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

¶ For all things there is a season, and every will under the heaven has its time determined.

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 does the one that works have in that in which he labours?

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

I have seen the travail which God has given to the sons of men that they may be occupied in it.

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

¶ He has made every thing beautiful in his time: even the world he has given over to their will, in such a way that no man can attain to this work that God makes from the beginning to the end.

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

I have learned that there is nothing better for them, but to rejoice and to do good in his life.

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

And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of 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 have understood that whatever God does, it shall be for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor any thing taken from it because God does it that men should fear before him.

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

That which has been is now, and that which is to be has already been and God shall seek 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 instead of judgment, there was wickedness; and instead of righteousness, that iniquity 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 shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time determined to judge every will and regarding everything that is done.

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

I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beasts one to another.

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 that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; and they all have one breath; so that a man has no more breath than a 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 shall turn to dust again.

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

Who knows that the spirit of the sons of men goes upward and that the spirit of the beast goes downward 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.

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