Ecclesiastes 7
1 [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.
Lebih baik mempunyai nama baik daripada harta mewah berupa wewangian yang mahal. Demikian pula, hari kematian lebih baik daripada hari kelahiran.
2 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.
Lebih baik hadir di rumah duka daripada menghadiri pesta, sebab di rumah duka kita akan merenungkan bahwa maut menunggu kita semua.
3 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].
Lebih baik hidup dalam kesedihan daripada bersenang-senang, sebab dalam kesedihan kita bisa belajar menjadi lebih dewasa.
4 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.
Setiap hari orang bebal hanya mencari kesenangan, tetapi orang bijak merenungkan tentang kematian.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Lebih baik mendengar teguran dari orang bijak daripada pujian orang bebal.
6 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.
Seperti bunyi ranting semak duri yang dibakar di bawah kuali, bunyinya keras tetapi apinya cepat padam, demikianlah tawa orang bebal adalah sia-sia.
7 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.
Orang bijak yang ditindas bisa menjadi seperti orang bodoh. Uang suap dapat merusak pikiran seseorang sehingga dia mengubah keputusannya.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Menyelesaikan sesuatu lebih baik daripada hanya memulainya. Panjang sabar lebih baik daripada sombong.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Jangan cepat marah, karena orang beballah yang menyimpan kemarahan.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Janganlah bertanya, “Mengapa keadaan yang dulu lebih baik daripada sekarang?” Itu adalah pertanyaan bodoh.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
Menjadi bijaksana sama baiknya dengan menerima warisan besar. Namun keunggulannya: Kebijaksanaan berguna seumur hidup.
12 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.
Hidup bijak sama seperti memiliki uang— keduanya dapat memberi perlindungan. Namun, kelebihan hidup bijak adalah dapat menyelamatkan nyawamu.
13 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.
Perhatikan apa yang sudah Allah lakukan! Tidak seorang pun dapat mengubah apa yang sudah ditetapkan-Nya.
14 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.
Ketika hidupmu senang, bergembiralah. Tetapi ketika hidupmu mengalami kesusahan, ingatlah bahwa Allah yang memberikan kesenangan dan kesusahan. Allah sudah mengatur semuanya sehingga tidak seorang pun bisa tahu apa yang akan terjadi di masa yang akan datang dalam hidupnya.
15 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.
Dalam hidupku yang sia-sia ini aku sudah melihat dua hal yang tidak aku sukai. Terkadang, seseorang yang baik mati muda, walaupun dia sudah berbuat baik selama hidupnya. Sebaliknya, seseorang yang jahat hidup sampai tua, walaupun dia tetap berbuat jahat.
16 [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.
Jadi inilah nasihatku: Dalam hidup ini, janganlah merasa dirimu paling benar di hadapan Allah, dan janganlah merasa paling bijak. Karena dengan demikian kamu akan menghancurkan dirimu sendiri!
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Janganlah juga menyerahkan hidupmu hanya untuk melakukan kejahatan dan kebodohan. Itu hanya akan membuatmu lebih cepat mati!
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Lakukanlah nasihatku itu, karena setiap orang yang takut dan hormat kepada Allah melakukannya.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
Jadilah bijaksana! Karena kekuatan orang bijak melebihi kekuatan sepuluh orang pemimpin di kotanya.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Di bumi ini tidak ada orang benar yang selalu berbuat baik dan tidak pernah berdosa.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Jangan suka mendengarkan pembicaraan orang secara diam-diam, supaya kamu tidak mendengar pelayanmu menjelekkanmu!
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
Ingatlah bahwa kamu juga sering menjelekkan orang lain!
23 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.
Tentang segala hal di atas aku sudah berusaha meneliti dengan sangat tekun, karena pikirku, “Biar aku menjadi orang yang paling bijak.” Tetapi aku merasa masih jauh dari hasil pencarian itu.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Kebijaksanaan tentang hal-hal tersebut masih jauh dariku dan terlalu sulit untuk ditemukan.
25 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.
Namun, aku terus mencari dan belajar tentang kedua hal ini: Berusaha untuk menjadi bijaksana serta menemukan alasan mengapa segala sesuatu terjadi. Aku berusaha untuk membuktikan bahwa berbuat jahat merupakan kebebalan. Hanya orang gila yang akan terus hidup dengan bodoh.
26 [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.
Aku melihat bahwa ada perempuan yang suka menggoda laki-laki bagaikan perangkap, dan kedua tangannya seperti rantai besi. Lebih baik mati daripada tertangkap oleh perempuan seperti itu! Orang berdosa akan masuk dalam perangkapnya, tetapi orang yang ingin menyenangkan hati Allah akan terhindar.
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
Sesudah menyelidiki kedua hal tersebut dari berbagai segi, aku— penulis yang juga penasihat, ingin menyimpulkan hasil penyelidikanku, yaitu:
28 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.
Aku tidak menemukan apa yang aku cari! Di antara seribu orang laki-laki, aku pernah menemukan seorang yang bijaksana dan patut dihormati. Tetapi aku belum menemukan seorang pun perempuan yang bijaksana.
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
Satu hal yang aku pelajari adalah bahwa Allah memang menciptakan manusia untuk hidup benar, tetapi kita sendirilah yang mengambil jalan berliku-liku.
