Ecclesiastes 7
1 [Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
| نیکنامی از بهترین عطرها نیز خوشبوتر است. روز مرگ از روز تولد بهتر است. |
2 It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
| رفتن به خانه‌ای که در آن عزاداری می‌کنند بهتر از رفتن به خانه‌ای است که در آن جشن برپاست، زیرا زندگان باید همیشه این را به یاد داشته باشند که روزی خواهند مرد. |
3 It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
| غم از خنده بهتر است، زیرا هر چند صورت را غمگین می‌کند اما باعث صفای دل می‌گردد. |
4 Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
| کسی که دائم به فکر خوشگذرانی است، نادان است، شخص دانا به مرگ می‌اندیشد. |
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
| گوش دادن به انتقاد اشخاص دانا بهتر است از گوش دادن به تعریف و تمجید نادانان، |
6 By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
| که مانند صدای ترق و تروق خارها در آتش، بی‌معنی است. |
7 When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
| گرفتن رشوه، شخص دانا را نادان می‌سازد و دل او را فاسد می‌کند. |
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
| انتهای امر از ابتدایش بهتر است. صبر از غرور بهتر است. |
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
| بر خشم خود چیره شو، زیرا کسانی که زود خشمگین می‌شوند نادانند. |
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
| حسرت «روزهای خوب گذشته» را نخور. حکمتی در این کار نیست. |
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
| حکمت بیش از هر میراثی برای زندگان مفید است. |
12 We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
| حکمت و ثروت هر دو پناهگاهی برای انسان هستند، اما برتری حکمت در این است که حیات می‌بخشد. |
13 Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
| در مورد آنچه که خداوند انجام داده است فکر کن. آیا کسی می‌تواند آنچه را که خدا کج ساخته، راست نماید؟ |
14 When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
| پس وقتی سعادت به تو روی می‌آورد شادی کن و هنگامی که سختیها به تو هجوم می‌آورند بدان که خداوند هم خوشی می‌دهد و هم سختی و انسان نمی‌داند در آینده چه اتفاقی خواهد افتاد. |
15 During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
| در این زندگی پوچ و بیهوده خیلی چیزها دیده‌ام، از جمله اینکه برخی نیکوکاران زود می‌میرند در حالی که برخی بدکاران عمر طولانی می‌کنند. |
16 [So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
| پس بیش از حد نیکوکار و خردمند نباش مبادا خود را از بین ببری، |
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
| و بیش از حد بدکار و نادان هم نباش مبادا پیش از اجلت بمیری. |
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
| از خدا بترس و از این دو افراط به دور باش تا کامیاب شوی. |
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
| یک مرد حکیم تواناتر از ده حاکم است که بر یک شهر حکومت می‌کنند. |
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
| در دنیا مرد عادلی وجود ندارد که هر چه می‌کند درست باشد و هرگز خطایی از او سر نزند. |
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
| حرفهایی را که از مردم می‌شنوی به دل نگیر، حتی وقتی که می‌شنوی غلامت به تو ناسزا می‌گوید؛ |
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
| چون تو خودت خوب می‌دانی که بارها به دیگران ناسزا گفته‌ای. |
23 I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
| من تمام این چیزها را با حکمت بررسی کردم و تصمیم گرفتم به دنبال حکمت بروم، ولی حکمت از من دور بود. |
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
| کیست که بتواند آن را به دست آورد؟ حکمت بسیار عمیق و دور از دسترس است. |
25 But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
| پس به تحقیق و جستجوی حکمت پرداختم تا به دلیل هر چیزی پی ببرم و دریابم که هر که شرارت و بدی می‌کند احمق و دیوانه است. |
26 [One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
| زن حیله‌گر تلخ‌تر از مرگ است. عشق او مانند دام، مردان را گرفتار می‌سازد و بازوانش مانند کمند آنها را به بند می‌کشد. کسی که در پی خشنودی خداوند است از دام او رهایی می‌یابد، اما آدم گناهکار گرفتار آن می‌شود. |
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
| «معلم» می‌گوید: «نتیجۀ تحقیق من این است. پس از بررسی اوضاع از هر جانب به این نتیجه رسیدم. |
28 and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
| هرچند بارها جستجو کردم، ولی به آنچه که می‌خواستم نرسیدم. از میان هزار نفر فقط یک مرد خوب یافتم اما از بین آنها یک زن خوب هم نیافتم! |
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
| بالاخره به این نتیجه رسیدم که خدا انسانها را خوب و راست آفریده است، اما آنها به راههای کج رفته‌اند.» |
