קֹהֶלֶת 7

1 טוֹב שֵׁם מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב וְיוֹם הַמָּוֶת מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדֽוֹ׃

A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.

2 טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵבֶל מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא סוֹף כָּל־הָאָדָם וְהַחַי יִתֵּן אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃

It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.

3 טוֹב כַּעַס מִשְּׂחֹק כִּֽי־בְרֹעַ פָּנִים יִיטַב לֵֽב׃

Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.

4 לֵב חֲכָמִים בְּבֵית אֵבֶל וְלֵב כְּסִילִים בְּבֵית שִׂמְחָֽה׃

The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.

5 טוֹב לִשְׁמֹעַ גַּעֲרַת חָכָם מֵאִישׁ שֹׁמֵעַ שִׁיר כְּסִילִֽים׃

It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.

6 כִּי כְקוֹל הַסִּירִים תַּחַת הַסִּיר כֵּן שְׂחֹק הַכְּסִיל וְגַם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

7 כִּי הָעֹשֶׁק יְהוֹלֵל חָכָם וִֽיאַבֵּד אֶת־לֵב מַתָּנָֽה׃

The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.

8 טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֽ͏ֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ טוֹב אֶֽרֶךְ־רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ־רֽוּחַ׃

The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.

9 אַל־תְּבַהֵל בְּרֽוּחֲךָ לִכְעוֹס כִּי כַעַס בְּחֵיק כְּסִילִים יָנֽוּחַ׃

Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

10 אַל־תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים הָיוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מֵחָכְמָה שָׁאַלְתָּ עַל־זֶֽה׃

Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.

11 טוֹבָה חָכְמָה עִֽם־נַחֲלָה וְיֹתֵר לְרֹאֵי הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.

12 כִּי בְּצֵל הַֽחָכְמָה בְּצֵל הַכָּסֶף וְיִתְרוֹן דַּעַת הַֽחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה בְעָלֶֽיהָ׃

Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.

13 רְאֵה אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתֽוֹ׃

Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?

14 בְּיוֹם טוֹבָה הֱיֵה בְטוֹב וּבְיוֹם רָעָה רְאֵה גַּם אֶת־זֶה לְעֻמַּת־זֶה עָשָׂה הָֽאֱלֹהִים עַל־דִּבְרַת שֶׁלֹּא יִמְצָא הָֽאָדָם אַחֲרָיו מְאֽוּמָה׃

In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.

15 אֶת־הַכֹּל רָאִיתִי בִּימֵי הֶבְלִי יֵשׁ צַדִּיק אֹבֵד בְּצִדְקוֹ וְיֵשׁ רָשָׁע מַאֲרִיךְ בְּרָעָתֽוֹ׃

These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.

16 אַל־תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תִּתְחַכַּם יוֹתֵר לָמָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵֽם׃

Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?

17 אַל־תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה וְאַל־תְּהִי סָכָל לָמָּה תָמוּת בְּלֹא עִתֶּֽךָ׃

Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?

18 טוֹב אֲשֶׁר תֶּאֱחֹז בָּזֶה וְגַם־מִזֶּה אַל־תַּנַּח אֶת־יָדֶךָ כִּֽי־יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים יֵצֵא אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃

It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.

19 הַֽחָכְמָה תָּעֹז לֶחָכָם מֵֽעֲשָׂרָה שַׁלִּיטִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בָּעִֽיר׃

Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.

20 כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָֽא׃

There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.

21 גַּם לְכָל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּרוּ אַל־תִּתֵּן לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־תִשְׁמַע אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ מְקַלְלֶֽךָ׃

Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.

22 כִּי גַּם־פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת יָדַע לִבֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר גַּם־את אַתָּה קִלַּלְתָּ אֲחֵרִֽים׃

Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.

23 כָּל־זֹה נִסִּיתִי בַֽחָכְמָה אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.

24 רָחוֹק מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה וְעָמֹק ׀ עָמֹק מִי יִמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃

Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?

25 סַבּוֹתִֽי אֲנִי וְלִבִּי לָדַעַת וְלָתוּר וּבַקֵּשׁ חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְלָדַעַת רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃

I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.

26 וּמוֹצֶא אֲנִי מַר מִמָּוֶת אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר־הִיא מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים לִבָּהּ אֲסוּרִים יָדֶיהָ טוֹב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים יִמָּלֵט מִמֶּנָּה וְחוֹטֵא יִלָּכֶד בָּֽהּ׃

And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.

27 רְאֵה זֶה מָצָאתִי אָמְרָה קֹהֶלֶת אַחַת לְאַחַת לִמְצֹא חֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃

Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,

28 אֲשֶׁר עוֹד־בִּקְשָׁה נַפְשִׁי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי אָדָם אֶחָד מֵאֶלֶף מָצָאתִי וְאִשָּׁה בְכָל־אֵלֶּה לֹא מָצָֽאתִי׃

For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.

29 לְבַד רְאֵה־זֶה מָצָאתִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם יָשָׁר וְהֵמָּה בִקְשׁוּ חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת רַבִּֽים׃

This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.