KOHELET 9
Gizon-emakumeen zoria
1 Hauek guztiak hausnartu ditut
neure baitan,
eta ohartu naiz
Jainkoaren eskuetan direla
bai zuzenak, bai jakintsuak,
baita berauen egintzak ere.
Maitasunaz eta gorrotoaz
ez daki deus ere gizakiak.t
2 Zori bera dute denek:
zuzenek zein makurrek,
garbiek zein likitsek;
opariak eskaintzen dituenak
bezalakoa
eskaintzen ez dituenak ere;
zintzoak bezalakoa bekatariak;
zin dagienak bezalakoa
zin egiteko beldur denak ere.t
3 Hauxe duzu,
eguzkipean direnen artean txarrena:
ororentzat zori berbera.
Horregatik,
gaiztakeriaz eta zorakeriaz
betea dago
gizon-emakumeen bihotza,
bizi diren bitartean;
eta, azkenean, hildakoen artera!
4 Batek, bizirik dagoen bitartean,
baduke itxaropen:
hobe zakur bizia, lehoi hila baino.t
5 Badakite biziek hil beharra dutela;
hilek, ordea, ez dakite ezer,
ez dute aurrerantzean saririk,
galdua da haien oroitzapena.
6 Bukatu ziren jadanik haientzat
amodioa, gorrotoa eta grinak.
Ez dute aurrerakoan esku-hartzerik
mundu honetan
egiten diren lanetan.
7 Ea bada! Jan bozkarioz zeure ogia,
edan alai zeure ardoa,
atsegin baititu jadanik Jainkoak
zure egintzak.t
8 Eraman beti jantzi zuriak soinean,
ez egon zeure burua lurrindu gabe.
9 Goza bizitzaz
maite duzun emaztekiarekin,
Jainkoak eguzkipean bizitzeko
eman dizkizun egun hutsal orotan;
horixe baituzu zeure bizitzaren
eta eguzkipean dagizun
lanaren saria.t
10 Egin dezakezun guztia egizu gogoz,
ez baita lanik, ez gogoetarik,
ez zientziarik,
ezta jakinduriarik ere
zu zoazen Hildakoen Egoitza horretan.
11 Beste hau ere ikusia dut
eguzkipean:
lasterketan ez dela beti
bizkorrena nagusitzen,
ezta guduan ere indartsuena;
jakintsuak ez duela beti
ogia irabazten,
ezta buruargia ere aberasten;
jakituna ez dela beti
ongi ikusia izaten.
Denei datozkie
aldi onak eta txarrak.
12 Gainera,
ez dakite gizon-emakumeek
noiz duten beren ordua;
sareak harrapatzen baititu arrainak
eta lakioak txoriak,
halaxe ditu aldi txarrak
bat-batean harrapatzen
gizon-emakumeak.tIndarra ala jakinduria?
13 Ikusia dut eguzkipean
beste gauza oso jakingarri bat.
14 Ba omen zen herri txiki bat
bizilagun gutxikoa.
Errege handi batek
eraso omen zion, setiatu
eta inguruan erasogailu handiak
eraiki omen zituen.
15 Ba omen zen hiri hartan
gizon behartsu baina jakintsu bat,
eta bere jakinduriaz
libratu omen zuen hiria.
Ondoren, ordea,
ez zen inor ere oroitu
gizon behartsu hartaz.
16 Hobe da jakinduria indarra baino,
diot nik;
behartsuaren jakinduria, ordea,
arbuiatu egin ohi da
eta ez dira haren hitzak aditzen.t
17 Jakintsuaren hitz eztiak
errazago aditzen dira
ergelen buruzagiaren
deiadarrak baino.
18 Hobe jakinduria armak baino.
Aski da, ordea, batek huts egitea
on guztiak hondatzeko.
Ecclesiastes 9
Everyone Will Die
1 So I reflected on all this,t attempting to cleart it all up.
I concluded thatt the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hatedt –
no one knows what lies ahead.t
2 Everyone shares the same fatet –
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad,s
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;t
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
3 This is the unfortunate factt about everything that happens on earth:t
the same fate awaitst everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all peoplet are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die.t
Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead
4 But whoever is amongt the livingt has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears.t
6 What they loved,t as well as what they hatedt and envied,t perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.t
Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys
7 Go, eat your foodt with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9 Enjoyt life with your beloved wifet during all the days of your fleetingt life
that Godt has given you on eartht during all your fleeting days;s
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome workt on earth.t
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands,t
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave,t
the place where you will eventually go.t
Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events
11 Again,t I observed this on the earth:t
the race is not alwayst won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperityt does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does successt always come to those with the most knowledge –
for time and chance may overcomet them all.
12 Surely, no onet knows his appointed time!t
Like fish that are caught in a deadlyt net, and like birds that are caught in a snare –
just like them, all peoplet are ensnaredt at an unfortunatet time that falls upon them suddenly.
Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel
13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,t
and it is a great burdent to me:
14 There was oncet a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besiegingt it and building strongt siege works against it.
15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city,t
and he could have deliveredt the city by his wisdom,
but no one listenedt to that poor man.
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,t
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listenst to his advice.t
Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly
17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heardt among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.