קֹהֶלֶת 8

1 מִי כְּהֶחָכָם וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ פֵּשֶׁר דָּבָר חָכְמַת אָדָם תָּאִיר פָּנָיו וְעֹז פָּנָיו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃

Who is like the wise man? and to whom is the sense of anything clear? A man's wisdom makes his face shining, and his hard face will be changed.

2 אֲנִי פִּי־מֶלֶךְ שְׁמוֹר וְעַל דִּבְרַת שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִֽים׃

I say to you, Keep the king's law, from respect for the oath of God.

3 אַל־תִּבָּהֵל מִפָּנָיו תֵּלֵךְ אַֽל־תַּעֲמֹד בְּדָבָר רָע כִּי כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃

Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.

4 בַּאֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־מֶלֶךְ שִׁלְטוֹן וּמִי יֹֽאמַר־לוֹ מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃

The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?

5 שׁוֹמֵר מִצְוָה לֹא יֵדַע דָּבָר רָע וְעֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט יֵדַע לֵב חָכָֽם׃

Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.

6 כִּי לְכָל־חֵפֶץ יֵשׁ עֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט כִּֽי־רָעַת הָאָדָם רַבָּה עָלָֽיו׃

For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him.

7 כִּֽי־אֵינֶנּוּ יֹדֵעַ מַה־שֶּׁיִּֽהְיֶה כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִֽהְיֶה מִי יַגִּיד לֽוֹ׃

No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?

8 אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלוֹא אֶת־הָרוּחַ וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹֽא־יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת־בְּעָלָֽיו׃

No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.

9 אֶת־כָּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי וְנָתוֹן אֶת־לִבִּי לְכָֽל־מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ עֵת אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַט הָאָדָם בְּאָדָם לְרַע לֽוֹ׃

All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.

10 וּבְכֵן רָאִיתִי רְשָׁעִים קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ יְהַלֵּכוּ וְיִֽשְׁתַּכְּחוּ בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר כֵּן־עָשׂוּ גַּם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃

And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

11 אֲשֶׁר אֵין־נַעֲשָׂה פִתְגָם מַעֲשֵׂה הָרָעָה מְהֵרָה עַל־כֵּן מָלֵא לֵב בְּֽנֵי־הָאָדָם בָּהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָֽע׃

Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.

12 אֲשֶׁר חֹטֶא עֹשֶׂה רָע מְאַת וּמַאֲרִיךְ לוֹ כִּי גַּם־יוֹדֵעַ אָנִי אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־טּוֹב לְיִרְאֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יִֽירְאוּ מִלְּפָנָֽיו׃

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life is long, I am certain that it will be well for those who go in fear of God and are in fear before him.

13 וְטוֹב לֹֽא־יִהְיֶה לָֽרָשָׁע וְלֹֽא־יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים כַּצֵּל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יָרֵא מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים׃

But it will not be well for the evil-doer; he will not make his days long like a shade, because he has no fear before God.

14 יֶשׁ־הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ׀ יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרְשָׁעִים וְיֵשׁ רְשָׁעִים שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצַּדִּיקִים אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶה הָֽבֶל׃

There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

15 וְשִׁבַּחְתִּֽי אֲנִי אֶת־הַשִּׂמְחָה אֲשֶׁר אֵֽין־טוֹב לָֽאָדָם תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי אִם־לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ וְהוּא יִלְוֶנּוּ בַעֲמָלוֹ יְמֵי חַיָּיו אֲשֶׁר־נָֽתַן־לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים תַּחַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

So I gave praise to joy, because there is nothing better for a man to do under the sun than to take meat and drink and be happy; for that will be with him in his work all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16 כַּאֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי אֶת־לִבִּי לָדַעַת חָכְמָה וְלִרְאוֹת אֶת־הָעִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ כִּי גַם בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה שֵׁנָה בְּעֵינָיו אֵינֶנּוּ רֹאֶֽה׃

When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),

17 וְרָאִיתִי אֶת־כָּל־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׃

Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.