伝道者の書 9
1 我はこの一切の事に心を用ひてこの一切の事を明めんとせり 即ち義き者と賢き者およびかれらの爲ところは神の手にあるなるを明めんとせり 愛むや惡むやは人これを知ることなし一切の事はその前にあるなり
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.
2 諸の人に臨む所は皆同じ 義き者にも惡き者にも善者にも 淨者にも穢れたる者にも 犠牲を献ぐる者にも犠牲を献げぬ者にもその臨むところの事は同一なり 善人も罪人に異ならず 誓をなす者も誓をなすことを畏るる者に異ならず
[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.
3 諸の人に臨むところの事の同一なるは是日の下におこなはるる事の中の惡き者たり 抑人の心には惡き事充をり その生る間は心に狂妄を懐くあり 後には死者の中に往くなり
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.
4 凡活る者の中に列る者は望あり 其は生る犬は死る獅子に愈ればなり
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.
5 生者はその死んことを知る 然ど死る者は何事をも知ずまた應報をうくることも重てあらず その記憶らるる事も遂に忘れらるるに至る
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.
6 またその愛も惡も嫉も旣に消うせて彼等は日の下におこなはるる事に最早何時までも關係ことあらざるなり
[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.
7 汝往て喜悦をもて汝のパンを食ひ樂き心をも汝の酒を飮め 其は神久しく汝の行爲を嘉納たまへばなり
[So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
8 汝の衣服を常に白からしめよ 汝の頭に膏を絶しむるなかれ
Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
9 日の下に汝が賜はるこの汝の空なる生命の日の間汝その愛する妻とともに喜びて度生せ 汝の空なる生命の日の間しかせよ 是は汝が世にありて受る分汝が日の下に働ける勞苦によりて得る者なり
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.
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)
11 我また身をめぐらして日の下を觀るに 迅速者走ることに勝にあらず強者戰爭に勝にあらず 智慧者食物を獲にあらず 明哲人財貨を得にあらず 知識人恩顧を得にあらず 凡て人に臨むところの事は時ある者偶然なる者なり
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.
12 人はまたその時を知ず 魚の禍の網にかかり鳥の鳥羅にかかるが如くに世の人もまた禍患の時の計らざるに臨むに及びてその禍患にかかるなり
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.
13 我日の下に是事を觀て智慧となし大なる事となせり
Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
14 すなはち茲に一箇の小き邑ありて その中の人は鮮かりしが大なる王これに攻きたりてこれを圍みこれに向ひて大なる雲梯を建たり
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.
15 時に邑の中に一人の智慧ある貧しき人ありてその智慧をもて邑を救へり 然るに誰ありてその貧しき人を記念もの無りし
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.
16 是において我言り智慧は勇力に愈る者なりと 但しかの貧しき人の智慧は藐視られその言詞は聽れざりしなり
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.
17 靜に聽る智者の言は愚者の君長たる者の號呼に愈る
Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
18 智慧は軍の器に勝れり一人の惡人は許多の善事を壞ふなり
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.
