الجامِعَة 12

١ 1 فَاذْكُرْ خَالِقَكَ فِي أَيَّامِ حَدَاثَتِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُقْبِلَ عَلَيْكَ أَيَّامُ الشَّرِّ، أَوْ تَغْلِبَ عَلَيْكَ السِّنُونَ، حِينَ تَقُولُ: لَيْسَ لِي فِيهَا لَذَّةٌ.

Remember your Creator while you are young, before days of trouble come and you grow old, saying, “I'm not enjoying life anymore.”

٢ 2 قَبْلَ أَنْ تُظْلِمَ فِي عَيْنَيْكَ الشَّمْسُ وَالنُّورُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالْكَوَاكِبُ، وَتَرْجِعَ سُحُبُ الْحُزْنِ فِي أَعْقَابِ الْمَطَرِ

Before the light fades—sun, moon, and stars—and rain clouds return to darken the skies.

٣ 3 فِي يَوْمٍ تَرْتَعِدُ فِيهِ حَفَظَةُ الْبَيْتِ (الأَذْرُعُ)، وَيَنْحَنِي الرِّجَالُ الأَشِدَّاءُ (الأَرْجُلُ الْقَوِيَّةُ)، وَتَكُفُّ الطَّوَاحِينُ (الأَسْنَانُ) لِقِلَّتِهَا، وَتُظْلِمُ الْعُيُونُ الْمُطِلَّةُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الأَجْفَانِ.

Before the guards of the house tremble and the strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because there are only a few left, and the ones looking through the windows only see dimly,

٤ 4 وَتُوْصَدُ أَبْوَابُ الشِّفَاهِ عَلَى الشَّارِعِ (أَيِ الفَمِ) وَيَتَلاشَى صَوْتُ الأَسْنَانِ، وَيَسْتَيْقِظُ الرِّجَالُ عِنْدَ زَقْزَقَةِ الْعُصْفُورِ، وَلَكِنَّ تَغْرِيدَهَا يَكُونُ خَافِتاً فِي مَسَامِعِكَ.

and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.

٥ 5 يَوْمَ يَفْزَعُ الرِّجَالُ مِنَ الْعُلُوِّ، وَيَتَخَوَّفُونَ مِنْ أَخْطَارِ الطَّرِيقِ، وَيُزْهِرُ الشَّيْبُ، وَيُصْبِحُ الْجَرَادُ ثَقِيلاً عَلَى كَتِفِ الْمَرْءِ، وَتَمُوتُ الرَّغْبَةُ. عِنْدَئِذٍ يَمْضِي الإِنْسَانُ إِلَى مَقَرِّهِ الأَبَدِيِّ، وَيَطُوفُ النَّادِبُونَ فِي الشَّوَارِعِ.

Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.

٦ 6 فَاذْكُرْ خَالِقَكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْفَصِمَ حَبْلُ الْفِضَّةِ (أَيِ الْحَيَاةِ) أَوْ يَنْكَسِرَ كُوزُ الذَّهَبِ، وَتَتَحَطَّمَ الْجَرَّةُ عِنْدَ الْعَيْنِ، أَوْ تَنْقَصِفَ البَكَرَةُ عِنْدَ الْبِئْرِ.

Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.

٧ 7 فَيَعُودَ التُّرَابُ إِلَى الأَرْضِ كَمَا كَانَ، وَتَرْجِعَ الرُّوحُ إِلَى اللهِ وَاهِبِهَا.

Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.

٨ 8 يَقُولُ الْجَامِعَةُ: بَاطِلُ الأَبَاطِيلِ وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ بَاطِلٌ.

“Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.

٩ 9 وَفَضْلاً عَنْ كَوْنِ الْجَامِعَةِ حَكِيماً، فَإِنَّهُ عَلَّمَ النَّاسَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ أَيْضاً، وَقَوَّمَ وَبَحَثَ وَنَظَّمَ أَمْثَالاً كَثِيرَةً.

Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.

١٠ 10 إِذْ سَعَى الْجَامِعَةُ لاِنْتِقَاءِ أَلْفَاظٍ مُبْهِجَةٍ، وَكَتَبَ بِاسْتِقَامَةٍ كَلِمَاتِ الْحَقِّ.

The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.

١١ 11 أَقْوَالُ الْحُكَمَاءِ كالْمَنَاخِسِ، وَكَلِمَاتُهُمُ الْمَجْمُوعَةُ الصَّادِرَةُ عَنْ رَاعٍ وَاحِدٍ (أَيِ الْمَلِكِ) رَاسِخَةٌ فِي الْعُقُولِ كَالْمَسَامِيرِ الْمُثَبَّتَةِ.

The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.

١٢ 12 وَمَا خَلا ذَلِكَ، فَاحْذَرْ مِنْهُ يَا بُنَيَّ، إِذْ لَا نِهَايَةَ لِتَأْلِيفِ كُتُبٍ عَدِيدَةٍ، وَالدِّرَاسَةُ الْكَثِيرَةُ تُجْهِدُ الْجَسَدَ.

In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.

١٣ 13 فَلْنَسْمَعْ خِتَامَ الْكَلامِ كُلِّهِ: اِتَّقِ اللهَ، وَاحْفَظْ وَصَايَاهُ، لأَنَّ هَذَا هُوَ كُلُّ وَاجِبِ الإِنْسَانِ،

To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.

١٤ 14 لأَنَّ اللهَ سَيَدِينُ كُلَّ عَمَلٍ مَهْمَا كَانَ خَفِيًّا، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ خَيْراً أَمْ شَرّاً.

God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.