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12 你趁着年轻、衰老的日子尚未来到,就是你所说,我毫无喜悦的那些岁月来临之前,当记念造你的主。 不要等到太阳、光明、月亮、星宿变为黑暗,雨后云又返回; 看守房屋的发颤,强壮的屈身,推磨的妇女因人少而停工,从窗户往外看的眼光变为昏暗; 街门关闭,推磨的声音微小,鸟一叫,就惊醒,唱歌女子的声音也都微弱; 人怕高处,路上有惊慌;杏树开花,蚱蜢成为重担,欲望不再挑起;因为人归他永远的家,吊丧的在街上往来。 不要等到银链折断[a],金罐破裂,瓶子在泉旁损坏,水轮在井口断裂, 尘土仍归于地,像原来一样,气息仍归于赐气息的 神。 传道者说:“虚空的虚空,全是虚空。”

结论

再者,传道者因有智慧,将知识教导众人;他思量,考察,并列举出许多箴言。 10 传道者专心寻求可喜悦的言语,是凭正直写的诚实话。

11 智慧人的话语如同刺棒;这些嘉言好像钉稳的钉子,都是一个牧者所赐的。 12 我儿,还有一点,你当受劝戒:著书多,没有穷尽;读书多,身体疲倦。

13 这些事都已听见了,结论就是:敬畏 神,谨守他的诫命,这是人当尽的本分。 14 因为人所做的事,连一切隐藏的事,无论是善是恶, 神都必审问。

Footnotes

  1. 12.6 “折断”:原文另译“取下”。

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in (A)the days of your youth, before (B)the evil days come and the years draw near of which (C)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before (D)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and (E)those who look through the windows are dimmed, and (F)the doors on the street are shut—when (G)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all (H)the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and (I)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his (J)eternal (K)home, and the (L)mourners go about the streets— before the silver cord is snapped, or (M)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is (N)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and (O)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and (P)the spirit returns to God (Q)who gave it. (R)Vanity[b] of vanities, says (S)the Preacher; all is vanity.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

Besides being wise, (T)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging (U)many proverbs with great care. 10 (V)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

11 (W)The words of the wise are like goads, and like (X)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are (Y)given by (Z)one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making (AA)many books there is no end, and (AB)much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. (AC)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.[c] 14 For (AD)God will bring every deed into judgment, with[d] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or is a burden
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (three times in this verse); see note on 1:2
  3. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Or the duty of all mankind
  4. Ecclesiastes 12:14 Or into the judgment on

12 Ten en cuenta a tu creador
en tus días de juventud,
antes de que lleguen los días malos
y se acerquen los años en que digas:
“no siento ningún placer”;
antes de que se oscurezca el sol,
y no den luz la luna y las estrellas,
y retornen las nubes tras la lluvia;
cuando tiemblen los guardianes de la casa
y se encorven los valientes;
cuando se paren las que muelen, por ser pocas,
y queden a oscuras las que miran por las ventanas;
cuando se cierren las puertas de la calle
y se apague el ruido del molino;
cuando se extinga el canto del pájaro
y enmudezcan todas las canciones;
cuando den miedo las alturas
y haya sobresaltos en el camino;
cuando no se aprecie el almendro,
se haga pesada la langosta
y sea ineficaz la alcaparra;
porque va el ser humano a su morada eterna
y merodean por la calle las plañideras.
Antes de que se rompa el hilo de plata,
y se quiebre la copa de oro;
antes de que se haga añicos el cántaro en la fuente
y se precipite la polea en el pozo;
antes de que vuelva el polvo a la tierra, a lo que era,
y el espíritu vuelva a Dios, que lo dio.

¡Pura ilusión! —dice Cohélet— ¡Todo es ilusión!

Epílogo sobre la obra de Cohélet

Cohélet, además de ser un sabio, también instruyó al pueblo; investigó, estudió y compuso muchos proverbios. 10 Cohélet procuró encontrar palabras adecuadas para escribir con acierto sentencias veraces.

11 Las palabras de los sabios son como aguijones
y, reunidas en colecciones,
son como estacas bien clavadas,
regalos de un mismo pastor.

12 Aparte de esto, hijo mío, ten cuidado: escribir muchos libros es tarea sin fin y excesivo estudio perjudica la salud. 13 Conclusión del discurso: todo está dicho. Respeta a Dios y guarda sus mandamientos, pues en eso consiste ser persona. 14 Porque Dios juzgará toda acción, incluso las ocultas, sean buenas o malas.

12 Remember(A) your Creator
    in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble(B) come
    and the years approach when you will say,
    “I find no pleasure in them”—
before the sun and the light
    and the moon and the stars grow dark,
    and the clouds return after the rain;
when the keepers of the house tremble,
    and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
    and those looking through the windows grow dim;
when the doors to the street are closed
    and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
    but all their songs grow faint;(C)
when people are afraid of heights
    and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
    and the grasshopper drags itself along
    and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home(D)
    and mourners(E) go about the streets.

Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
    and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
    and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns(F) to the ground it came from,
    and the spirit returns to God(G) who gave it.(H)

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.[a](I)
    “Everything is meaningless!(J)

The Conclusion of the Matter

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.(K) 10 The Teacher(L) searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.(M)

11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails(N)—given by one shepherd.[b] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.(O)

13 Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God(P) and keep his commandments,(Q)
    for this is the duty of all mankind.(R)
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,(S)
    including every hidden thing,(T)
    whether it is good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10
  2. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Or Shepherd