Ecclesiastes 3

NIV — New International Version Bible (NIV)

NA-TWI — Nkwa Asem (NA-TWI)

Verse 1

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

Me nuanom, ɛnyɛ mo nyinaa na ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ akyerɛkyerɛfo, efisɛ, munim sɛ yɛn akyerɛkyerɛfo de sɛ yɛfom a, wobebu yɛn atɛn a emu yɛ den sen afoforo.

Verse 2

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Yɛn nyinaa taa yɛ mfomso. Onipa a ɔnyɛ mfomso wɔ nea ɔka mu no yɛ pɛ a obetumi ahyɛ ne nipadua no so.

Verse 3

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

Yɛde nnareka to ɔpɔnkɔ anom sɛnea obetie yɛn na yɛatumi ama wakɔ baabiara a yɛpɛ sɛ ɔkɔ.

Verse 4

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Anaasɛ dwen hyɛn ho: sɛnea ne kɛse te a mframa a ano yɛ den na ɛbɔ no nanso wotumi de kudɔɔ ketewaa bi na ɛdandan no ma ɛkɔ baabi a ɔhyɛnkafo no pɛ sɛ ɛkɔ.

Verse 5

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

Saa ara na tɛkrɛma te: ne ketewa yi nyinaa akyi, etumi hoahoa nneɛma akɛse. Hwɛ sɛnea ogya ketewaa bi tumi hyew kwae kɛse.

Verse 6

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

Tɛkrɛma te sɛ ogya. Ɛyɛ wiase bi wɔ onipa akwaa mu a ɛyɛ bɔne. Ɛsɛe nipadua no na amanehunu huru to nipadua no nyinaa mu gya ma ɛdɛw framfram.

Verse 7

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

Onipa tumi dwudwo mmoadoma, nnomaa, mmoa a wɔwea fam, ɛpo mu mmoa nyinaa

Verse 8

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

nanso obiara rentumi nnwudwo tɛkrɛma da. Ɛyɛ bɔne a ɔnhome so na awuduru ahyɛ no ma.

Verse 9

What do workers gain from their toil?

Yɛde tɛkrɛma kamfo yɛn Awurade ne yɛn Agya na yɛde ɛno ara nso adome nnipa a wɔbɔɔ wɔn Onyankopɔn sɛso so.

Verse 10

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

Ano koro no ara mu na nkamfo ne nnome fi ba. Me nuanom, ɛnsɛ sɛ ɛba saa.

Verse 11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Nsu pa ne nsu a ɛyɛ nkyenenkyene betumi afi asuti baako mu aba?

Verse 12

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

Me nuanom, akutu betumi asow paya dua aba? Anaasɛ bobe betumi asow akutu? Saa ara na asuti a ɛyɛ nkyenenkyene remma nsu pa.

Nyansa a efi soro

Verse 13

That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Obi wɔ mo mu a onim nyansa na ɔwɔ ntease? Ɛsɛ sɛ ɔnam abrabɔ pa, nnwuma pa a wɔnam ahobrɛase ne nyansa so da no adi.

Verse 14

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Na sɛ mowɔ nitan, mansotwe ne pɛsɛmenkominya wɔ mo koma mu a, ɛnne ɛnsɛ sɛ mohoahoa mo ho, nam so ka nkontompo tia nokware.

Verse 15

Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.^[b]

Saa nyansa yi mfi soro na ɛbae. Ɛyɛ wiase nyansa na ɛyɛ hohommɔne nso.

Verse 16

And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

Baabiara a nitan ne pɛsɛmenkominya wɔ no, basabasa ne bɔne ahorow nyinaa bi wɔ hɔ.

Verse 17

I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”

Nanso nyansa a efi soro no yɛ kronn; asomdwoe wɔ mu, edwo na ɛwɔ nidɔ; ɛwɔ ahummɔbɔ na nneyɛe pa fi mu ba; ennye akyinnye na ɛnyɛ nyaatwom nso.

Verse 18

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.

Na ɛsow aba pa a efi aba a asomdwoefo duaa no asomdwoe mu no.

Verse 19

Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath^[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.

— not in NA-TWI

Verse 20

All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

— not in NA-TWI

Verse 21

Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

— not in NA-TWI

Verse 22

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

— not in NA-TWI