Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
Lalu aku memperhatikan segala penindasan yang terjadi di dunia ini. Betapa menyedihkan: Orang-orang yang tertindas menangis karena begitu berkuasanya para penindas mereka, dan tidak ada yang menghibur mereka.
2 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
Jadi menurutku orang-orang yang sudah meninggal lebih beruntung daripada yang masih hidup.
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
Namun, sebenarnya yang lebih beruntung lagi adalah mereka yang belum ada dan belum melihat berbagai macam kejahatan yang dilakukan di dunia ini.
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
Aku juga menyaksikan banyak orang berjerih payah untuk mencapai suatu keberhasilan hanya karena terdorong oleh iri hati kepada orang lain. Memang hal itu juga sia-sia— sama seperti berusaha menjaring angin!
5 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
Orang bebal duduk berpangku tangan— tidak bekerja dan membiarkan dirinya kelaparan.
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
Lebih baik memiliki sedikit harta disertai ketenangan, daripada banyak harta tetapi bersusah payah dalam bekerja— seperti berusaha menjaring angin.
7 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
Inilah juga contoh kesia-siaan yang meresahkanku di dunia ini:
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
Ada orang yang hidup sendiri tanpa anak dan saudara. Tanpa hentinya dia bekerja keras dan tidak pernah puas dengan hartanya. Orang itu berkata dalam hatinya, “Untuk apa aku tidak bersenang-senang dengan hasil jerih payahku? Waktu aku mati, tidak ada keluarga dekat yang akan mewarisi semua kekayaanku ini!” Betapa sia-sianya kehidupan itu! Sangat menyedihkan!
9 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
Berdua lebih baik daripada seorang diri saja, karena mereka memperoleh upah yang lebih baik dari hasil kerja keras mereka.
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
Dan apabila salah satu dari mereka jatuh, maka yang lain bisa menolongnya untuk berdiri. Tetapi betapa menyedihkan apabila seseorang yang hanya sendirian jatuh, sebab tidak ada yang menolongnya untuk berdiri.
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
Bila dua orang tidur berdampingan, mereka bisa saling menghangatkan. Tetapi bila hanya seorang diri, sulit baginya untuk merasa hangat.
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
Umpama dalam perkelahian, seorang diri saja akan mudah dikalahkan musuh. Tetapi kalau berdua, lebih mungkin mereka mampu bertahan. Tiga orang akan lebih kuat lagi— seperti tiga utas tali yang dijalin menjadi satu akan sulit diputuskan.
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
Lebih baik seorang pemuda yang miskin sejak lahir tetapi bijak, daripada raja tua yang bebal dan tidak lagi mau menerima nasihat.
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
Sebab pemuda seperti itu dapat keluar dari kemiskinan dan berhasil— meskipun dia pernah dipenjarakan. Dia bahkan bisa menjadi raja.
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
Raja tua itu suatu saat akan digantikan oleh pemuda yang bijak itu, dan semua orang mendukungnya sebagai raja.
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
Sekalipun raja itu berkuasa atas begitu banyak orang hingga tak terhitung jumlahnya, generasi di masa depan tidak akan mengenang atau menghormati dia. Maka menjadi raja pun sia-sia, sama seperti berusaha menjaring angin!
