1 ه ُناكَ وَقتٌ لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ. وَلِكُلِّ شَيءٍ فِي هَذا العالَمِ وَقتٌ مُناسِبٌ.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:

2 و َقتٌ لِلوِلادَةِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلمَوتِ. وَقتٌ لِلغَرسِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلقَلعِ.

A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 و َقتٌ لِلقَتلِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلشِّفاءِ. وَقتٌ لِلهَدمِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلبِناءِ.

A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 و َقتٌ لِلبُكاءِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلضَّحِكِ. وَقتٌ لِلحُزنِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلرَقصِ.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 و َقْتٌ لِرَميِ الحِجارَةِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِجَمعِها. وَقْتٌ لِلعِناقِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلفِراقِ.

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 و َقْتٌ لِلْبَحْثِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّوَقُّفِ عَنِ البَحْثِ. وَقْتٌ لِحِفْظِ الأشْياءِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّخَلُّصِ مِنْها.

A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 و َقْتٌ لِتَمْزِيقِ الثِّيابِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِتَخيِيطِها. وَقْتٌ لِلصَّمْتِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّكَلُّمِ.

A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 و َقْتٌ لِلحُبِّ، وَوَقتٌ لِلبُغضَةِ. وَقتٌ لِلحَربِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلسِّلمِ. اللهُ هُوَ المُسَيطِر

A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.

9 ه َلْ يَعُودُ كُلُّ تَعَبِ الإنسانِ عَلَيهِ بِمَنفَعَةٍ حَقّاً؟

What profit hath he that worketh from that wherein he laboureth?

10 ر َأيتُ كُلَّ العَمَلِ الشّاقِّ الَّذِي أعطانا إيّاهُ اللهُ لِنَعمَلَهُ.

I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to toil in.

11 أ عطانا اللهُ قُدْرَةً عَلَى التَّفكِيرِ بِالحَياةِ، لَكِنَّ قُدرَتَنا عَلَى فَهْمِ مِا يَعْمَلُهُ مَحْدُودَةٌ. غَيرَ أنَّ اللهَ يَعرِفُ كَيفَ يُدِيرُ الحَياةَ.

He hath made everything beautiful in its time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that man findeth not out from the beginning to the end the work that God doeth.

12 أ درَكْتُ أنَّ أفضَلَ ما يُمكِنُ أنْ يَفعَلَهُ النّاسُ هُوَ أنْ يَفرَحُوا وَيُمَتِّعُوا أنفُسَهُمْ ما دامُوا أحياءً.

I know that there is nothing good for them but to rejoice and to do well in their life;

13 و َعَرَفْتُ أنَّ القُدْرَةَ عَلَى الأكلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَالاسْتِمتاعِ بِالعَمَلِ هِيَ هِباتٌ مِنَ اللهِ.

yea also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14 ع َلِمْتُ أنَّ أيَّ شَيءٍ يَفعَلُهُ اللهُ سَوفَ يَدُومُ إلَى الأبَدِ. ما مِنْ أحَدٍ يَقدِرُ أنْ يَزيدَ عَلَيهِ، أوْ يُنقِصَ مِنْهُ. فَعَلَ اللهُ هَذا لِكَي يَهابَهُ البَشَرُ.

I know that whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever; there is nothing to be added to it, nor anything to be taken from it; and God doeth, that should fear before him.

15 م ا حَدَثَ فِي الماضِي قَدْ حَدَثَ. وَما سَيَحدُثُ مُستَقبَلاً سَيَحدُثُ. وَاللهُ يُديرُ هَذا العالَمَ.

That which is was long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God bringeth back again that which is past.

16 و َرَأيتُ أيضاً هَذا فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيا. نَظَرْتُ إلَى المَحاكِمِ، حَيثُ يَنْبَغِي أنْ يَسُودَ العَدلُ وَالإنصافُ، فَرَأيتُ الظُّلْمَ وَالشَّرَّ.

And moreover I saw under the sun, that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.

17 ف َقُلْتُ لِنَفسِي: «جَعَلَ اللهُ لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ وَقتاً. جَعَلَ وَقتاً يَحكُمُ فِيهِ عَلَى كُلِّ ما يَفعَلُهُ النّاسُ. وَسَيَحْكُمُ عَلَى الأخيارِ وَالأشْرارِ.» البَشَرُ وَالحَيوانات

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 ف َكَّرْتُ فِي كُلِّ شُؤُونِ البَشَرِ. وَقُلْتُ لِنَفسِي: «رُبَّما يُرِيدُ اللهُ أنْ يُرِيَ البَشَرَ أنَّهُمْ كَالحَيواناتِ.

I said in my heart, It is thus with the children of men, that God may prove them, and that they should see that they themselves are but beasts.

19 إ ذْ يَنتَظِرُ البَشَرَ وَالحَيواناتِ المَصِيرُ نَفْسُهُ. فِي البَشَرِ وَالحَيواناتِ نَسَمَةُ الحَياةِ نَفَسُها. وَهَلْ يَختَلِفُ حَيوانٌ مَيِّتٌ عَنْ إنْسانٍ مَيِّتٍ؟ هَذا كُلُّهُ زائِلٌ!

For what befalleth the children of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other, and they have all one breath; and man hath no pre-eminence above the beast: for all is vanity.

20 ت َؤُولُ جَميعُها المَكانِ نَفْسِهِ. هِيَ مِنَ التُّرابِ، وَإلَى التُّرابِ تَعُودُ.

All go unto one place: all are of the dust, and all return to dust.

21 و َمَنِ يَدرِي إنْ كانَتْ رُوحُ الإنسانِ تَصعَدُ إلَى اللهِ، بَينَما تَنزِلُ رُوحُ البَهِيمَةِ تَنحَدِرُ تَحتَ الأرْضِ؟»

Who knoweth the spirit of the children of men? Doth it go upwards? and the spirit of the beasts, doth it go downwards to the earth?

22 ف َرَأيتُ أنَّ أفضَلَ ما يُمكِنُ أنْ يَفعَلَهُ البَشَرِ هُوَ أنْ يَتَمَتَّعُوا بِما يَعمَلُونَهُ. هَذا هُوَ نَصِيبُهُمْ. فَمَنْ يَقدِرُ أنْ يُعِينَهُمْ عَلَى رُؤْيَةِ ما سَيَحدُثُ لَهُمْ مُسْتَقبَلاً.

And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?