Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
名は美膏に愈り 死る日は生るる日に愈る
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.
哀傷の家に入は宴樂の家に入に愈る 其は一切の人の終かくのごとくなればなり 生る者またこれをその心にとむるあらん
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
悲哀は嬉笑に愈る 其は面に憂色を帶るなれば心も善にむかへばなり
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
賢き者の心は哀傷の家にあり 愚なる者の心は喜樂の家にあり
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
賢き者の勸責を聽は愚なる者の歌詠を聽に愈るなり
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
愚なる者の笑は釜の下に焚る荊棘の聲のごとし是また空なり
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
賢き人も虐待る事によりて狂するに至るあり賄賂は人の心を壞なふ
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
事の終はその始よりも善し 容忍心ある者は傲慢心ある者に勝る
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
汝氣を急くして怒るなかれ 怒は愚なる者の胸にやどるなり
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
昔の今にまさるは何故ぞやと汝言なかれ 汝の斯る問をなすは是智慧よりいづる者にあらざるなり
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
智慧の上に財產をかぬれば善し 然れば日を見る者等に利益おほかるべし
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
智慧も身の護庇となり銀子も身の護庇となる 然ど智惠はまたこれを有る者に生命を保しむ 是知識の殊勝たるところなり
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
汝神の作爲を考ふべし 神の曲たまひし者は誰かこれを直くすることを得ん
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.
幸福ある日には樂め 禍患ある日には考へよ 神はこの二者をあひ交錯て降したまふ 是は人をしてその後の事を知ることなからしめんためなり
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.
我この空の世にありて各樣の事を見たり 義人の義をおこなひて亡ぶるあり 惡人の惡をおこなひて長壽あり
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
汝義に過るなかれまた賢に過るなかれ 汝なんぞ身を滅すべけんや
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
汝惡に過るなかれまた愚なる勿れ 汝なんぞ時いたらざるに死べけんや
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.
汝此を執は善しまた彼にも手を放すなかれ 神を畏む者はこの一切の者の中より逃れ出るなり
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
智慧の智者を幇くることは邑の豪雄者十人にまさるなり
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
正義して善をおこなひ罪を犯すことなき人は世にあることなし
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
人の言出す言詞には凡て心をとむる勿れ 恐くは汝の僕の汝を詛ふを聞こともあらん
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
汝も屡人を詛ふことあるは汝の心に知ところなり
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
我智慧をもてこの一切の事を試み我は智者とならんと謂たりしが遠くおよばざるなり
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
事物の理は遠くして甚だ深し 誰かこれを究むることを得ん
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.
我は身をめぐらし心をもちひて物を知り事を探り 智慧と道理を索めんとし 又惡の愚たると愚癡の狂妄たるを知んとせり
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.
我了れり 婦人のその心羅と網のごとくその手縲絏のごとくなる者は是死よりも苦き者なり 神の悦びたまふ者は之を避ることを得ん罪人は之に執らるべし
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
傳道者言ふ 視よ我その數を知んとして一々に算へてつひに此事を了る
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.
我なほ尋ねて得ざる者は是なり 我千人の中には一箇の男子を得たれども その數の中には一箇の女子をも得ざるなり
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
我了れるところは唯是のみ 即ち神は人を正直者に造りたまひしに人衆多の計略を案出せしなり
