传道书 12
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
12 年轻时要记住你的创造主，不要等到衰老的岁月来临时才哀叹：“我的日子毫无乐趣。” 2 那时，太阳、月亮、星星都暗淡无光，雨后乌云再现； 3 守卫家园的手脚颤抖，强壮的身躯变得弯腰驼背；牙齿稀少，无法咀嚼；视力衰退，看不清楚； 4 耳朵发背，听不到推磨声；小鸟一叫，人就起来；歌声沙哑，不再美妙； 5 惧怕高处，走路战战兢兢；头发白如银杏，精力枯竭，欲望荡然无存；人都走向永远的归宿，吊丧的人往来于街上； 6 银链断裂，金碗摔坏，泉旁的瓶子破碎，井口的轮子朽烂。 7 那时尘土必归于尘土，灵也要归回赐灵的上帝。 8 传道者说：“虚空的虚空，一切都是虚空。” 9 传道者不但有智慧，还把知识传授给众人。他经过细心推敲和研究之后，编写了许多警世的箴言。 10 传道者费尽心思寻找金玉良言，所写的都是正直诚实的道理。 11 智者的言语好像赶牛的刺棍，他们收集的箴言像钉稳的钉子一样牢靠，都是一位牧者所赐的。 12 我亲爱的儿子，还有一件事，你要听我的忠告：著书多，没有穷尽；读书多，身体疲劳。
13 以上所说的，总而言之，就是要敬畏上帝，遵守祂的诫命，这是人的本分。 14 因为人一切的行为，无论善恶，包括一切隐秘事，上帝都必审问。
Predikaren 12
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
12 (A) Tänk på din Skapare
i din ungdoms dagar,[a]
innan de onda dagarna kommer
och åren då du säger:
”De ger mig ingen glädje” –
2 innan solen och ljuset
och månen och stjärnorna
förmörkas
och molnen kommer åter
efter regnet,
3 (B) då husets väktare darrar
och de starka männen[b] sviker,
då malerskorna[c] slutat mala
eftersom de blivit så få
och spejarna[d] har det mörkt
i sina gluggar,
4 då båda portarna
mot gatan[e] stängs till
och ljudet från kvarnen försvagas,
då man vaknar av fågelsång
och sångens alla döttrar
sänker rösten,
5 då man är rädd för var backe
och farorna på vägen,
då mandelträdet[f] blommar,
gräshoppan släpar sig fram
och kaprisknoppen[g] saknar kraft,
då människan går till
sin eviga boning
och gråtarna går omkring
på gatan,
6 innan silvertråden brister
och guldskålen slås sönder,
innan krukan vid källan krossas
och hjulet går sönder
vid brunnen,
7 (C) då stoftet vänder åter
till jorden det kom från
och anden vänder åter
till Gud som gav den.
8 (D) Förgängligt, förgängligt!
säger Predikaren.
Allt är förgängligt!
Slutord
9 (E) För övrigt var Predikaren en vis man som ständigt undervisade folket[h]. Han övervägde, utforskade och författade många ordspråk[i]. 10 Predikaren sökte finna de rätta orden och skriva sanningens ord rakt och rätt.
11 (F) De visas ord är som uddar,
som indrivna spikar
är deras samlade tänkespråk.
De är gåvor
från en och samma Herde.
12 För övrigt, min son,
låt varna dig!
Det är ingen ände
på det myckna bokskrivandet,
och mycket studerande
gör kroppen trött.
13 (G) Detta är slutsatsen,
när allt blivit hört:
Frukta Gud
och håll hans bud,
det gäller alla människor[j].
14 (H) För Gud ska föra fram
alla gärningar vid domen,
med allt som är fördolt,
både gott och ont.
Footnotes
- 12:1 Tänk på din Skapare i din ungdoms dagar Som Salomo i sin ungdom (1 Kung 3:3f).
- 12:3 husets väktare … de starka männen Troligen armarna och benen.
- 12:3 malerskorna Tänderna. Mjöl maldes dagligen av hushållets kvinnor.
- 12:3 spejarna Ögonen (jfr Dom 5:28, 2 Sam 6:16).
- 12:4 portarna mot gatan Öronen. Städer och hus stängde sina portar vid skymningen.
- 12:5 mandelträdet Får vita blommor på våren (jfr Jer 1:11 med not). Står för håret (jfr Ords 16:31).
- 12:5 kaprisknoppen är utan kraft Tolkas vanligen som minskad sexuell lust.
- 12:9 undervisade folket Se t ex 1 Kung 8 (tempelinvigningen) och 10:8, 24 (utländska gäster).
- 12:9 många ordspråk Enligt 1 Kung 4:32 skrev Salomo 3000 ordspråk. Se Ords 10-29.
- 12:13 det gäller alla människor Ordagrant: ”för detta är hela människan”.
Ecclesiastes 12
King James Version
12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Ecclesiastes 12
The Voice
12 Teacher: And so we come to the end of this musing over life. My advice to you is to remember your Creator, God, while you are young: before life gets hard and the injustice of old age comes upon you—before the years arrive when pleasure feels far out of reach— 2 before the sun and light and the moon and stars fade to darkness and before cloud-covered skies return after the rain. 3 Remember Him before the arms and legs of the keeper of the house begin to tremble—before the strong grow uneasy and bent over with age—before toothless gums aren’t able to chew food and eyes grow dim. 4 Remember Him before the doors are shut in the streets and hearing fails and everyday sounds fade away—before the slightest sound of a bird’s chirp awakens the sleeping but the song itself has fallen silent. 5 People will be afraid of falling from heights and terrifying obstacles in the streets. Realize that hair turns white like the blossoms on the almond tree, one becomes slow and large like a gluttonous grasshopper, and even caper berries no longer stimulate desire. In the end, all must go to our eternal home while there are mourners in the streets. 6-7 So before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is shattered: before the earthen jar is smashed at the spring and the wheel at the well is broken—before the dust returns to the earth that gave it and the spirit-breath returns to God who breathed it, let us remember our Creator. 8 Life is fleeting; it just slips through your fingers. All vanishes like mist.
The teacher advises the readers to “remember” their Creator. Remembrance is a pervasive theme in Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God remembers His covenant people, and the covenant people are told to remember the promises and actions of God on their behalf. In the Book of Psalms, “remember” occurs 45 times, sometimes written by the suffering faithful who cry out to God to remember (Psalms 25:6–7; 74:2, 18, 22; 89:47), and sometimes by the worshiper who marvels that God has remembered (Psalms 8:4; 78:39; 111:5; 136:23). Thus remembering in the Old Testament is an action of both God and God’s people.
Memory was as fundamental to the faith of ancient Israel as it is today. Believers gather together to remember who they are and to whom they belong. This communal memory shapes reality, forms identities, and determines right living.
9 Not only did the teacher attain wisdom by careful observation, study, and setting out many proverbs, but he was also generous with his knowledge and eagerly shared it with people. 10 The teacher also searched for just the right words to bring hope and encouragement, and he wrote honestly about truth and the realities of life.
11 The words of the wise are like goads; the collected sayings of the masters are like the nail-tipped sticks used to drive the sheep, given by one Shepherd.
Wise words ring true in our ears, whether we want to hear them or not. They prod us, convict us, and move us; and heeding them strengthens us.
12 So be warned, my child, of anything else that might be said! There is no end to writing books, and excessive study only exhausts the body. 13 And, when all is said and done, here is the last word: worship in reverence the one True God, and keep His commands, for this is what God expects of every person. 14 For God will judge every action—including everything done in secret—whether it be good or evil.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.