Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
Semua itu kupikirkan dengan seksama. Allah mengatur hidup orang yang baik dan bijaksana, bahkan kalau orang itu membenci atau mencinta. Tak ada yang tahu apa yang akan terjadi di kemudian hari.
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
Memang, nasib yang sama menimpa setiap orang: Orang jujur maupun orang bejat, orang baik maupun orang jahat, orang yang bersih maupun orang yang najis, orang yang mempersembahkan kurban maupun yang tidak. Orang baik tidak lebih mujur daripada orang yang berdosa, orang yang bersumpah sama saja dengan orang yang tidak mau bersumpah.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
Jadi, nasib yang sama juga menimpa mereka semua. Dan itu suatu hal yang menyedihkan sebagaimana juga segala kejadian di dunia. Selama hidupnya hati manusia penuh kejahatan, dan pikirannya pun penuh kebodohan. Lalu tiba-tiba ia menemui ajalnya.
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
Tetapi selama hayat di kandung badan, selama itu ada harapan. Bukankah anjing yang hidup lebih bahagia daripada singa yang tak bernyawa?
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
Setidaknya, orang hidup tahu bahwa ajal menantinya, sedangkan orang mati tidak tahu apa-apa. Baginya tidak ada upah atau imbalan, dan namanya sudah dilupakan.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
Rasa cinta, benci serta nafsunya, semuanya mati bersama dia. Ia tidak lagi mengambil bagian apa-apa dalam segala kejadian di dunia.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
Ayo, makanlah saja dan bergembira, minumlah anggurmu dengan sukacita. Allah tidak berkeberatan, malahan Ia berkenan.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Biarlah wajahmu cerah dan berseri.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
Nikmatilah hidup dengan istri yang kaukasihi selama hidupmu yang sia-sia, yang diberi Allah kepadamu di dunia. Nikmatilah setiap hari meskipun tidak berguna. Sebab upah jerih payahmu hanya itu saja.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
Kerjakanlah segala tugasmu dengan sekuat tenaga. Sebab nanti tak ada lagi pikiran atau kerja. Tak ada ilmu atau hikmat di dunia orang mati. Dan ke sanalah engkau akan pergi. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Di dunia ini ada lagi yang kulihat: perlombaan tidak selalu dimenangkan oleh pelari cepat, pertempuran tidak selalu dimenangkan oleh orang yang kuat. Orang bijaksana tidak selalu mendapat mata pencaharian. Dan orang cerdas tidak selalu memperoleh kekayaan. Juga para ahli tidak selalu menjadi terkenal. Sebab siapa saja bisa ditimpa nasib sial.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
Manusia tidak tahu kapan saatnya tiba. Seperti burung terjerat dan ikan terjala, begitu pula manusia ditimpa bencana pada saat yang tak terduga.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Berikut ini ada sebuah contoh jitu bagaimana orang menghargai hikmat:
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Ada sebuah kota kecil yang sedikit penduduknya. Pada suatu hari seorang raja besar datang menyerang kota itu. Ia mengepungnya dan bersiap-siap mendobrak temboknya.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
Di kota itu ada seorang miskin yang bijaksana. Ia dapat menyelamatkan kota itu. Tetapi karena ia miskin, jasanya segera dilupakan dan tak seorang pun ingat kepadanya.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
Jadi, benarlah pendapatku bahwa hikmat melebihi kekuatan. Walaupun begitu, hikmat orang miskin tidak diindahkan. Kata-katanya tidak ada yang diperhatikan.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Lebih baik mendengarkan kata-kata tenang seorang berilmu daripada teriakan seorang penguasa dalam kumpulan orang-orang dungu.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Hikmat lebih berguna daripada senjata, tetapi nila setitik merusak susu sebelanga.
