Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than precious ointments, and a day of death is better than a day of birth.
Nama harum lebih baik daripada minyak bernilai tinggi; dan hari kematian lebih baik daripada hari jadi.
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.
Lebih baik pergi ke rumah duka daripada ke tempat pesta. Sebab kita harus selalu mengenang bahwa maut menunggu setiap orang.
3 Anger is better than laughter. For through the sadness of the countenance, the soul of one who offends may be corrected.
Kesedihan lebih baik daripada tawa. Biar wajah murung, asal hati lega.
4 The heart of the wise is a place of mourning, and the heart of the foolish is a place of rejoicing.
Orang bodoh terus mengejar kesenangan; orang arif selalu memikirkan kematian.
5 It is better to be corrected by a wise man, than to be deceived by the false praise of the foolish.
Lebih baik ditegur oleh orang yang berbudi, daripada dipuji oleh orang yang sukar mengerti.
6 For, like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of the foolish. But this, too, is emptiness.
Tawa orang bodoh tidak berarti, seperti bunyi duri dimakan api.
7 A false accusation troubles the wise man and saps the strength of his heart.
Jika orang arif menipu, bodohlah tindakannya; jika orang menerima uang suap, rusaklah wataknya.
8 The end of a speech is better than the beginning. Patience is better than arrogance.
Lebih baik akhir suatu perkara daripada permulaannya; lebih baik bersabar daripada terlalu bangga.
9 Do not be quickly moved to anger. For anger resides in the sinews of the foolish.
Jangan buru-buru naik pitam; hanya orang bodoh menyimpan dendam.
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.
Janganlah bertanya, "Mengapa zaman dulu lebih baik daripada zaman sekarang?" Hanya orang dungu yang bertanya begitu.
11 Wisdom with riches is more useful and more advantageous, for those who see the sun.
Orang hidup seharusnya berhikmat; nilai hikmat sama dengan warisan;
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.
sama pula dengan uang pemberi rasa aman. Apalagi pengetahuan tentang hikmat! Siapa memilikinya akan selamat.
13 Consider the works of God, that no one is able to correct whomever he has despised.
Perhatikanlah pekerjaan Allah. Sebab siapa dapat meluruskan apa yang dibengkokkan Allah?
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.
Jadi, bergembiralah jika engkau sedang mujur. Tetapi kalau engkau ditimpa bencana, jangan lupa bahwa Allah memberikan kedua-duanya. Kita tak tahu apa yang terjadi selanjutnya.
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.
Hidupku tak ada gunanya, tetapi selama hidupku itu kulihat yang berikut ini: Ada kalanya orang yang baik binasa, walaupun dia saleh. Adakalanya orang yang jahat panjang umurnya, walaupun dia terus berdosa.
16 Do not try to be overly just, and do not try to be more wise than is necessary, lest you become stupid.
Janganlah terlalu baik dan jangan pula terlalu bijaksana. Apa gunanya bunuh diri?
17 Do not act with great impiety, and do not choose to be foolish, lest you die before your time.
Jangan juga terlalu jahat atau terlalu dungu. Untuk apa mati sebelum waktunya?
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.
Hindarilah kedua-duanya tadi. Jika kita takut kepada Allah, pastilah kita berhasil baik.
19 Wisdom has strengthened the wise more than ten princes of a city.
Hikmat membuat pemiliknya lebih perkasa daripada sepuluh penguasa di sebuah kota.
20 But there is no just man on earth, who does good and does not sin.
Di bumi ini tak ada orang yang sempurna; tak ada yang selalu berbuat baik dan tak pernah berdosa.
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.
Jangan suka mendengarkan omongan-omongan, siapa tahu kau sedang dikutuk seorang pelayan.
22 For your conscience knows that you, too, have repeatedly spoken evil of others.
Engkau sendiri pun menyadari bahwa orang lain pernah juga kaukutuki.
23 I have tested everything in wisdom. I have said: “I will be wise.” And wisdom withdrew farther from me,
Semua itu kuuji dengan hikmatku. Namun semakin kucari hikmat itu, semakin jauh ia daripadaku.
24 so much more than it was before. Wisdom is very profound, so who shall reveal her?
Siapa dapat menemukan arti hidup ini? Terlalu dalam untuk dapat dimengerti!
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.
Namun aku tekun belajar dan mencari pengetahuan, supaya mendapat hikmat dan jawaban atas segala pertanyaan. Aku mencoba mengerti bahwa dosa itu kebodohan, dan kejahatan adalah kenekatan.
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.
Aku mendapati bahwa wanita lebih pahit daripada maut. Cinta wanita seperti jala dan perangkap yang siap menangkap mangsanya. Pelukannya seperti belenggu yang mengikat erat. Orang yang melakukan kehendak Allah terhindar dari jeratnya, tapi orang berdosa pasti akan ditawannya.
27 Behold, Ecclesiastes said, I have discovered these things, one after another, in order that I might discover the explanation
Lihat, kata Sang Pemikir: Semua itu kutemukan, ketika langkah demi langkah kucari jawaban.
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.
Masih juga aku mencari jawaban-jawaban lain, namun tidak berhasil. Di antara seribu orang, kudapati seorang laki-laki yang kuhormati. Tetapi di antara mereka tak ada wanita yang dapat kuhargai.
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?
Hanya inilah yang kudapat: Allah membuat kita sederhana dan biasa. Tetapi kita sendirilah yang membuat diri kita rumit dan berbelit-belit.
