伝道者の書 5
1 汝ヱホバの室にいたる時にはその足を愼め 進みよりて聽聞は愚なる者の犠牲にまさる 彼等はその惡をおこなひをることを知ざるなり
KEEP thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
2 汝神の前にありては軽々し口を開くなかれ 心を攝めて妄に言をいだすなかれ 其は神は天にいまし汝は地にをればなり 然ば汝の言詞を少からしめよ
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 夫夢は事の繁多によりて生じ 愚なる者の聲は言の衆多によりて識るなり
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.
4 汝神に誓願をかけなば之を還すことを怠るなかれ 神は愚なる者を悦びたまはざるなり 汝はそのかけし誓願を還すべし
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 誓願をかけてこれを還さざるよりは寧ろ誓願をかけざるは汝に善し
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
6 汝の口をもて汝の身に罪を犯さしむるなかれ 亦使者の前に其は過誤なりといふべからず 恐くは神汝の言を怒り汝の手の所爲を滅したまはん
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
7 夫夢多ければ空なる事多し 言詞の多きもまた然り 汝ヱホバを畏め
For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
8 汝國の中に貧き者を虐遇る事および公道と公義を枉ることあるを見るもその事あるを怪むなかれ 其はその位高き人よりも高き者ありてその人を伺へばなり又其等よりも高き者あるなり
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
9 國の利益は全く是にあり 即ち王者が農事に勤むるにあるなり
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
10 銀を好む者は銀に飽こと無し 豊富ならんことを好む者は得るところ有らず 是また空なり
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
11 貨財増せばこれを食む者も増すなり その所有主は唯目にこれを看るのみ その外に何の益かあらん
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
12 勞する者はその食ふところは多きも少きも快く睡るなり 然れども富者はその貨財の多きがために睡ることを得せず
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
13 我また日の下に患の大なる者あるを見たり すなはち財寶のこれを蓄ふる者の身に害をおよぼすことある是なり
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
14 その財寶はまた災難によりて失落ことあり 然ばその人子を擧ることあらんもその手には何物もあることなし
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15 人は母の胎より出て來りしごとくにまた裸體にして皈りゆくべし その勞苦によりて得たる者を毫厘も手にとりて携へゆくことを得ざるなり
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
16 人は全くその來りしごとくにまた去ゆかざるを得ず 是また患の大なる者なり 抑風を追て勞する者何の益をうること有んや
And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
17 人は生命の涯黑暗の中に食ふことを爲す また憂愁多かり 疾病身にあり 憤怒あり
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
18 視よ我は斯觀たり 人の身にとりて善かつ美なる者は 神にたまはるその生命の極食飮をなし 且その日の下に勞して働ける勞苦によりて得るところの福禄を身に享るの事なり是その分なればなり
Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.
19 何人によらず神がこれに富と財を與へてそれに食ことを得せしめ またその分を取りその勞苦によりて快樂を得ることをせさせたまふあれば その事は神の賜物たるなり
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
20 かかる人はその年齢の日を憶ゆること深からず 其は神これが心の喜ぶところにしたがひて應ることを爲したまへばなり
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
