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.
名は美膏に愈り 死る日は生るる日に愈る
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.
哀傷の家に入は宴樂の家に入に愈る 其は一切の人の終かくのごとくなればなり 生る者またこれをその心にとむるあらん
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].
悲哀は嬉笑に愈る 其は面に憂色を帶るなれば心も善にむかへばなり
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.
賢き者の心は哀傷の家にあり 愚なる者の心は喜樂の家にあり
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
賢き者の勸責を聽は愚なる者の歌詠を聽に愈るなり
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.
愚なる者の笑は釜の下に焚る荊棘の聲のごとし是また空なり
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.
賢き人も虐待る事によりて狂するに至るあり賄賂は人の心を壞なふ
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
事の終はその始よりも善し 容忍心ある者は傲慢心ある者に勝る
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
汝氣を急くして怒るなかれ 怒は愚なる者の胸にやどるなり
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
昔の今にまさるは何故ぞやと汝言なかれ 汝の斯る問をなすは是智慧よりいづる者にあらざるなり
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
智慧の上に財產をかぬれば善し 然れば日を見る者等に利益おほかるべし
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.
智慧も身の護庇となり銀子も身の護庇となる 然ど智惠はまたこれを有る者に生命を保しむ 是知識の殊勝たるところなり
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.
汝神の作爲を考ふべし 神の曲たまひし者は誰かこれを直くすることを得ん
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.
幸福ある日には樂め 禍患ある日には考へよ 神はこの二者をあひ交錯て降したまふ 是は人をしてその後の事を知ることなからしめんためなり
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.
我この空の世にありて各樣の事を見たり 義人の義をおこなひて亡ぶるあり 惡人の惡をおこなひて長壽あり
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.
汝義に過るなかれまた賢に過るなかれ 汝なんぞ身を滅すべけんや
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
汝惡に過るなかれまた愚なる勿れ 汝なんぞ時いたらざるに死べけんや
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
汝此を執は善しまた彼にも手を放すなかれ 神を畏む者はこの一切の者の中より逃れ出るなり
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
智慧の智者を幇くることは邑の豪雄者十人にまさるなり
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
正義して善をおこなひ罪を犯すことなき人は世にあることなし
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
人の言出す言詞には凡て心をとむる勿れ 恐くは汝の僕の汝を詛ふを聞こともあらん
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
汝も屡人を詛ふことあるは汝の心に知ところなり
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.
我智慧をもてこの一切の事を試み我は智者とならんと謂たりしが遠くおよばざるなり
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
事物の理は遠くして甚だ深し 誰かこれを究むることを得ん
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.
我は身をめぐらし心をもちひて物を知り事を探り 智慧と道理を索めんとし 又惡の愚たると愚癡の狂妄たるを知んとせり
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.
我了れり 婦人のその心羅と網のごとくその手縲絏のごとくなる者は是死よりも苦き者なり 神の悦びたまふ者は之を避ることを得ん罪人は之に執らるべし
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,
傳道者言ふ 視よ我その數を知んとして一々に算へてつひに此事を了る
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.
我なほ尋ねて得ざる者は是なり 我千人の中には一箇の男子を得たれども その數の中には一箇の女子をも得ざるなり
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.
我了れるところは唯是のみ 即ち神は人を正直者に造りたまひしに人衆多の計略を案出せしなり
