Ecclesiastes 7

7 ¹Better name pass fine perfume, and di day wey person die pass di day wey dem born am. ²E better make you go house wey dem dey cry for dead pass make you go house wey dem dey chop party, because na so everybody go end, and person wey dey alive suppose put am for heart. ³Sorrow better pass laugh, because face wey dey sad dey do di heart good. ⁴Di heart of person wey get sense dey for house wey dem dey cry for dead, but di heart of olodo dey for house wey dem dey enjoy. ⁵E better make you hear correction from person wey get sense pass make you hear di song of olodo. ⁶Because just like di way thorn dey crackle for under pot, na so di laugh of olodo be. Dis one too na wind wey dey pass. ⁷For true, wickedness dey turn person wey get sense to olodo, and bribe dey spoil di heart. ⁸Di end of matter better pass how e take start, and spirit wey dey patient better pass spirit wey dey do proud. ⁹No dey quick for your spirit to vex, because vex dey settle for di lap of olodo. ¹⁰No talk say, “Why di days wey don pass take better pass dis one?” Because no be sense dey make you ask dis kind question. ¹¹Sense good if e follow inheritance, e dey give advantage to dem wey dey see di sun. ^a a v11 'Dem wey dey see di sun' na Hebrew talk wey mean di people wey dey alive — dem wey still dey live. ¹²Because sense na hiding place, just as money be, but di advantage of knowledge na dis: sense dey keep di life of person wey get am. ¹³Look di work of God well: who fit straighten wetin He don make crooked? ¹⁴For di day wey things dey sweet, make you happy, and for di day wey trouble come, think am well: God don make dis one same as di oda one, so that nobody fit find out anything wey go come afta dem.

¹⁵For my days wey dey pass like wind, I don see am all: correct-and-holy man dey die inside im correct-and-holy way, and wicked man dey live long inside im evil. ¹⁶No dey too correct-and-holy pass measure, and no make yourself get sense pass measure; why you wan destroy yourself? ¹⁷No dey too wicked, and no be olodo—why you wan die before your time? ¹⁸E good make you hold dis one, and no let go of dat one too, because whoever dey fear God go comot through di two of dem. ¹⁹Sense dey make person wey get sense strong pass ten rulers wey dey inside one town. ²⁰For true, no correct-and-holy person dey for ground wey dey do good and never sin at all. ²¹Also, no put everything wey people dey talk for your heart, if not you fit hear your own servant dey curse you, ²²because your own heart know say plenty times, na you sef don curse oda people. ²³I test all dis one with sense. I talk say, “I don make up my mind say I go get sense”—but e too much for me. ²⁴Whatever dey exist dey far well-well and e deep, e deep no be small—who fit discover am? ²⁵I turn my heart to know, to search, and to look for sense and di meaning of things, and to know di evil of foolishness and di foolishness wey be craze. ²⁶I find say di woman bitter pass death: her heart na trap and net, her hands na chain. Person wey good before God go escape from her; but sinner go dey caught by her.

²⁷“See, na dis one I find,” na so di Teacher talk, “I dey add one to anoda one to find di meaning, ²⁸wey my soul still dey look for but no find. One man out of 1,000 I find, but woman among all dese ones I no find. ²⁹Look, na only dis one I find: God make mankind straight, but dem come look for plenty crooked plan.”