Ecclesiastes 9
1 I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
我はこの一切の事に心を用ひてこの一切の事を明めんとせり 即ち義き者と賢き者およびかれらの爲ところは神の手にあるなるを明めんとせり 愛むや惡むやは人これを知ることなし一切の事はその前にあるなり
2 Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
諸の人に臨む所は皆同じ 義き者にも惡き者にも善者にも 淨者にも穢れたる者にも 犠牲を献ぐる者にも犠牲を献げぬ者にもその臨むところの事は同一なり 善人も罪人に異ならず 誓をなす者も誓をなすことを畏るる者に異ならず
3 This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
諸の人に臨むところの事の同一なるは是日の下におこなはるる事の中の惡き者たり 抑人の心には惡き事充をり その生る間は心に狂妄を懐くあり 後には死者の中に往くなり
4 But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
凡活る者の中に列る者は望あり 其は生る犬は死る獅子に愈ればなり
5 The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
生者はその死んことを知る 然ど死る者は何事をも知ずまた應報をうくることも重てあらず その記憶らるる事も遂に忘れらるるに至る
6 Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
またその愛も惡も嫉も旣に消うせて彼等は日の下におこなはるる事に最早何時までも關係ことあらざるなり
7 So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
汝往て喜悦をもて汝のパンを食ひ樂き心をも汝の酒を飮め 其は神久しく汝の行爲を嘉納たまへばなり
8 Always wear smart clothes and look good.
汝の衣服を常に白からしめよ 汝の頭に膏を絶しむるなかれ
9 Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
日の下に汝が賜はるこの汝の空なる生命の日の間汝その愛する妻とともに喜びて度生せ 汝の空なる生命の日の間しかせよ 是は汝が世にありて受る分汝が日の下に働ける勞苦によりて得る者なり
10 Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
凡て汝の手に堪ることは力をつくしてこれを爲せ 其は汝の往んところの陰府には工作も計謀も知識も智慧もあることなければなり (Sheol h7585)
11 I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
我また身をめぐらして日の下を觀るに 迅速者走ることに勝にあらず強者戰爭に勝にあらず 智慧者食物を獲にあらず 明哲人財貨を得にあらず 知識人恩顧を得にあらず 凡て人に臨むところの事は時ある者偶然なる者なり
12 You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
人はまたその時を知ず 魚の禍の網にかかり鳥の鳥羅にかかるが如くに世の人もまた禍患の時の計らざるに臨むに及びてその禍患にかかるなり
13 Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
我日の下に是事を觀て智慧となし大なる事となせり
14 Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
すなはち茲に一箇の小き邑ありて その中の人は鮮かりしが大なる王これに攻きたりてこれを圍みこれに向ひて大なる雲梯を建たり
15 In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
時に邑の中に一人の智慧ある貧しき人ありてその智慧をもて邑を救へり 然るに誰ありてその貧しき人を記念もの無りし
16 As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
是において我言り智慧は勇力に愈る者なりと 但しかの貧しき人の智慧は藐視られその言詞は聽れざりしなり
17 It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
靜に聽る智者の言は愚者の君長たる者の號呼に愈る
18 It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
智慧は軍の器に勝れり一人の惡人は許多の善事を壞ふなり
