Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
茲に我身を轉して日の下に行はるる諸の虐遇を視たり 嗚呼虐げらる者の涙ながる 之を慰むる者あらざるなり また虐ぐる者の手には權力あり 彼等はこれを慰むる者あらざるなり
2 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
我は猶生る生者よりも旣に死たる死者をもて幸なりとす
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
またこの二者よりも幸なるは未だ世にあらずして日の下におこなはるる惡事を見ざる者なり
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
我また諸の勞苦と諸の工事の精巧とを觀るに 是は人のたがひに嫉みあひて成せる者たるなり 是も空にして風を捕ふるが如し
5 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
愚なる者は手を束ねてその身の肉を食ふ
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
片手に物を盈て平穩にあるは 兩手に物を盈て勞苦て風を捕ふるに愈れり
7 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
我また身をめぐらし日の下に空なる事のあるを見たり
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
茲に人あり只獨にして伴侶もなく子もなく兄弟もなし 然るにその勞苦は都て窮なくの目は富に飽ことなし 彼また言ず嗚呼我は誰がために勞するや何とて我は心を樂ませざるやと 是もまた空にして勞力の苦き者なり
9 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
二人は一人に愈る其はその勞苦のために善報を得ればなり
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
即ちその跌倒る時には一箇の人その伴侶を扶けおこすべし 然ど孤身にして跌倒る者は憐なるかな之を扶けおこす者なきなり
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
又二人ともに寝れば温暖なり一人ならば爭で温暖ならんや
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
人もしその一人を攻撃ば二人してこれに當るべし 三根の繩は容易く斷ざるなり
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
貧くして賢き童子は 老て愚にして諌を納れざる王に愈る
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
彼は牢獄より出て王となれり 然どその國に生れし時は貧かりき
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
我日の下にあゆむところの群生が彼王に続てこれに代りて立ところの童子とともにあるを觀たり
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
民はすべて際限なし その前にありし者みな然り 後にきたる者また彼を悦ばず 是も空にして風を捕ふるがごとし
