الجامِعَة 8

١ 1 مَنْ هُوَ نَظِيرُ الْحَكِيمِ؟ وَمَنْ يَعْرِفُ تَعْلِيلَ الأُمُورِ؟ حِكْمَةُ الإِنْسَانِ تُضِيءُ وَجْهَهُ وَتُلَطِّفُ مِنْ صَلابَةِ مَلامِحِهِ.

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? the wisedome of a man doth make his face to shine: and the strength of his face shalbe changed.

٢ 2 أَقُولُ لَكَ: أَطِعْ كَلامَ الْمَلِكِ، وَلاسِيَّمَا مِنْ أَجْلِ يَمِينِ اللهِ الَّذِي أَقْسَمْتَ بِهِ.

I aduertise thee to take heede to ye mouth of the King, and to the worde of the othe of God.

٣ 3 لَا تُسْرِعْ فِي الاخْتِفَاءِ مِنْ حَضْرَتِهِ، وَلا تَتَشَبَّثْ بِقَضِيَّةٍ سَيِّئَةٍ لأَنَّهُ يَصْنَعُ مَا يَشَاءُ،

Haste not to goe forth of his sight: stand not in an euill thing: for he will doe whatsoeuer pleaseth him.

٤ 4 إِذْ تَنْطَوِي كَلِمَةُ الْمَلِكِ عَلَى سُلْطَانٍ. وَمَنْ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ: مَاذَا تَفْعَلُ؟

Where the word of ye King is, there is power, and who shall say vnto him, What doest thou?

٥ 5 مَنْ يُطِعِ الأَمْرَ لَا يَلْقَ أَذىً، وَقَلْبُ الْحَكِيمِ يُدْرِكُ الْوَقْتَ الْمُنَاسِبَ وَأُسْلُوبَ الْقَضَاءِ.

He that keepeth the commandement, shall knowe none euill thing, and the heart of the wise shall knowe the time and iudgement.

٦ 6 فَهُنَاكَ وَقْتٌ وَأُسْلُوبٌ لِكُلِّ أَمْرٍ مَعَ أَنَّ كَاهِلَ الإِنْسَانِ يَنُوءُ بِثِقْلِ مَتَاعِبِهِ.

For to euery purpose there is a time and iudgement, because the miserie of man is great vpon him.

٧ 7 لأَنَّهُ لَا يَعْرِفُ مَا يُضْمِرُهُ الْغَدُ، إِذْ مَنْ يُخْبِرُهُ عَمَّا تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ الأَحْدَاثُ؟

For he knoweth not that which shalbe: for who can tell him when it shalbe?

٨ 8 لَيْسَ لأَحَدٍ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الرُّوحِ لِيُمْسِكَ بِها، أَوْ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى يَوْمِ الْمَوْتِ. وَكَمَا لَا يُسَرَّحُ أَحَدٌ فِي وَقْتِ الْحَرْبِ كَذَلِكَ لَا يُطْلِقُ الشَّرُّ سَرَاحَ مَنْ يُمَارِسُونَهُ.

Man is not lorde ouer the spirit to retaine the spirite: neither hath hee power in the day of death, nor deliuerance in the battell, neither shall wickednesse deliuer the possessers thereof.

٩ 9 هَذَا كُلُّهُ رَأَيْتُهُ عِنْدَمَا تَأَمَّلَ قَلْبِي فِي كُلِّ عَمَلٍ يُعْمَلُ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ، وَقْتَمَا يَتَسَلَّطُ إِنْسَانٌ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ لِيُؤْذِيَهُ.

All this haue I seene, and haue giuen mine heart to euery worke, which is wrought vnder the sunne, and I sawe a time that man ruleth ouer man to his owne hurt.

١٠ 10 ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ الأَشْرَارَ مِمَّنْ كَانُوا يَرُوحُونَ وَيَجِيئُونَ إِلَى الْمَكَانِ الْمُقَدَّسِ، يُدْفَنُونَ وَقَدْ كِيلَتْ لَهُمْ هَالاتُ الْمَديِحِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ الَّتِي ارْتَكَبُوا فِيهَا هَذِهِ الأُمُورَ. وَهَذَا أَيْضاً بَاطِلٌ.

And likewise I sawe the wicked buried, and they returned, and they that came from the holy place, were yet forgotten in the citie where they had done right: this also is vanitie.

١١ 11 وَلأَنَّ الْقَضَاءَ لَا يُنَفَّذُ بِسُرْعَةٍ عَلَى الشَّرِّ الْمُرْتَكَبِ، فَإِنَّ قُلُوبَ الْبَشَرِ تَمْتَلِئُ بِالْعَزْمِ عَلَى فِعْلِ الشَّرِّ.

Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to doe euill.

١٢ 12 وَمَعَ أَنَّ الْخَاطِئَ يَرْتَكِبُ الشَّرَّ مِئَةَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَطُولُ أَيَّامُهُ، إِلّا أَنَّنِي أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ يَكُونُ خَيْرٌ لِمُتَّقِيِ اللهِ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَعُونَ فِي حَضْرَتِهِ.

Though a sinner doe euill an hundreth times, and God prolongeth his dayes, yet I knowe that it shalbe well with them that feare the Lord, and doe reuerence before him.

١٣ 13 أَمَّا الأَشْرَارُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَتَّقُونَ اللهَ فَلَنْ يَنَالُوا خَيْراً، وَلَنْ تَطُولَ أَيَّامُهُمُ الَّتِي تُشْبِهُ الظِّلَّ، لأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَخْشَوْنَ اللهَ.

But it shall not be well to the wicked, neither shall he prolong his dayes: he shall be like a shadowe, because he feareth not before God.

١٤ 14 فِي الأَرْضِ يَسُودُ بَاطِلٌ: هُنَاكَ صِدِّيقُونَ يَنَالُهُمْ جَزَاءُ أَعْمَالِ الأَشْرَارِ، وَأَشْرَارٌ يَحْظَوْنَ بِثَوَابِ أَعْمَالِ الأَبْرَارِ، فَقُلْتُ: هَذَا أَيْضاً بَاطِلٌ.

There is a vanitie, which is done vpon the earth, that there be righteous men to whom it commeth according to the worke of the wicked: and there be wicked men to whom it commeth according to the worke of the iust: I thought also that this is vanitie.

١٥ 15 فَأَطْرَيْتُ الْمَسَرَّةَ لأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ لِلْمَرْءِ خَيْرٌ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ وَيَشْرَبَ وَيُمَتِّعَ نَفْسَهُ، فَهَذَا مَا يَبْقَى لَهُ مِنْ عَنَائِهِ مُدَّةَ أَيَّامِ حَيَاتِهِ الَّتِي أَنْعَمَ بِها اللهُ عَلَيْهِ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ.

And I praysed ioy: for there is no goodnesse to man vnder the sunne, saue to eate and to drinke and to reioyce: for this is adioyned to his labour, the dayes of his life that God hath giuen him vnder the sunne.

١٦ 16 وَعِنْدَمَا جَعَلْتُ قَلْبِي يَعْزِمُ عَلَى مَعْرِفَةِ الْحِكْمَةِ، وَالتَّأَمُّلِ فِي مُعَانَاةِ الإِنْسَانِ الَّتِي يُقَاسِيهَا عَلَى الأَرْضِ، وَكَيْفَ لَا تَذُوقُ عَيْنَاهُ النَّوْمَ لَيْلاً وَنَهَاراً،

When I applied mine heart to knowe wisedome, and to behold the busines that is done on earth, that neither day nor night the eyes of man take sleepe,

١٧ 17 رَأَيْتُ أَعْمَالَ اللهِ كُلَّهَا، وَعَجْزَ الإِنْسَانِ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِ الأَعْمَالِ الَّتِي تَمَّ إِنْجَازُهَا تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ. وَمَهْمَا جَدَّ فِي سَعْيِهِ لِمَعْرِفَتِهَا فَلَنْ يُدْرِكَهَا. وَحَتَّى إِنِ ادَّعَى الْحَكِيمُ مَعْرِفَتَهَا فَإِنَّهُ حَقّاً لَنْ يَسْتَطِيعَ أَنْ يَجِدَهَا.

Then I behelde the whole worke of God, that man cannot finde out ye worke that is wrought vnder the sunne: for the which man laboureth to seeke it, and cannot finde it: yea, and though the wise man thinke to knowe it, he cannot finde it.