伝道者の書 9
1 我はこの一切の事に心を用ひてこの一切の事を明めんとせり 即ち義き者と賢き者およびかれらの爲ところは神の手にあるなるを明めんとせり 愛むや惡むやは人これを知ることなし一切の事はその前にあるなり
I have drawn all these things through my heart, so that I might carefully understand. There are just men as well as wise men, and their works are in the hand of God. And yet a man does not know so much as whether he is worthy of love or of hatred.
2 諸の人に臨む所は皆同じ 義き者にも惡き者にも善者にも 淨者にも穢れたる者にも 犠牲を献ぐる者にも犠牲を献げぬ者にもその臨むところの事は同一なり 善人も罪人に異ならず 誓をなす者も誓をなすことを畏るる者に異ならず
But all things in the future remain uncertain, because all things happen equally to the just and to the impious, to the good and to the bad, to the pure and to the impure, to those who offer sacrifices and to those who despise sacrifices. As the good are, so also are sinners. As those who commit perjury are, so also are those who swear to the truth.
3 諸の人に臨むところの事の同一なるは是日の下におこなはるる事の中の惡き者たり 抑人の心には惡き事充をり その生る間は心に狂妄を懐くあり 後には死者の中に往くなり
This is a very great burden among all things that are done under the sun: that the same things happen to everyone. And when the hearts of the sons of men are filled with malice and contempt in their lives, afterwards they shall be dragged down to hell. (questioned)
4 凡活る者の中に列る者は望あり 其は生る犬は死る獅子に愈ればなり
There is no one who lives forever, or who even has confidence in this regard. A living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 生者はその死んことを知る 然ど死る者は何事をも知ずまた應報をうくることも重てあらず その記憶らるる事も遂に忘れらるるに至る
For the living know that they themselves will die, yet truly the dead know nothing anymore, nor do they have any recompense. For the memory of them is forgotten.
6 またその愛も惡も嫉も旣に消うせて彼等は日の下におこなはるる事に最早何時までも關係ことあらざるなり
Likewise, love and hatred and envy have all perished together, nor have they any place in this age and in the work which is done under the sun.
7 汝往て喜悦をもて汝のパンを食ひ樂き心をも汝の酒を飮め 其は神久しく汝の行爲を嘉納たまへばなり
So then, go and eat your bread with rejoicing, and drink your wine with gladness. For your works are pleasing to God.
8 汝の衣服を常に白からしめよ 汝の頭に膏を絶しむるなかれ
Let your garments be white at all times, and let not oil be absent from your head.
9 日の下に汝が賜はるこの汝の空なる生命の日の間汝その愛する妻とともに喜びて度生せ 汝の空なる生命の日の間しかせよ 是は汝が世にありて受る分汝が日の下に働ける勞苦によりて得る者なり
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your uncertain life which have been given to you under the sun, during all the time of your vanity. For this is your portion in life and in your labor, with which you labor under the sun.
Whatever your hand is able to do, do it earnestly. For neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge will exist in death, toward which you are hurrying. (Sheol h7585)
11 我また身をめぐらして日の下を觀るに 迅速者走ることに勝にあらず強者戰爭に勝にあらず 智慧者食物を獲にあらず 明哲人財貨を得にあらず 知識人恩顧を得にあらず 凡て人に臨むところの事は時ある者偶然なる者なり
I turned myself toward another thing, and I saw that under the sun, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor wealth to the learned, nor grace to the skillful: but there is a time and an end for all these things.
12 人はまたその時を知ず 魚の禍の網にかかり鳥の鳥羅にかかるが如くに世の人もまた禍患の時の計らざるに臨むに及びてその禍患にかかるなり
Man does not know his own end. But, just as fish are caught with a hook, and birds are captured with a snare, so are men seized in the evil time, when it will suddenly overwhelm them.
13 我日の下に是事を觀て智慧となし大なる事となせり
This wisdom, likewise, I have seen under the sun, and I have examined it intensely.
14 すなはち茲に一箇の小き邑ありて その中の人は鮮かりしが大なる王これに攻きたりてこれを圍みこれに向ひて大なる雲梯を建たり
There was a small city, with a few men in it. There came against it a great king, who surrounded it, and built fortifications all around it, and the blockade was completed.
15 時に邑の中に一人の智慧ある貧しき人ありてその智慧をもて邑を救へり 然るに誰ありてその貧しき人を記念もの無りし
And there was found within it, a poor and wise man, and he freed the city through his wisdom, and nothing was recorded afterward of that poor man.
16 是において我言り智慧は勇力に愈る者なりと 但しかの貧しき人の智慧は藐視られその言詞は聽れざりしなり
And so, I declared that wisdom is better than strength. But how is it, then, that the wisdom of the poor man is treated with contempt, and his words are not heeded?
17 靜に聽る智者の言は愚者の君長たる者の號呼に愈る
The words of the wise are heard in silence, more so than the outcry of a prince among the foolish.
18 智慧は軍の器に勝れり一人の惡人は許多の善事を壞ふなり
Wisdom is better than weapons of war. And whoever offends in one thing, shall lose many good things.
