Mangangaral 7
1 Ang mabuting pangalan ay maigi kay sa mahalagang unguento; at ang kaarawan ng kamatayan kay sa kaarawan ng kapanganakan.
[Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
2 Maigi ang pasa bahay ng tangisan, kay sa bahay ng pistahan: sapagka't siyang wakas ng lahat ng mga tao; at ilalagak ng may buhay sa kaniyang puso.
It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
3 Kapanglawan ay maigi kay sa pagtawa: sapagka't sa kapanglawan ng mukha ay sumasaya ang puso.
It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
4 Ang puso ng pantas ay nasa bahay ng tangisan; nguni't ang puso ng mangmang ay nasa bahay ng kasayahan.
Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
5 Maigi ang makinig ng saway ng pantas kay sa isang tao'y makinig ng awit ng mga mangmang.
It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
6 Sapagka't kung paano ang lagitik ng mga tinik sa ilalim ng palyok, gayon ang tawa ng mangmang: ito ma'y walang kabuluhan.
By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
7 Tunay na nagpapamangmang sa pantas ang pagkapighati; at ang suhol ay sumisira ng unawa.
When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
8 Maigi ang wakas ng isang bagay kay sa pasimula niyaon: at ang matiising loob ay maigi kay sa palalong loob.
Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
9 Huwag kang magagalitin sa iyong kalooban: sapagka't ang galit ay nagpapahinga sa sinapupunan ng mga mangmang.
Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
10 Huwag mong sabihin, Ano ang kadahilanan na ang mga unang araw ay maigi kay sa mga ito? sapagka't hindi ka naguusisang may katalinuhan tungkol dito.
Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
11 Karunungan ay mabuting gaya ng mana: oo, lalong marilag sa ganang kanila na nakakakita ng araw.
Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
12 Sapagka't ang karunungan ay sanggalang, sa makatuwid baga'y gaya ng salapi na sanggalang: nguni't ang karilagan ng kaalaman, ay iniingatan ng karunungan ang buhay niya na nagtatangkilik niyaon.
We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
13 Gunitain mo ang gawa ng Dios: sapagka't sinong makapagtutuwid ng ginawa niyang baluktot?
Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
14 Sa kaarawan ng kaginhawahan ay magalak ka, at sa kaarawan ng kahirapan ay gumunita ka: oo, ginawa ng Dios ang isa sa siping ng isa, upang ang tao ay huwag makasumpong ng anomang bagay na mangyayari pagkamatay niya.
When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
15 Lahat ng ito ay nakita ko sa mga kaarawan ng aking walang kabuluhan: may matuwid na namamatay sa kaniyang katuwiran, at may masama na humahaba ang buhay sa kaniyang masamang gawa.
During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
16 Huwag kang lubhang magpakamatuwid; ni huwag ka mang lubhang magpakapantas: bakit sisirain mo ang iyong sarili?
[So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
17 Huwag kang magpakasamang lubha, ni magpakamangmang man: bakit ka mamamatay bago dumating ang iyong kapanahunan?
If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
18 Mabuti na ikaw ay manghawak dito; oo, doon man ay huwag mong iurong ang iyong kamay: sapagka't siyang natatakot sa Dios ay lalayo sa lahat na yaon.
Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
19 Karunungan ay kalakasan sa pantas, na higit kay sa sangpung pinuno na nangasa bayan.
If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
20 Tunay na walang matuwid sa lupa, na gumagawa ng mabuti, at hindi nagkakasala.
There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
21 Huwag ka rin namang makinig sa lahat ng mga salita na sinasalita, baka marinig mong sinusumpa ka ng iyong alipin:
Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22 Sapagka't madalas ding nalalaman ng iyong sariling puso, na ikaw ay sumumpa rin sa mga iba.
You know that you have also cursed other people.
23 Lahat ng ito ay tinikman ko sa karunungan: aking sinabi, Ako'y magiging pantas: nguni't malayo sa akin.
I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
24 Ang nilikha ay malayo at totoong malalim; sinong makaaabot?
Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
25 Ako'y pumihit at inilagak ang aking puso na umalam, at sumiyasat, at humanap ng karunungan, at ng kadahilanan ng mga bagay, at umalam na ang kasamaan ay kamangmangan, at ang kamangmangan ay kaululan:
But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
26 At nakasumpong ako ng bagay na lalong mapait kay sa kamatayan, sa makatuwid baga'y ang babae na ang puso ay mga silo at mga bitag, at ang kaniyang mga kamay ay gaya ng mga panali: ang nalulugod sa Dios ay tatakas sa kaniya; nguni't ang makasalanan ay makukuha niya.
[One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
27 Narito, ito'y aking nasumpungan, sabi ng Mangangaral, na iniaagapay ang isang bagay sa iba, upang matagpuan ang kadahilanan:
This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
28 Na hinahanap pa ng aking kaluluwa, nguni't hindi ko nasumpungan: isang tao sa isang libo ang aking nasumpungan; nguni't isang babae sa lahat ng mga yaon ay hindi ko nasumpungan.
and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
29 Narito, ito lamang ang aking nasumpungan, na ginawang matuwid ng Dios ang tao; nguni't nagsihanap sila ng maraming katha.
[But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
