1 ا نتَبِهْ لِنَفسِكَ جَيِّداً عِندَما تَذهَبُ إلَى بَيتِ اللهِ. وَتَذَكَّرْ أنَّ طاعَةَ اللهِ أفضَلُ مِنْ تَقدِيمِ الذَّبائِحِ كَالحَمقَى. فَهَؤُلاءِ غالِباً ما يُخطِئُونَ، حَتَّى وَهُمْ غَيرُ مُنتَبِهِينَ.

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

2 و َانتَبِهْ حِينَ تَنذِرُ للهِ نُذُوراً. انتَبِهْ لِما تَقُولُهُ للهِ. وَلا تَتَسَرَّعْ فِي نَذْرِ نُذُورٍ أمامَهُ. اللهُ فِي السَّماءِ، وَأنتَ عَلَى الأرْضِ. لِذَلِكَ لا تُكثِرِ الكَلامَ. فَقَد صَدَقَ مَنْ قالَ:

Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.

3 ا لكَوابِيسُ تَأْتِي مَعَ الهُمُومِ الكَثِيرَةِ. وَمَنْ يُكثِرُ الكَلامَ لا بُدَّ أنْ يَنطِقَ بِالحُمقِ.

For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

4 إ ذا نَذَرْتَ للهِ نَذْراً، فَأَوْفِ بِهِ فِي أسْرَعِ وَقتٍ. فَاللهُ لا يُسَرُّ بِالحَمقَى، فَأوفِ للهِ بِما نَذَرْتَهُ.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—

5 و َإنَّهُ لَخَيرٌ لَكَ أنْ لا تَنذِرَ شَيئاً مِنْ أنْ تَنذِرَ وَلا تَفِيَ.

Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6 ل ا تَدَعْ لِسانَكَ يَقُدْكَ إلَى الخَطِيَّةِ. فَلا تَقُلْ للهِ: «لَمْ أقصِدْ أنْ أنذِرَ ذَلِكَ النِّذْرَ.» وَلِماذا تُعطِي اللهَ سَبَباً لِيَغضَبَ مِنْكَ وَيَقضِيَ عَلَى ثِمارِ تَعَبِكَ؟

Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

7 و َلا تَسمَحْ لِأحلامِكَ الباطِلَةِ وَكَثْرَةِ كَلامِكَ بِأنْ تَجُرَّ عَلَيكَ المَتاعِبَ. فَاتَّقِ اللهَ. فوقَ كُلِّ رَئِيسٍ رَئِيس

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. The Vanity of Gain and Honor

8 ر ُبَّما تَرَى فِي بَلَدٍ ما مَساكِينَ يَتَعَرَّضُونَ لِلظُّلْمِ وَسُوءِ المُعامَلَةِ. وَقَدْ تَحزَنُ لاغتِصابِ حُقُوقِهِمْ. لَكِنْ لا تَندَهِشْ! فَفَوقَ الرَّئِيسِ الَّظّالِمِ رَئِيسٌ آخَرُ يَتَسَلَّطُ عَلَيْهِ. وَعَلَى كِلَيهِما رَئِيسٌ آخَرُ.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

9 و َالأرْضُ مَنفَعَتُها لِلجَمِيعِ، وَالمَلِكُ لِهُ نَصِيبُهُ مِنْ حَقلِهِ كَالباقِينَ. الغِنَى لا يَشْتَرِيَ السَّعادَة

Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

10 م ُحِبُّو المالِ لا يَقنَعُونَ مَهْما جَمَعُوا مِنْهُ. وَمُحِبُّو المُقتَنَياتِ لا يَقْنَعُونَ مَهْما كَدَّسُوا. هَذا أيضاً زائِلٌ.

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.

11 ك ُلَّما ازدادَ الخَيرُ ازدادَ آكِلُوهُ، وَلا يَنتَفِعُ صاحِبُ المالِ إلّا بِمُراقَبَةِ مالِهِ كَيفَ يُنفَقُ.

When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes?

12 ا لَّذِينَ يَتعَبُونَ طَوالَ اليَوْمِ يَنامُونَ فِي سَلامٍ، سَواءٌ أأكَلُوا قَلِيلاً أمْ كَثِيراً. أمّا الأغنِياءُ، فَيَقلَقُونَ عَلَى ثَرْوَتِهِمْ فَلا يَنامُونَ.

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

13 ر َأيتُ شَيئاً مُحزِناً فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيا: يُوَفِّرُ بَعْضُ النّاسِ المالَ لِلمُسْتَقبَلِ،

There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.

14 ث ُمَّ تَأْتِي مُصِيبَةٌ عَلَى حِينِ غِرَّةٍ وَيَخْسَرُونَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ. وَبَعدَ ذَلِكَ لَيسَ لَدَيهِمْ ما يُوَرِّثُونَهُ لِأبْنائِهِمْ. نَأْتِي وَلَيسَ مَعَنا شَيءٌ وَنَخرُجُ وَلَيسَ مَعَنا شَيء

But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 ح ِينَ يَأْتِي المَرءُ إلَى هَذِهِ الحَياةِ، فَإنَّهُ يَأْتِي فارِغَ اليَدَينِ. وَحِينَ يَخرُجُ مِنْها، فَإنَّهُ يَخرُجُ كَما أتَى – فارِغَ اليَدَينِ. لا يَأْخُذُ مَعَهُ شَيئاً، وَلَو شَيئاً صَغِيراً، مِنْ كُلِّ ما تَعِبَ فِيهِ.

As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand.

16 ه َذا أمْرٌ مُحزِنٌ جِدّاً. إنْ كانَ المَرءُ يَخرُجُ مِنَ الحَياةِ كَما أتَى مِنْها، فَما الفائِدَةُ الَّتِي يَجنِيها مِنْ كُلِّ تَعَبِهِ؟ ألَيسَ ذَلِكَ كَمُحاوَلَةِ الإمْساكِ بِالرِّيحِ؟

And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?

17 ل ا يَرَى إلّا الحُزْنَ وَالأسَى فِي أيّامِهِ. وَيَنتَهِي بِهِ الأمْرُ مُحبَطاً وَمَرِيضاً وَغاضِباً! تَمَتَّعْ بِما تَعمَلُهُ فِي حَياتِك

All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.

18 و َهَذا هُوَ ما رَأيتُ أنَّهُ أفضَلُ ما يُمْكِنُ لِلمَرءِ أنْ يَفعَلَهُ: أنْ يَأْكُلَ وَيَشْرَبَ وَيَتَمَتَّعَ بِعَمَلِهِ أثْناءَ حَياتِهِ فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيا. فَهَذا العَمَلُ هُوَ قِسمَتُهُ.

Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.

19 ف َإنْ أعطَى اللهُ إنساناً غِنَىً وَثَروَةٌ وَسَمَحَ لَهُ أنْ يَتَمَتَّعَ بِها، تَكُونُ هَذِهِ عَطيَّةً مِنَ اللهِ حَقّاً!

As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

20 ف َلا يُفَكِّرُ مِثلُ هَذا الإنسانُ بِحَياتِهِ، إذْ يُشْغِلُهُ اللهُ بِالعَمَلِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّهُ.

For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.