الجامِعَة 9

١ 1 هَذَا كُلُّهُ ادَّخَرْتُهُ فِي قَلْبِي وَاخْتَبَرْتُهُ: أَنَّ الأَبْرَارَ وَالْحُكَمَاءَ، وَمَا يَصْدُرُ عَنْهُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَالٍ، فِي يَدِ اللهِ، وَلا أَحَدَ يَدْرِي مَا يَنْتَظِرُهُ، حُبّاً كَانَ أَمْ بُغْضاً،

For all this I laid to my heart and [indeed] to investigate all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; man knoweth neither love nor hatred: all is before them.

٢ 2 إِذِ الْجَمِيعُ مُعَرَّضُونَ لِنَفْسِ الْمَصِيرِ، الصَّالِحُونَ وَالطَّالِحُونَ، الأَخْيَارُ وَالأَشْرَارُ، الطَّاهِرُ وَالنَّجِسُ، الْمُقَرِّبُ لِلذَّبَائِحِ وَغَيْرُ الْمُقَرِّبِ. فَالصَّالِحُ كَالطَّالِحِ سِيَّانِ، وَالْحَالِفُ كَمَنْ يَخْشَى الْحَلْفَ.

All things [come] alike to all: one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

٣ 3 وَأَشَرُّ مَا يَجْرِي تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ أَنَّ الْجَمِيعَ يَلْقَوْنَ نَفْسَ الْمَصِيرِ، وَأَنَّ قُلُوبَ بَنِي الْبَشَرِ مُفْعَمَةٌ بِالشَّرِّ، وَفِي حَيَاتِهِمْ تَمْتَلِئُ صُدُورُهُمْ بِالْحَمَاقَةِ، ثُمَّ يَمُوتُونَ!

This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, that one thing befalleth all: yea, also the heart of the children of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live; and after that, [they have to go] to the dead.

٤ 4 أَمَّا مَنْ لَا يَزَالُ حَيًّا مَعَ الأَحْيَاءِ فَلَهُ رَجَاءٌ، لأَنَّ كَلْباً حَيًّا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَسَدٍ مَيْتٍ.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

٥ 5 لأَنَّ الأَحْيَاءَ يُدْرِكُونَ أَنَّهُمْ سَيَمُوتُونَ، أَمَّا الأَمْوَاتُ فَلا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئاً، وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ ثَوَابٌ بَعْدُ، إِذْ قَدْ يُنْسَى ذِكْرُهُمْ.

For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

٦ 6 فَقَدْ بَادَ حُبُّهُمْ وَبُغْضُهُمْ وَغَيْرَتُهُمْ، وَلَمْ يَبْقَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ فِيمَا يَجْرِي تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ.

Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy is already perished; neither have they any more for ever a portion in all that is done under the sun.

٧ 7 فَامْضِ وَتَمَتَّعْ بِأَكْلِ طَعَامِكَ، وَاشْرَبْ خَمْرَكَ بِقَلْبٍ مُنْشَرِحٍ، لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ قَدْ رَضِيَ الآنَ عَنْ أَعْمَالِكَ.

Go, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.

٨ 8 لِتَكُنْ ثِيَابُكَ دَائِماً بَيْضَاءَ، وَلا يُعْوِزَنَّ رَأْسَكَ الطِّيبُ.

Let thy garments be always white, and let not thy head lack oil.

٩ 9 تَمَتَّعْ طَوَالَ أَيَّامِ حَيَاتِكَ الْبَاطِلَةِ الَّتِي أَعْطَاكَ إِيَّاهَا الرَّبُّ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ مَعَ الْمَرْأَةِ الَّتِي أَحْبَبْتَهَا، لأَنَّ ذَلِكَ هُوَ حَظُّكَ مِنَ الْحَيَاةِ وَمِنْ عَنَاءِ تَعَبِكَ الَّذِي تُكَابِدُهُ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ.

Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherein thou art labouring under the sun.

١٠ 10 وَكُلُّ مَا تَحْصُلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ عَمَلٍ، فَاعْمَلْهُ بِكُلِّ قُوَّتِكَ، إِذْ لَنْ تَجِدَ فِي الْهَاوِيَةِ الَّتِي أَنْتَ مَاضٍ إِلَيْهَا أَيَّ عَمَلٍ أَوِ ابْتِكَارٍ أَوْ مَعْرِفَةٍ أَوْ حِكْمَةٍ. (Sheol h7585)

Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. (Sheol h7585)

١١ 11 وَتَطَلَّعْتُ فَرَأَيْتُ شَيْئاً آخَرَ تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ: إِنَّ الْفَوْزَ فِي السِّبَاقِ لَيْسَ لِلسَّرِيعِ، وَالظَّفَرَ فِي الْمَعْرَكَةِ لَيْسَ لِلأَقْوِيَاءِ، وَلا الْخُبْزَ مِنْ نَصِيبِ الْحُكَمَاءِ، وَلا الغِنَى لِذَوِي الْفَهْمِ، وَلا الْحُظْوَةَ لِلْعُلَمَاءِ، لأَنَّهُمْ كَافَّةً مُعَرَّضُونَ لِتَقَلُّبَاتِ الأَوْقَاتِ وَالْمُفَاجَآتِ،

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the intelligent, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

١٢ 12 فَالْمَرْءُ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَتَى يَحِينُ وَقْتُهُ، فَكَمَا تَقَعُ الأَسْمَاكُ فِي شَبَكَةٍ مُهْلِكَةٍ، أَوْ تَعْلَقُ الْعَصَافِيرُ بِالْفِخَاخِ، هَكَذَا تَقْتَنِصُ الأَيَّامُ الرَّدِيئَةُ بَنِي الْبَشَرِ، إِذْ تُفَاجِئُهُمْ عَلَى حِينِ غِرَّةٍ.

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are taken with the snare, like them are the children of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

١٣ 13 وَشَاهَدْتُ أَيْضاً تَحْتَ الشَّمْسِ هَذِهِ الْحِكْمَةَ الَّتِي أَثَارَتْ إِعْجَابِي الْمُفْرِطَ:

This also have I seen as wisdom under the sun, and it was great unto me.

١٤ 14 كَانَتْ هُنَاكَ مَدِينَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ فِيهَا نَفَرٌ قَلِيلٌ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ، أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهَا مَلِكٌ قَوِيٌّ وَحَاصَرَهَا وَبَنَى حَوْلَهَا أَبْرَاجاً عَظِيمَةً.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and encompassed it, and built great bulwarks against it:

١٥ 15 وَكَانَ يُقِيمُ فِي تِلْكَ الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ مِسْكِينٌ حَكِيمٌ أَنْقَذَ الْمَدِينَةَ بِفَضْلِ حِكْمَتِهِ. وَلَكِنَّ أَحَداً لَمْ يَذْكُرْهُ.

and there was found in it a poor wise man, who by his wisdom delivered the city; but no man remembered that poor man.

١٦ 16 فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّ الْحِكْمَةَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْقُوَّةِ. غَيْرَ أَنَّ حِكْمَةَ الْمِسْكِينِ مُحْتَقَرَةٌ وَكَلامَهُ غَيْرُ مَسْمُوعٍ.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

١٧ 17 كَلامُ الْحُكَمَاءِ الْمَسْمُوعُ فِي الهُدُوءِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صُرَاخِ الْحُكَّامِ بَيْنَ الْجُهَّالِ.

The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

١٨ 18 الْحِكْمَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ آلاتِ الْحَرْبِ، وَخَاطِئٌ وَاحِدٌ يُفْسِدُ خَيْراً جَزِيلاً.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.