KOHELET 5
1 Ez bedi zure ahoa
zalapartaka mintza,
zure bihotzak ere
ez dezala bizkor hitz egin
Jaunaren aurrean;
zeruan baita Jainkoa
eta zu lurrean.
Ez egin, bada, hitz asko.t t
2 Izan ere, kezka gehiegik
amesgaiztoa dakar,
eta hitz-jarioak
zoro-berriketak egitea.
3 Jainkoari promesen bat
egin badiozu,
bete lehenbailehen,
ez baititu atsegin axolagabeak.
Bete hitzemana.t
4 Askoz hobe duzu hitzik ez ematea,
emaniko hitza ez betetzea baino.
5 Ez utzi zeure ahoari
bekatu eginarazten,
ez esan gero Jainkoarit
ohartu gabe egin duzula.
Ea haserretzen zaizun Jainkoa
zeure hitzengatik
eta zeure lanak oro
desegiten dizkizun!
6 Amets eta huskeria ugari denean,
berriketa ere ugari.
Zuk, aldiz, izan begirune Jainkoarit.tAgintekeria
7 Herrian behartsuak
zapaltzen dituztela,
gogorki epaitzen
eta zuzenbidea desegiten dutela
ikusten baduzu,
ez harritu horregatik.
Handikiak, beste handikiago bat
du babesle, eta biok,
goitiago daudenak dituzte babesle.t
8 Denek ateratzen diote
etekina lurrari;
erregea ere
lurrak ematen duenetik bizi dat.Diruzalekeria
9 Diruzalea ez da inola asetzen,
aberastasuna maite duenak
ez du onurarik.
Hori ere, beraz, huskeria da.t
10 Zenbat eta ondasun gehiago,
hainbat eta irensle ugariago;
zertarako, hortaz,
aberastasunak jabeak
begien aurrean ikusteko izan ezik?
11 Asko jan, gutxi jan,
langileak lo egiten du gozoki;
aberatsak, aldiz,
bere asean ezin egin lorik.
12 Ikusia dut
beste gaitz handi bat ere
eguzkipean:
aberastasunak pilatzea
berorien jabearen kaltetan dela;
13 izan ere, une txar batean
gal ditzake denak;
jaioko zaio semea
eta esku-hutsik geldituko da.
14 Bere amaren sabeletik
biluzik irten zen,
halaxe da itzuliko,
bere lanaren saririk batere
ez du berekin eramango.t
15 Hau bai gaitz negargarria:
etorri bezalaxe joan behar.
Eta zein fruitu atera dio
egin duen lanari?
16 Bere bizitza osoa
goibel eta atsekabeturik,
neke, oinaze eta haserre artean
eman du.
17 Ikusi dudanez, hauxe dute
gizon-emakumeek hoberena:
eguzkipean egiten duten lanetik
jan, edan eta alai gozatu,
Jainkoak eman
bizitzako egunetan zehar;
horixe dute beren zoria.t
18 Aberastasunak eta ondasunak
eman dizkion gizaki orori,
berorietatik jateko,
dagokion zatia hartzeko
eta lanaz pozteko eskubidea ere
eman dio Jainkoak;
Jainkoaren dohaina da hori.
19 Ez du bere bizitzako egunetan
buruhausterik izango
Jainkoak bihotza atseginez
betetzen dionak.
Ecclesiastes 5
Rash Vows
1 s Be careful what you dots when you go to the templet of God;
draw near to listent rather than to offer a sacrificet like fools,t
for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
2 Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God,
for God is in heaven and you are on earth!
Therefore, let your words be few.
3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares,t
sot the rash vowt of a fool occurst when there are many words.
4 When you make a vowt to God, do not delay in paying it.t
For Godt takes no pleasure in fools:
Pay what you vow!
5 It is better for you not to vow
than to vow and not pay it.t
6 Do not let your mouth cause yout to sin,
and do not tell the priest,st “It was a mistake!”t
Why make God angry at yout
so that he would destroy the work of your hands?”
7 Just as there is futility in many dreams,
so also in many words.t
Therefore, fear God!
Government Corruption
8 If you see the extortiont of the poor,
or the perversiont of justice and fairness in the government,t
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official,t
and there are higher ones over them!s
9 The produce of the land is seizedt by all of them,
even the king is servedt by the fields.t
Covetousness
10 The one who loves moneyt will never be satisfied with money,s
he who loves wealtht will never be satisfiedt with hist income.
This also is futile.
11 When someone’st prosperityt increases, those who consume it also increase;
so what does its ownert gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?t
12 The sleep of the laborer is pleasant – whether he eats little or much –
but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Materialism Thwarts Enjoyment of Life
13 Here ist a misfortunet on eartht that I have seen:
Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
14 Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;t
although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.t
15 Just as he came forth from his mother's womb, naked will he return as he came,
and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.
16 This is another misfortune:t
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life,t
and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.
Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor
18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:t
to eat and drink,s and find enjoyment in all theirt hard workt on eartht
during the few days of their life which God has given them,
for this is their reward.t
19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,
he has also given him the abilityt
to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;
these thingst are the gift of God.
20 For he does not thinkt much about the fleetingt days of his life
because God keeps him preoccupiedt with the joy he derives from his activity.t