伝道者の書 1
1 ダビデの子 ヱルサレムの王 傅道者の言
Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
2 傅道者言く 空の空 空の空なる哉 都て空なり
“Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
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 benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
4 世は去り世は來る 地は永久に長存なり
People come, and people go, but the earth lasts 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 comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
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 south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
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
Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.
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
Everything just keeps on going. You can't say all there is to say. You can't see all there is to see. You can't hear all there is to hear.
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
Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
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
There's nothing anyone can point to and say, “Look! Here's something new.” In fact it's been around for ages, long before our time.
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
The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
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 am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from 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
I decided to focus my mind to explore, using wisdom, everything that happens here on earth. This is a tough assignment that God has given people to keep them busy!
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 examined everything people do here on earth, and discovered that it's all so temporary—trying to understand it is like trying to pin down 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
You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
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 thought to myself, “I've become very wise, wiser than all the kings of Jerusalem before me. My mind has gained a great deal 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 decided to use my mind to learn everything about wisdom, and madness and foolishness as well. But I found out that this is as hard as trying to catch hold 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 great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
