1 من كالحكيم ومن يفهم تفسير امر. حكمة الانسان تنير وجهه وصلابة وجهه تتغيّر.2 انا اقول احفظ امر الملك وذلك بسبب يمين الله.3 لا تعجل الى الذهاب من وجهه. لا تقف في أمر شاق لانه يفعل كل ما شاء.4 حيث تكون كلمة الملك فهناك سلطان. ومن يقول له ماذا تفعل.5 حافظ الوصية لا يشعر بامر شاق وقلب الحكيم يعرف الوقت والحكم.6 لان لكل أمر وقتا وحكما لان شر الانسان عظيم عليه.7 لانه لا يعلم ما سيكون. لانه من يخبره كيف يكون.8 ليس لانسان سلطان على الروح ليمسك الروح ولا سلطان على يوم الموت ولا تخلية في الحرب ولا ينجي الشر اصحابه9 كل هذا رأيته اذ وجهت قلبي لكل عمل عمل تحت الشمس وقتما يتسلط انسان على انسان لضرر نفسه.10 وهكذا رأيت اشرارا يدفنون وضمّوا والذين عملوا بالحق ذهبوا من مكان القدس ونسوا في المدينة. هذا ايضا باطل.11 لان القضاء على العمل الرديء لا يجرى سريعا فلذلك قد امتلأ قلب بني البشر فيهم لفعل الشر.12 الخاطئ وان عمل شرا مئة مرة وطالت ايامه الا اني اعلم انه يكون خير للمتقين الله الذين يخافون قدامه.13 ولا يكون خير للشرير وكالظل لا يطيل ايامه لانه لا يخشى قدام الله14 يوجد باطل يجرى على الارض. ان يوجد صديقون يصيبهم مثل عمل الاشرار ويوجد اشرار يصيبهم مثل عمل الصديقين. فقلت ان هذا ايضا باطل.15 فمدحت الفرح لانه ليس للانسان خير تحت الشمس الا ان يأكل ويشرب ويفرح وهذا يبقى له في تعبه مدة ايام حياته التي يعطيه الله اياها تحت الشمس16 لما وجهت قلبي لاعرف الحكمة وانظر العمل الذي عمل على الارض وانه نهارا وليلا لا يرى النوم بعينيه17 رأيت كل عمل الله ان الانسان لا يستطيع ان يجد العمل الذي عمل تحت الشمس. مهما تعب الانسان في الطلب فلا يجده والحكيم ايضا وان قال بمعرفته لا يقدر ان يجده

1 Who is as the wise man? and who knows the interpretation of a thing? a man' wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.2 I counsel you to keep the king' commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he does whatever pleases him.4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say to him, What do you?5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man' heart discerns both time and judgment.6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great on him.7 For he knows not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?8 There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man rules over another to his own hurt.10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he fears not before God.14 There is a vanity which is done on the earth; that there be just men, to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.15 Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun.16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night sees sleep with his eyes:)17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yes farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.