伝道者の書 7
1 名は美膏に愈り 死る日は生るる日に愈る
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 哀傷の家に入は宴樂の家に入に愈る 其は一切の人の終かくのごとくなればなり 生る者またこれをその心にとむるあらん
It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
3 悲哀は嬉笑に愈る 其は面に憂色を帶るなれば心も善にむかへばなり
Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 賢き者の心は哀傷の家にあり 愚なる者の心は喜樂の家にあり
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 賢き者の勸責を聽は愚なる者の歌詠を聽に愈るなり
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
6 愚なる者の笑は釜の下に焚る荊棘の聲のごとし是また空なり
For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 賢き人も虐待る事によりて狂するに至るあり賄賂は人の心を壞なふ
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 事の終はその始よりも善し 容忍心ある者は傲慢心ある者に勝る
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 汝氣を急くして怒るなかれ 怒は愚なる者の胸にやどるなり
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 昔の今にまさるは何故ぞやと汝言なかれ 汝の斯る問をなすは是智慧よりいづる者にあらざるなり
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 智慧の上に財產をかぬれば善し 然れば日を見る者等に利益おほかるべし
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 智慧も身の護庇となり銀子も身の護庇となる 然ど智惠はまたこれを有る者に生命を保しむ 是知識の殊勝たるところなり
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 汝神の作爲を考ふべし 神の曲たまひし者は誰かこれを直くすることを得ん
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 幸福ある日には樂め 禍患ある日には考へよ 神はこの二者をあひ交錯て降したまふ 是は人をしてその後の事を知ることなからしめんためなり
In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
15 我この空の世にありて各樣の事を見たり 義人の義をおこなひて亡ぶるあり 惡人の惡をおこなひて長壽あり
In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 汝義に過るなかれまた賢に過るなかれ 汝なんぞ身を滅すべけんや
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 汝惡に過るなかれまた愚なる勿れ 汝なんぞ時いたらざるに死べけんや
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 汝此を執は善しまた彼にも手を放すなかれ 神を畏む者はこの一切の者の中より逃れ出るなり
It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
19 智慧の智者を幇くることは邑の豪雄者十人にまさるなり
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 正義して善をおこなひ罪を犯すことなき人は世にあることなし
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 人の言出す言詞には凡て心をとむる勿れ 恐くは汝の僕の汝を詛ふを聞こともあらん
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
22 汝も屡人を詛ふことあるは汝の心に知ところなり
For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 我智慧をもてこの一切の事を試み我は智者とならんと謂たりしが遠くおよばざるなり
All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
24 事物の理は遠くして甚だ深し 誰かこれを究むることを得ん
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 我は身をめぐらし心をもちひて物を知り事を探り 智慧と道理を索めんとし 又惡の愚たると愚癡の狂妄たるを知んとせり
I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
26 我了れり 婦人のその心羅と網のごとくその手縲絏のごとくなる者は是死よりも苦き者なり 神の悦びたまふ者は之を避ることを得ん罪人は之に執らるべし
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
27 傳道者言ふ 視よ我その數を知んとして一々に算へてつひに此事を了る
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
28 我なほ尋ねて得ざる者は是なり 我千人の中には一箇の男子を得たれども その數の中には一箇の女子をも得ざるなり
While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
29 我了れるところは唯是のみ 即ち神は人を正直者に造りたまひしに人衆多の計略を案出せしなり
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
