الجامِعَة 6

١ 1 رَأَيْتُ شَرّاً تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ خَيَّمَ بِثِقْلِهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ:

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:

٢ 2 إِنْسَانٌ رَزَقَهُ اللهُ غِنىً وَمُمْتَلَكَاتٍ وَكَرَامَةً، فَلَمْ تَفْتَقِرْ نَفْسُهُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ رَغِبَتْ فِيهِ. وَلَكِنَّ اللهَ لَمْ يُنْعِمْ عَلَيْهِ بِالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى التَّمَتُّعِ بِها، وَإِنَّمَا تَكُونُ مِنْ حَظِّ الْغَرِيبِ. هَذَا بَاطِلٌ، وَدَاءٌ خَبِيثٌ.

a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honor, and he wants nothing for his soul of all things that he shall desire, yet God shall not give him power to eat of it, for a stranger shall devour it: this is vanity, and an evil infirmity.

٣ 3 رُبَّ رَجُلٍ يُنْجِبُ مِئَةَ وَلَدٍ وَيَعِيشُ عُمْراً طَوِيلاً حَتَّى تَكْثُرَ سِنُو حَيَاتِهِ، لَكِنَّهُ لَا يَتَمَتَّعُ بِخَيْرَاتِ الْحَيَاةِ وَلا يَثْوِي فِي قَبْرٍ. أَقُولُ إِنَّ السِّقْطَ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ!

If a man beget a hundred [children], and live many years, yes, however abundant the days of his years shall be, yet [if] his soul shall not be satisfied with good, and also he have no burial; I said, An untimely birth is better than he.

٤ 4 لأَنَّهُ يُقْبِلُ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا بِالْبَاطِلِ، وَيُفَارِقُ فِي الظَّلامِ وَيحْتَجِبُ اسْمُهُ بِالظُّلْمَةِ.

For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

٥ 5 وَمَعَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَرَ الدُّنْيَا وَلا عَرَفَ شَيْئاً، فَإِنَّهُ يَنَالُ رَاحَةً أَكْثَرَ

Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is [no more rest] to this one than another.

٦ 6 مِنَ الَّذِي يَعِيشُ أَلْفَيْ سَنَةٍ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يُخْفِقُ فِي الاسْتِمْتَاعِ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ. أَلّا يَذْهَبُ كِلاهُمَا، فِي نِهَايَةِ الْمُطَافِ، إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَاحِدٍ؟

Though he has lived to the return of a thousand years, yet he has seen no good: do not all go to one place?

٧ 7 إِنَّ كُلَّ جَهْدِ الإِنْسَانِ يَلْتَهِمُهُ فَمُهُ، أَمَّا شَهِيَّتُهُ فَلا تَشْبَعُ.

All the labor of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be satisfied.

٨ 8 لأَنَّهُ مَا فَضْلُ الْحَكِيمِ عَلَى الْجَاهِلِ؟ وَأَيُّ شَيْءٍ لِلْفَقِيرِ الَّذِي يُحْسِنُ التَّصَرُّفَ أَمَامَ الأَحْيَاءِ؟

For [what] advantage has the wise man over the fool, since [even] the poor knows how to walk in the direction of life?

٩ 9 إِنَّ مَا تَرَاهُ الْعَيْنُ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا تَشْتَهِيهِ النَّفْسُ. وَهَذَا أَيْضاً بَاطِلٌ كَمُلاحَقَةِ الرِّيحِ.

The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

١٠ 10 كُلُّ مَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ أَمْرٌ مُقَرَّرٌ مُنْذُ زَمَنٍ قَدِيمٍ وَمَا جُبِلَ عَلَيْهِ الإِنْسَانُ مِنْ طَبْعٍ مَعْرُوفٌ يَتَعَذَّرُ تَغْيِيرُهُ لأَنَّهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى مُخَاصَمَةِ مَنْ هُوَ أَقْوَى مِنْهُ (أَيْ صَانِعِهِ).

If anything has been, its name has already been called: and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is stronger than he.

١١ 11 فِي كَثْرَةِ الْكَلامِ كَثْرَةُ الْبَاطِلِ، فَأَيُّ جَدْوَى مِنْهُ لِلإِنْسَانِ؟

For there are many things which increase vanity.

١٢ 12 إِذْ مَنْ يَدْرِي مَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلإِنْسَانِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الَّتِي يَقْضِي فِيهَا أَيَّاماً قَلِيلَةً بَاطِلَةً كَالظِّلِّ؟ وَمَنْ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يُطْلِعَ الإِنْسَانَ عَلَى مَا سَيَحْدُثُ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ؟

What advantage has a man? for who knows [what is] good for a man in his life, [during] the number of the life of the days of his vanity? and he has spent them as a shadow; for who shall tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?