Ecclesiastes
2 Then I talk for inside my heart say: “Make I try enjoyment and see the good thing wey go come out from inside.” But see! that one dey useless too.
2 I talk about laugh say, “This one na madness!”
And I talk about enjoyment say, “E get any gain?”
3 I enjoy myself with wine to find out with my heart which better thing fit come out of-am, but for all this time my sense dey with me; I even do foolish things to find out wetin be the best thing wey people fit do for the short life* wey them go live under the heavens. 4 I do big-big things. I build houses for myself; I plant vine farms for myself. 5 I make gardens and enjoyment parks for myself, and I plant different-different kind of trees wey de produce fruit for inside them. 6 I make pools wey water dey inside for myself to connect water to small-small trees* wey de grow. 7 I gather man and woman servants, and I get servants wey them born for my house.* I still buy plenty animals—cow, sheep, and goats—pass anybody wey be dey before me for Jerusalem. 8 I gather silver and gold for myself, the better-better things from* kings and from the areas wey them de rule. I gather men and women wey de sing for myself and I still gather wetin de really make men happy, wey be woman, yes, plenty women.* 9 So I come be big man and I big pass anybody wey be dey before me for Jerusalem. And my sense dey with me.
10 E no get anything wey hungry me* wey I no give myself. E no get any kind of enjoyment wey my heart want wey I no give-am, so I get joy for my heart because of all my hard work, and na this one be my reward* for all my hard work. 11 But when I think about all the things wey my hand don do and all the hard work wey I don suffer do, I see say everything dey useless, na breeze person de run follow; nothing dey wey really get value* under the sun.
12 Then I start to think about sense and madness and foolishness. (So, wetin person wey come after the king fit do? Na only wetin them don already do.) 13 And I see say to get sense better pass to dey foolish, just like light better pass darkness.
14 The eyes of person wey get sense dey for im head;* but stupid person de waka for inside darkness. I don still see say na the same thing de happen to all of them.* 15 Then I talk for inside my heart say: “Wetin happen to stupid person go still happen to me.” So, wetin I gain as my sense too much? So I talk for inside my heart say: “This one dey useless too.” 16 Because whether person get sense or e stupid, them no go remember-am forever. As time de go, them go forget everybody. And how person wey get sense go die? Na the same way like stupid person.
17 So I come hate life, because everything wey them de do under the sun just de worry me, because everything dey useless, na breeze person de run follow. 18 I come hate everything wey I don really work hard to get under the sun, because I must leave-am for person wey de come after me. 19 And who know whether e go get sense or dey foolish? But e go still take over everything wey I don really work hard for and use sense to get under the sun. This one dey useless too. 20 So e start to really pain me for my heart, because of all the hard work wey I don suffer do under the sun. 21 Because person fit use im sense, the things wey e know and the things wey e sabi do, to work hard, but e must give wetin e don gain* to person wey no work for this things. This one dey useless too, and na big problem.*
22 Wetin person de really gain from all im hard work and wetin de move-am* to work hard under the sun? 23 Because for all the time wey e dey alive, im work de cause-am pain and de make-am vex, and even for night, im heart no de rest. This one dey useless too.
24 Nothing better pass for person than say make e chop and drink and enjoy* im hard work. I don see say this one too na from the hand of the true God, 25 after all, who chop and who drink pass me?
26 For person wey de do wetin the true God like, God de give-am sense, e de make-am know things, and de make-am happy. But the work wey God de give person wey be sinner na to de gather and just de collect things to give the person wey de do wetin God like. This one dey useless too, na breeze person de run follow.