¹Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.

¹[Ohabolana samy hafa ny amin'ny mahasoa ny olombelona] Tsara ny laza soa noho ny menaka manitra; ary ny andro ahaterahana tsy mahaleo ny andro ahafatesana.

²Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.

²Tsara ny mankamin'ny trano misy fisaonana noho ny mankamin'ny trano misy fanasana; fa ho amin'iny no hiafaran'ny olombelona rehetra, ary ny velona handatsaka am-po izany.

³Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.

³Tsara ny alahelo noho ny hehy; fa na dia malahelo aza ny tarehy, mety tsara ihany ny fo.[Na: faly]

⁴The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.

⁴Ny fon'ny hendry dia ao amin'ny trano misy fisaonana; fa ny fon'ny adala kosa dia ao amin'ny trano misy fifaliana.

⁵Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,

⁵Tsara ny mihaino ny anatra mafy ataon'ny hendry noho ny mihaino ny hiran'ny adala.

⁶For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.

⁶Toy ny firefodrefotry ny tsilo eo ambanin'ny vilany, dia tahaka izany ny fihomehezan'ny adala; zava-poana koa izany.

⁷Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.

⁷Fa ny fampahoriana dia mahavery saina ny hendry; ary ny kolikoly mahasimba ny fo.

⁸Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.

⁸Tsara ny iafaran'ny raharaha noho ny iandohany; tsara ny mahari-po noho ny miavanavom-panahy.

⁹Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.

⁹Aoka tsy halaky tezitra ny fanahinao; fa ny fahatezerana mitoetra ao an-tratran'ny adala.

¹⁰Say not thou, `What was it, That the former days were better than these?` For thou hast not asked wisely of this.

¹⁰Aza manao hoe: Ahoana no nahatsara ny andro taloha noho ny ankehitriny? fa tsy avy amin'ny fahendrena no anontanianao izany.

¹¹Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.

¹¹Tsara tahaka ny lova ny fahendrena, sady zava-mahasoa ho an'izay mahita masoandro izany.

¹²For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.

¹²Fa fialokalofana ny fahendrena, ary fialokalofana ny vola; ary ny mahatsara ny fahalalana dia izao: Maharo ny ain'ny manana azy ny fahendrena.

¹³See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?

¹³Saino ny asan'Andriamanitra; fa iza moa no mahahitsy izay nataony ho meloka?

¹⁴In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.

¹⁴Amin'ny andro mahafaly dia mifalia; ary amin'ny andro mahory mieritrereta; fa nampitanandrifin'Andriamanitra ireo, mba tsy hahitan'ny olona akory izay ho avy any aoriany.

¹⁵The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.

¹⁵Izao rehetra izao dia efa hitako tamin'ny androko mandalo foana: misy marina maty amin'ny hamarinany; ary misy meloka ela velona amin'ny haratsiany.

¹⁶Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?

¹⁶Aza marina loatra, ary aza miseho ho hendry loatra; nahoana noho simbanao ny tenanao?

¹⁷Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?

¹⁷Aza ratsy loatra ianao, ary aza adala; nahoana no ho faty ianao, raha tsy efa tonga ny andronao?

¹⁸[It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.

¹⁸Tsara raha mitana iroa ianao, nefa aza mampiala ny tananao amin'itsy; fa izay matahotra an'Andriamanitra dia ho afaka amin'izany rehetra izany.

¹⁹The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.

¹⁹Ny fahendrena no maharo ny hendry mihoatra noho ny mpanapaka folo ao an-tanàna.

²⁰Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.

²⁰Fa tsy misy olona marina ambonin'ny tany izay manao tsara ka tsy manota.

²¹Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.

²¹Aza mihainohaino ny teny rehetra tenenina, fandrao handre ny mpanomponao manozona anao ianao;

²²For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.

²²fa fantatry ny fonao fa na dia ny tenanao aza dia mba efa nanozona ny sasany matetika ihany koa.

²³All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, `I am wise,` and it [is] far from me.

²³Izany rehetra izany dia notsapaiko tamin'ny fahendrena. Hoy izaho: Ho hendry aho; kanjo lavitra ahy izany.

²⁴Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?

²⁴Eny, izay rehetra lavitra sady lalina dia lalina, iza no mahatakatra azy?

²⁵I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.

²⁵Nitodika aho, ka nampiasaiko ny foko hahalala sy handinika ary hitady fahendrena sy izay anton-javatra ary hahafantatra ny faharatsiana ho fahadalana, ary ny fahadalana ho fahaverezan-tsaina;

²⁶And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

²⁶ka hitako fa mangidy noho ny fahafatesana ny vehivavy, izay fandrika sy harato ny fony, sady famatorana ny tànany; nefa izay ankasitrahan'Andriamanitra dia ho afa-mandositra azy, fa ny mpanota ihany no ho azony.

²⁷See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

²⁷Indro, izany no hitako, hoy Mpitoriteny, raha nandinidinika ny zavatra tsirairay aho mba hahitana izay antony.

²⁸(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.

²⁸Izay notadiaviko koa, fa tsy hitako, dia izao: lehilahy iray no hitako ho marina tao amin'ny arivo; fa tao amin'ny vehivavy arivo dia tsy nisy hitako na dia iray akory aza.[Heb. teo amin'ireo dia tsy nisy vehivavy hitako,etc]Indro, izao ihany no hitako: nataon'Andriamanitra mahitsy ny olona, kanjo namorona sain-kafa maro izy.

²⁹See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they — they have sought out many devices.

²⁹Indro, izao ihany no hitako: nataon'Andriamanitra mahitsy ny olona, kanjo namorona sain-kafa maro izy.