious injustice is done. 2 God will give us wealth, honor, and property, yes, everything we want, but then will not let us enjoy it. Some stranger will enjoy it instead. It is useless, and it just isn't right. 3 We may have a hundred children and live a long time, but no matter how long we live, if we do not get our share of happiness and do not receive a decent burial, then I say that a baby born dead is better off. 4 It does that baby no good to be born; it disappears into darkness, where it is forgotten. 5 It never sees the light of day or knows what life is like, but at least it has found rest— 6 more so than the man who never enjoys life, though he may live two thousand years. After all, both of them are going to the same place.
7 We do all our work just to get something to eat, but we never have enough. 8 How are the wise better off than fools? What good does it do the poor to know how to face life? 9 It is useless; it is like chasing the wind. It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.
10 Everything that happens was already determined long ago, and we all know that you cannot argue with someone who is stronger than you. 11 The longer you argue, the more useless it is, and you are no better off. 12 How can anyone know what is best for us in this short, useless life of ours—a life that passes like a shadow? How can we know what will happen in the world after we die?
