Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
| טוֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב וְיוֹם הַמָּוֶת מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדֽוֹ׃ |
2 Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
| טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵבֶל מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא סוֹף כָּל־הָאָדָם וְהַחַי יִתֵּן אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃ |
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
| טוֹב כַּעַס מִשְּׂחֹק כִּֽי־בְרֹעַ פָּנִים יִיטַב לֵֽב׃ |
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
| לֵב חֲכָמִים בְּבֵית אֵבֶל וְלֵב כְּסִילִים בְּבֵית שִׂמְחָֽה׃ |
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
| טוֹב לִשְׁמֹעַ גַּעֲרַת חָכָם מֵאִישׁ שֹׁמֵעַ שִׁיר כְּסִילִֽים׃ |
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
| כִּי כְקוֹל הַסִּירִים תַּחַת הַסִּיר כֵּן שְׂחֹק הַכְּסִיל וְגַם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃ |
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
| כִּי הָעֹשֶׁק יְהוֹלֵל חָכָם וִֽיאַבֵּד אֶת־לֵב מַתָּנָֽה׃ |
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
| טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֽ͏ֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ טוֹב אֶֽרֶךְ־רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ־רֽוּחַ׃ |
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
| אַל־תְּבַהֵל בְּרֽוּחֲךָ לִכְעוֹס כִּי כַעַס בְּחֵיק כְּסִילִים יָנֽוּחַ׃ |
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
| אַל־תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים הָיוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מֵחָכְמָה שָׁאַלְתָּ עַל־זֶֽה׃ |
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
| טוֹבָה חָכְמָה עִֽם־נַחֲלָה וְיֹתֵר לְרֹאֵי הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ |
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
| כִּי בְּצֵל הַֽחָכְמָה בְּצֵל הַכָּסֶף וְיִתְרוֹן דַּעַת הַֽחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה בְעָלֶֽיהָ׃ |
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
| רְאֵה אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתֽוֹ׃ |
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
| בְּיוֹם טוֹבָה הֱיֵה בְטוֹב וּבְיוֹם רָעָה רְאֵה גַּם אֶת־זֶה לְעֻמַּת־זֶה עָשָׂה הָֽאֱלֹהִים עַל־דִּבְרַת שֶׁלֹּא יִמְצָא הָֽאָדָם אַחֲרָיו מְאֽוּמָה׃ |
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
| אֶת־הַכֹּל רָאִיתִי בִּימֵי הֶבְלִי יֵשׁ צַדִּיק אֹבֵד בְּצִדְקוֹ וְיֵשׁ רָשָׁע מַאֲרִיךְ בְּרָעָתֽוֹ׃ |
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
| אַל־תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תִּתְחַכַּם יוֹתֵר לָמָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵֽם׃ |
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
| אַל־תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תְּהִי סָכָל לָמָּה תָמוּת בְּלֹא עִתֶּֽךָ׃ |
18 [It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
| טוֹב אֲשֶׁר תֶּאֱחֹז בָּזֶה וְגַם־מִזֶּה אַל־תַּנַּח אֶת־יָדֶךָ כִּֽי־יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים יֵצֵא אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃ |
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
| הַֽחָכְמָה תָּעֹז לֶחָכָם מֵֽעֲשָׂרָה שַׁלִּיטִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בָּעִֽיר׃ |
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
| כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָֽא׃ |
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
| גַּם לְכָל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּרוּ אַל־תִּתֵּן לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־תִשְׁמַע אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ מְקַלְלֶֽךָ׃ |
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
| כִּי גַּם־פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת יָדַע לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר גַּם־את אַתָּה קִלַּלְתָּ אֲחֵרִֽים׃ |
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
| כָּל־זֹה נִסִּיתִי בַֽחָכְמָה אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ |
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
| רָחוֹק מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה וְעָמֹק ׀ עָמֹק מִי יִמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃ |
25 I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
| סַבּוֹתִֽי אֲנִי וְלִבִּי לָדַעַת וְלָתוּר וּבַקֵּשׁ חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְלָדַעַת רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ |
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
| וּמוֹצֶא אֲנִי מַר מִמָּוֶת אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר־הִיא מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים לִבָּהּ אֲסוּרִים יָדֶיהָ טוֹב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים יִמָּלֵט מִמֶּנָּה וְחוֹטֵא יִלָּכֶד בָּֽהּ׃ |
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
| רְאֵה זֶה מָצָאתִי אָמְרָה קֹהֶלֶת אַחַת לְאַחַת לִמְצֹא חֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃ |
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
| אֲשֶׁר עוֹד־בִּקְשָׁה נַפְשִׁי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי אָדָם אֶחָד מֵאֶלֶף מָצָאתִי וְאִשָּׁה בְכָל־אֵלֶּה לֹא מָצָֽאתִי׃ |
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
| לְבַד רְאֵה־זֶה מָצָאתִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם יָשָׁר וְהֵמָּה בִקְשׁוּ חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת רַבִּֽים׃ |
