Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who [is] as the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
| מִי כְּהֶחָכָם וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ פֵּשֶׁר דָּבָר חׇכְמַת אָדָם תָּאִיר פָּנָיו וְעֹז פָּנָיו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃ |
2 I [counsel]: keep the command of a king, even for the sake of an oath [to] God.
| אֲנִי פִּי־מֶלֶךְ שְׁמֹר וְעַל דִּבְרַת שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִֽים׃ |
3 Do not be troubled at his presence, you may go, do not stand in an evil thing, for all that he pleases he does.
| אַל־תִּבָּהֵל מִפָּנָיו תֵּלֵךְ אַֽל־תַּעֲמֹד בְּדָבָר רָע כִּי כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ |
4 Where the word of a king [is] power [is], and who says to him, “What do you do?”
| בַּאֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־מֶלֶךְ שִׁלְטוֹן וּמִי יֹֽאמַר־לוֹ מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ |
5 Whoever is keeping a command knows no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knows.
| שׁוֹמֵר מִצְוָה לֹא יֵדַע דָּבָר רָע וְעֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט יֵדַע לֵב חָכָֽם׃ |
6 For to every delight there is a time and a judgment, for the misfortune of man is great on him.
| כִּי לְכׇל־חֵפֶץ יֵשׁ עֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט כִּֽי־רָעַת הָאָדָם רַבָּה עָלָֽיו׃ |
7 For he does not know that which will be, for when it will be who declares to him?
| כִּֽי־אֵינֶנּוּ יֹדֵעַ מַה־שֶּׁיִּֽהְיֶה כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִֽהְיֶה מִי יַגִּיד לֽוֹ׃ |
8 There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness does not deliver its possessors.
| אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלוֹא אֶת־הָרוּחַ וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹֽא־יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת־בְּעָלָֽיו׃ |
9 All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that has been done under the sun; a time that man has ruled over man to his own evil.
| אֶת־כׇּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי וְנָתוֹן אֶת־לִבִּי לְכׇֽל־מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ עֵת אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַט הָאָדָם בְּאָדָם לְרַע לֽוֹ׃ |
10 And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This [is] also vanity.
| וּבְכֵן רָאִיתִי רְשָׁעִים קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ יְהַלֵּכוּ וְיִֽשְׁתַּכְּחוּ בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר כֵּן־עָשׂוּ גַּם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃ |
11 Because sentence has not been done [on] an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil.
| אֲשֶׁר אֵין־נַעֲשָׂה פִתְגָם מַעֲשֵׂה הָרָעָה מְהֵרָה עַל־כֵּן מָלֵא לֵב בְּֽנֵי־הָאָדָם בָּהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָֽע׃ |
12 Though a sinner is doing evil one hundred [times], and prolonging [himself] for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.
| אֲשֶׁר חֹטֶא עֹשֶׂה רָע מְאַת וּמַאֲרִיךְ לוֹ כִּי גַּם־יוֹדֵעַ אָנִי אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־טּוֹב לְיִרְאֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יִֽירְאוּ מִלְּפָנָֽיו׃ |
13 And good is not to the wicked, and he does not prolong days as a shadow, because he is not fearing before God.
| וְטוֹב לֹֽא־יִהְיֶה לָֽרָשָׁע וְלֹֽא־יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים כַּצֵּל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יָרֵא מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃ |
14 There is a vanity that has been done on the earth, that there are righteous ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this [is] also vanity.
| יֶשׁ־הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ׀ יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרְשָׁעִים וְיֵשׁ רְשָׁעִים שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצַּדִּיקִים אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃ |
15 And I have praised mirth because there is no good to man under the sun except to eat and to drink, and to rejoice, and it remains with him of his labor the days of his life that God has given to him under the sun.
| וְשִׁבַּחְתִּֽי אֲנִי אֶת־הַשִּׂמְחָה אֲשֶׁר אֵֽין־טוֹב לָֽאָדָם תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי אִם־לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ וְהוּא יִלְוֶנּוּ בַעֲמָלוֹ יְמֵי חַיָּיו אֲשֶׁר־נָֽתַן־לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים תַּחַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ |
16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that has been done on the earth (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),
| כַּאֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי אֶת־לִבִּי לָדַעַת חׇכְמָה וְלִרְאוֹת אֶת־הָעִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ כִּי גַם בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה שֵׁנָה בְּעֵינָיו אֵינֶנּוּ רֹאֶֽה׃ |
17 then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that has been done under the sun, because though man labor to seek, yet he does not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.
| וְרָאִיתִי אֶת־כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי לֹא יוּכַל הָאָדָם לִמְצוֹא אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַֽחַת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּשֶׁל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹל הָאָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ וְלֹא יִמְצָא וְגַם אִם־יֹאמַר הֶֽחָכָם לָדַעַת לֹא יוּכַל לִמְצֹֽא׃ |
