KOHELET 7
Heriotzaz oroitu behar
1 Hobe izen ona, lurrin gozoa baino.
Hobe heriotza-eguna,
jaioteguna baino.t
2 Hobe hiletak jotzen ari diren
etxera joan,
jai-otordua egiten
ari direnera baino;
etxe hartan ikusten baita zein den
gizon-emakume ororen azkena,
han du hausnartzen bizi denak
zer datorkion.
3 Hobe negarra, irria baino;
begitartea goibel egon arren,
bihotza ondu egiten baita.
4 Zuhurrak, hiletak jotzen ari diren
etxean du bihotza;
tentelak, berriz,
jaietan dagoen etxean.t
5 Hobe zuhur baten zentzarazpena,
tentel baten goraipamena baino.
6 Izan ere, eltzepeko zotzaren
txinparta-hotsa bezalakoa
ergelaren irria, huskeria hutsa.
7 Bortxakeriak zuhurra ere
ergel du bihurtzen,
eta eskupekoak bihotza usteltzen.
8 Hobe arazoa bukatu, hasi baino;
hobe eroapena, harrokeria baino.
9 Ez zaitez bizkorregi haserretu,
ergelena baita haserretzea.t
10 Ez galdegin zergatik
ote ziren hobeak
aldi joanak oraingoak baino.
Zuhurrak ez luke
horrelako galderarik egingo.
11 Hoberena, zuhurtasuna
ondasunekin batera izatea;
hori da onurakorrena
lur honetan bizi direnentzat.t
12 Zuhurtziaren itzala
aberastasunaren itzala adinakoa da;
baina zuhurtzia hobea,
biziarazi egiten baitu bere jabea.
13 Begira Jainkoak eginari:
nork zuzen ote dezake
hark okertua?t
14 Aldi onean goza ezazu,
eta txarrean pentsa;
bata zein bestea Jainkoak egin ditu,
gizonak bere etorkizunari
igarri ez diezaiont.tGehiegikeriarik ez
15 Hamaikatxo ikusia naiz
neure bizitza itxuragabe honetan:
gizaki zuzena, zuzen izanik ere,
galdu egiten da;
makurra, berriz, makur izanik ere,
luzaro bizitzen.t
16 Ez izan zuzenegi,
ezta behar baino jakintsuago ere,
ea hondatzen duzun zeure burua.
17 Ez izan makurregi,
ezta ergelegi ere,
ea garaia baino lehen
hiltzen zaren.
18 Hobe duzu honi heldu,
hura eskutik utzi gabe;
Jainkoari begirune dionak
ez baitu ezertan huts egiten.
19 Jakinduriak
indartsuago egiten du jakintsua,
hamar buruzagik hiria bainot.
20 Hala ere,
ez da lurrean gizaki zuzenik
hutsik gabe on dagienik.t
21 Ez egin jaramonik esamesa guztiei;
horrela,
ez diozu entzungo zeure morroiari
zutaz gaizki-esaka.
22 Ohar zaitez
zeu ere maiz ari izana zarela
besteez gaizki-esaka.
23 Arretaz aztertu nuen hau guztia,
neure artean esanez:
«Jakintsu izan behar dut».
Hori, ordea, ez zegoen nire esku.
24 Gertatu zena urruti dago
eta sakon-sakona da.
Nork aurki lezake?Emakumeaz
25 Gogotik aztertu nuen dena,
hausnartu eta jakitearren,
jakinduria eta arrazoia
aurkitzearren.
Ohartu naiz
gaizto izatea zorakeria dela,
bihurrikeria eta ergelkeria.
26 Entzun dutt
heriotza baino garratzagoa dela
lakioa bezalakoa den emakumea:
horren bihotza xedera,
horren besoak lotura.
Jainkoaren begiko denak
ihes egingo dio;
bekataria, aldiz,
harrapatu egingo du
halako emakumeak.t
27 Hona hemen
zertaz ohartu naizen ni, Kohelet,
argibide bila,
denak banan-banan
aztertu ditudanean:
28 bila nabilen hori
ez dudala aurkitu, alegia.
Gizon bakarra aurkitu dut
milaren artean;
baina emakume bakar bat ere ez,
denen artean.
29 Azken batean, honetaz ohartu naiz:
Jainkoak zuzena egin duela gizakia;
gizakiak, ordea, bere burua
mila arazoz nahasi duela.
Ecclesiastes 7
Life is Brief and Death is Certain!
1 A good reputationt is bettert than precioust perfume;t
likewise,t the day of one’st deatht is better than the day of one’s birth.s
2 It is better to go to a funeralt
than a feast.ts
For deatht is the destinyt of every person,t
and the living shouldt take thist to heart.
3 Sorrowt is better than laughter,
because sober reflectiont is good for the heart.t
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.s
Frivolous Living Versus Wisdom
5 It is better for a person to receivet a rebuke from those who are wiset
than to listen to the songt of fools.
6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thornst under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of follyt also is useless.t
Human Wisdom Overturned by Adversity
7 Surely oppressiont can turn a wise person into a fool;t
likewise,t a bribe corruptss the heart.t
8 The end of a mattert is better than its beginning;
likewise, patiencet is better than pride.t
9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked,t
for anger resides in the lapt of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?”t
for it is not wise to ask that.t
Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life
11 Wisdom, liket an inheritance, is a good thing;
it benefits those who see the light of day.t
12 For wisdom providest protection,t
just ast money provides protection.t
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the lifet of its owner.
Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life
13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
14 In times of prosperityt be joyful,
but in times of adversityt consider this:
God has made one as well as the other,t
so that no one can discover what the future holds.t
Exceptions to the Law of Retribution
15 During the days of my fleeting lifet I have seen botht of these things:
Sometimest a righteous person dies prematurelyt in spite oft his righteousness,
and sometimest a wicked person lives longt in spite of his evil deeds.
16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessivelyt wise;t
otherwiset you mightt be disappointed.t
17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwiset you might die before your time.
18 It is best to take hold of one warningt without letting go of the other warning;s
for the one who fears God will followt both warnings.t
Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous
19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protectiont
than ten rulers in a city.
20 Fort there is not one trulyt righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that peoplet say;
otherwise,t you might even heart your servant cursing you.
22 For you know in your own heartt
that you also have cursed others many times.
Human Wisdom is Limited
23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determinedt to comprehend this”t – but it was beyond my grasp.t
24 Whatever has happened is beyond humant understanding;t
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.t
True Righteousness and Wisdom are Virtually Nonexistent
25 I triedt to understand, examine, and comprehendt
the role oft wisdom in the scheme of things,t
and to understand the stupidity of wickednesst and the insanity of folly.t
26 I discovered this:t
More bitter than death is the kind oft womant who is like a hunter’s snare;t
her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains.
The man who pleases God escapes her,
but the sinner is captured by her.
27 The Teacher says:
I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.
28 What I have continually sought, I have not found;
I have found onlyt one uprightt man among a thousand,
but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.
29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright,
but they have sought many evil schemes.