اَلْجَامِعَةِ 9

١ 1 لِأَنَّ هَذَا كُلَّهُ جَعَلْتُهُ فِي قَلْبِي، وَٱمْتَحَنْتُ هَذَا كُلَّهُ: أَنَّ ٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلْحُكَمَاءَ وَأَعْمَالَهُمْ فِي يَدِ ٱللهِ. ٱلْإِنْسَانُ لَا يَعْلَمُ حُبًّا وَلَا بُغْضًا. ٱلْكُلُّ أَمَامَهُمُ.

I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.

٢ 2 ٱلْكُلُّ عَلَى مَا لِلْكُلِّ. حَادِثَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ لِلصِّدِّيقِ وَلِلشِّرِّيرِ، لِلصَّالِحِ وَلِلطَّاهِرِ وَلِلنَّجِسِ، لِلذَّابِحِ وَلِلَّذِي لَا يَذْبَحُ، كَٱلصَّالِحِ ٱلْخَاطِئُ. ٱلْحَالِفُ كَٱلَّذِي يَخَافُ ٱلْحَلْفَ.

[But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.

٣ 3 هَذَا أَشَرُّ كُلِّ مَا عُمِلَ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ: أَنَّ حَادِثَةً وَاحِدَةً لِلْجَمِيعِ. وَأَيْضًا قَلْبُ بَنِي ٱلْبَشَرِ مَلآنُ مِنَ ٱلشَّرِّ، وَٱلْحَمَاقَةُ فِي قَلْبِهِمْ وَهُمْ أَحْيَاءٌ، وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يَذْهَبُونَ إِلَى ٱلْأَمْوَاتِ.

It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.

٤ 4 لِأَنَّهُ مَنْ يُسْتَثْنَى؟ لِكُلِّ ٱلْأَحْيَاءِ يُوجَدُ رَجَاءٌ، فَإِنَّ ٱلْكَلْبَ ٱلْحَيَّ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْأَسَدِ ٱلْمَيْتِ.

While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.

٥ 5 لِأَنَّ ٱلْأَحْيَاءَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ سَيَمُوتُونَ، أَمَّا ٱلْمَوْتَى فَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا، وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ بَعْدُ لِأَنَّ ذِكْرَهُمْ نُسِيَ.

We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.

٦ 6 وَمَحَبَّتُهُمْ وَبُغْضَتُهُمْ وَحَسَدُهُمْ هَلَكَتْ مُنْذُ زَمَانٍ، وَلَا نَصِيبَ لَهُمْ بَعْدُ إِلَى ٱلْأَبَدِ، فِي كُلِّ مَا عُمِلَ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ.

[While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.

٧ 7 اِذْهَبْ كُلْ خُبْزَكَ بِفَرَحٍ، وَٱشْرَبْ خَمْرَكَ بِقَلْبٍ طَيِّبٍ، لِأَنَّ ٱللهَ مُنْذُ زَمَانٍ قَدْ رَضِيَ عَمَلَكَ.

[So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.

٨ 8 لِتَكُنْ ثِيَابُكَ فِي كُلِّ حِينٍ بَيْضَاءَ، وَلَا يُعْوِزْ رَأْسَكَ ٱلدُّهْنُ.

Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.

٩ 9 اِلْتَذَّ عَيْشًا مَعَ ٱلْمَرْأَةِ ٱلَّتِي أَحْبَبْتَهَا كُلَّ أَيَّامِ حَيَاةِ بَاطِلِكَ ٱلَّتِي أَعْطَاكَ إِيَّاهَا تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ، كُلَّ أَيَّامِ بَاطِلِكَ، لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ نَصِيبُكَ فِي ٱلْحَيَاةِ وَفِي تَعَبِكَ ٱلَّذِي تَتْعَبُهُ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ.

Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.

١٠ 10 كُلُّ مَا تَجِدُهُ يَدُكَ لِتَفْعَلَهُ فَٱفْعَلْهُ بِقُوَّتِكَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ وَلَا ٱخْتِرَاعٍ وَلَا مَعْرِفَةٍ وَلَا حِكْمَةٍ فِي ٱلْهَاوِيَةِ ٱلَّتِي أَنْتَ ذَاهِبٌ إِلَيْهَا. (Sheol h7585)

Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)

١١ 11 فَعُدْتُ وَرَأَيْتُ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ: أَنَّ ٱلسَّعْيَ لَيْسَ لِلْخَفِيفِ، وَلَا ٱلْحَرْبَ لِلْأَقْوِيَاءِ، وَلَا ٱلْخُبْزَ لِلْحُكَمَاءِ، وَلَا ٱلْغِنَى لِلْفُهَمَاءِ، وَلَا ٱلنِّعْمَةَ لِذَوِي ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ، لِأَنَهُ ٱلْوَقْتُ وَٱلْعَرَضُ يُلَاقِيَانِهِمْ كَافَّةً.

I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.

١٢ 12 لِأَنَّ ٱلْإِنْسَانَ أَيْضًا لَا يَعْرِفُ وَقْتَهُ. كَٱلْأَسْمَاكِ ٱلَّتِي تُؤْخَذُ بِشَبَكَةٍ مُهْلِكَةٍ، وَكَالْعَصَافِيرِ ٱلَّتِي تُؤْخَذُ بِٱلشَّرَكِ، كَذَلِكَ تُقْتَنَصُ بَنُو ٱلْبَشَرِ فِي وَقْتِ شَرٍّ، إِذْ يَقَعُ عَلَيْهِمْ بَغْتَةً.

No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.

١٣ 13 هَذِهِ ٱلْحِكْمَةُ رَأَيْتُهَا أَيْضًا تَحْتَ ٱلشَّمْسِ، وَهِيَ عَظِيمَةٌ عِنْدِي:

Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.

١٤ 14 مَدِينَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ فِيهَا أُنَاسٌ قَلِيلُونَ، فَجَاءَ عَلَيْهَا مَلِكٌ عَظِيمٌ وَحَاصَرَهَا وَبَنَى عَلَيْهَا أَبْرَاجًا عَظِيمَةً.

There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.

١٥ 15 وَوُجِدَ فِيهَا رَجُلٌ مِسْكِينٌ حَكِيمٌ، فَنَجَّى هُوَ ٱلْمَدِينَةَ بِحِكْمَتِهِ. وَمَا أَحَدٌ ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ ٱلرَّجُلَ ٱلْمِسْكِينَ!

In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.

١٦ 16 فَقُلْتُ: «ٱلْحِكْمَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْقُوَّةِ». أَمَّا حِكْمَةُ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ فَمُحْتَقَرَةٌ، وَكَلَامُهُ لَا يُسْمَعُ.

So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.

١٧ 17 كَلِمَاتُ ٱلْحُكَمَاءِ تُسْمَعُ فِي ٱلْهُدُوءِ، أَكْثَرَ مِنْ صُرَاخِ ٱلْمُتَسَلِّطِ بَيْنَ ٱلْجُهَّالِ.

Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.

١٨ 18 اَلْحِكْمَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَدَوَاتِ ٱلْحَرْبِ. أَمَّا خَاطِئٌ وَاحِدٌ فَيُفْسِدُ خَيْرًا جَزِيلًا.

Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.