Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than precious ointments, and a day of death is better than a day of birth.
| ט וֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב וְיוֹם הַמָּוֶת מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדֽוֹ׃ |
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning, than to a house of feasting. For in the former, we are admonished about the end of all things, so that the living consider what may be in the future.
| טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵבֶל מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא סוֹף כׇּל־הָאָדָם וְהַחַי יִתֵּן אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃ |
3 Anger is better than laughter. For through the sadness of the countenance, the soul of one who offends may be corrected.
| טוֹב כַּעַס מִשְּׂחוֹק כִּֽי־בְרֹעַ פָּנִים יִיטַב לֵֽב׃ |
4 The heart of the wise is a place of mourning, and the heart of the foolish is a place of rejoicing.
| לֵב חֲכָמִים בְּבֵית אֵבֶל וְלֵב כְּסִילִים בְּבֵית שִׂמְחָֽה׃ |
5 It is better to be corrected by a wise man, than to be deceived by the false praise of the foolish.
| טוֹב לִשְׁמֹעַ גַּעֲרַת חָכָם מֵאִישׁ שֹׁמֵעַ שִׁיר כְּסִילִֽים׃ |
6 For, like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of the foolish. But this, too, is emptiness.
| כִּי כְקוֹל הַסִּירִים תַּחַת הַסִּיר כֵּן שְׂחֹק הַכְּסִיל וְגַם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃ |
7 A false accusation troubles the wise man and saps the strength of his heart.
| כִּי הָעֹשֶׁק יְהוֹלֵל חָכָם וִֽיאַבֵּד אֶת־לֵב מַתָּנָֽה׃ |
8 The end of a speech is better than the beginning. Patience is better than arrogance.
| טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵֽרֵאשִׁיתוֹ טוֹב אֶֽרֶךְ־רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ־רֽוּחַ׃ |
9 Do not be quickly moved to anger. For anger resides in the sinews of the foolish.
| אַל־תְּבַהֵל בְּרֽוּחֲךָ לִכְעוֹס כִּי כַעַס בְּחֵיק כְּסִילִים יָנֽוּחַ׃ |
10 You should not say: “What do you think is the reason that the former times were better than they are now?” For this type of question is foolish.
| אַל־תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים הָיוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מֵחׇכְמָה שָׁאַלְתָּ עַל־זֶֽה׃ |
11 Wisdom with riches is more useful and more advantageous, for those who see the sun.
| טוֹבָה חׇכְמָה עִֽם־נַחֲלָה וְיֹתֵר לְרֹאֵי הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ |
12 For as wisdom protects, so also does money protect. But learning and wisdom have this much more: that they grant life to one who possesses them.
| כִּי בְּצֵל הַֽחׇכְמָה בְּצֵל הַכָּסֶף וְיִתְרוֹן דַּעַת הַֽחׇכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה בְעָלֶֽיהָ׃ |
13 Consider the works of God, that no one is able to correct whomever he has despised.
| רְאֵה אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתֽוֹ׃ |
14 In good times, enjoy good things, but beware of an evil time. For just as God has established the one, so also the other, in order that man may not find any just complaint against him.
| בְּיוֹם טוֹבָה הֱיֵה בְטוֹב וּבְיוֹם רָעָה רְאֵה גַּם אֶת־זֶה לְעֻמַּת־זֶה עָשָׂה הָֽאֱלֹהִים עַל־דִּבְרַת שֶׁלֹּא יִמְצָא הָֽאָדָם אַחֲרָיו מְאֽוּמָה׃ |
15 I also saw this, in the days of my vanity: a just man perishing in his justice, and an impious man living a long time in his malice.
| אֶת־הַכֹּל רָאִיתִי בִּימֵי הֶבְלִי יֵשׁ צַדִּיק אֹבֵד בְּצִדְקוֹ וְיֵשׁ רָשָׁע מַאֲרִיךְ בְּרָעָתֽוֹ׃ |
16 Do not try to be overly just, and do not try to be more wise than is necessary, lest you become stupid.
| אַל־תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תִּתְחַכַּם יוֹתֵר לָמָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵֽם׃ |
17 Do not act with great impiety, and do not choose to be foolish, lest you die before your time.
| אַל־תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תְּהִי סָכָל לָמָּה תָמוּת בְּלֹא עִתֶּֽךָ׃ |
18 It is good for you to support a just man. Furthermore, you should not withdraw your hand from him, for whoever fears God, neglects nothing.
| טוֹב אֲשֶׁר תֶּאֱחֹז בָּזֶה וְגַם־מִזֶּה אַל־תַּנַּח אֶת־יָדֶךָ כִּֽי־יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים יֵצֵא אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃ |
19 Wisdom has strengthened the wise more than ten princes of a city.
| הַֽחׇכְמָה תָּעֹז לֶחָכָם מֵֽעֲשָׂרָה שַׁלִּיטִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בָּעִֽיר׃ |
20 But there is no just man on earth, who does good and does not sin.
| כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָֽא׃ |
21 So then, do not attach your heart to every word that is spoken, lest perhaps you may hear your servant speaking ill of you.
| גַּם לְכׇל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּרוּ אַל־תִּתֵּן לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־תִשְׁמַע אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ מְקַלְלֶֽךָ׃ |
22 For your conscience knows that you, too, have repeatedly spoken evil of others.
| כִּי גַּם־פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת יָדַע לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר גַּם־[אַתָּה] (את) קִלַּלְתָּ אֲחֵרִֽים׃ |
23 I have tested everything in wisdom. I have said: “I will be wise.” And wisdom withdrew farther from me,
| כׇּל־זֹה נִסִּיתִי בַֽחׇכְמָה אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ |
24 so much more than it was before. Wisdom is very profound, so who shall reveal her?
| רָחוֹק מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה וְעָמֹק ׀ עָמֹק מִי יִמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃ |
25 I have examined all things in my soul, so that I may know, and consider, and seek out wisdom and reason, and so that I may recognize the impiety of the foolish, and the error of the imprudent.
| סַבּוֹתִֽי אֲנִי וְלִבִּי לָדַעַת וְלָתוּר וּבַקֵּשׁ חׇכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְלָדַעַת רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ |
26 And I have discovered a woman more bitter than death: she who is like the snare of a hunter, and whose heart is like a net, and whose hands are like chains. Whoever pleases God shall flee from her. But whoever is a sinner shall be seized by her.
| וּמוֹצֶא אֲנִי מַר מִמָּוֶת אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר־הִיא מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים לִבָּהּ אֲסוּרִים יָדֶיהָ טוֹב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים יִמָּלֵט מִמֶּנָּה וְחוֹטֵא יִלָּכֶד בָּֽהּ׃ |
27 Behold, Ecclesiastes said, I have discovered these things, one after another, in order that I might discover the explanation
| רְאֵה זֶה מָצָאתִי אָמְרָה קֹהֶלֶת אַחַת לְאַחַת לִמְצֹא חֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃ |
28 which my soul still seeks and has not found. One man among a thousand, I have found; a woman among them all, I have not found.
| אֲשֶׁר עוֹד־בִּקְשָׁה נַפְשִׁי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי אָדָם אֶחָד מֵאֶלֶף מָצָאתִי וְאִשָּׁה בְכׇל־אֵלֶּה לֹא מָצָֽאתִי׃ |
29 This alone have I discovered: that God made man righteous, and yet he has adulterated himself with innumerable questions. Who is so great as the wise? And who has understood the meaning of the word?
| לְבַד רְאֵה־זֶה מָצָאתִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם יָשָׁר וְהֵמָּה בִקְשׁוּ חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת רַבִּֽים׃ |
