伝道者の書 1
1 ダビデの子 ヱルサレムの王 傅道者の言
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 傅道者言く 空の空 空の空なる哉 都て空なり
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 日の下に人の労して爲ところの諸の動作はその身に何の益かあらん
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 世は去り世は來る 地は永久に長存なり
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 日は出で日は入り またその出し處に喘ぎゆくなり
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 風は南に行き又轉りて北にむかひ 旋轉に旋りて行き 風復その旋轉る處にかへる。
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 河はみな海に流れ入る 海は盈ること無し 河はその出きたれる處に復還りゆくなり
All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 萬の物は労苦す 人これを言つくすことあたはず 目は見に飽ことなく耳は聞に充ること無し
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 曩に有りし者はまた後にあるべし 曩に成し事はまた後に成べし 日の下には新しき者あらざるなり
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 見よ是は新しき者なりと指て言べき物あるや 其は我等の前にありし世々に既に久しくありたる者なり
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 己前のものの事はこれを記憶ることなし 以後のものの事もまた後に出る者これをおぼゆることあらじ
There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 われ傅道者はヱルサレムにありてイスラエルの王たりき
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 我心を盡し智慧をもちひて天が下に行はるる諸の事を尋ねかつ考覈たり此苦しき事件は神が世の人にさづけて之に身を労せしめたまふ者なり
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 我日の下に作ところの諸の行爲を見たり 嗚呼皆空にして風を捕ふるがごとし
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 曲れる者は直からしむるあたはす欠たる者は散をあはするあたはず
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 我心の中に語りて言ふ 嗚呼我は大なる者となれり 我より先にヱルサレムにをりしすべての者よりも我は多くの智慧を得たり 我心は智慧と知識を多く得たり
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 我心を盡して智慧を知んとし狂妄と愚癡を知んとしたりしが 是も亦風を捕ふるがごとくなるを暁れり
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 夫智慧多ければ憤激多し 知識を増す者は憂患を増す
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
