Eclesiastés 12
La Palabra (España)
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”;
2 antes de que se oscurezca el sol,
y no den luz la luna y las estrellas,
y retornen las nubes tras la lluvia;
3 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;
4 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;
5 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.
6 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;
7 antes de que vuelva el polvo a la tierra, a lo que era,
y el espíritu vuelva a Dios, que lo dio.
8 ¡Pura ilusión! —dice Cohélet— ¡Todo es ilusión!
Epílogo sobre la obra de Cohélet
9 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.
Ecclesiastes 12
Complete Jewish Bible
12 So remember your creator while you are young,
before the evil days come,
and the years approach when you will say,
“They no longer give me pleasure”;
2 before the sun and the light grow dim,
also the moon and the stars;
before the clouds return after the rain;
3 on the day when the guards of the house are trembling,
and men of courage are bent over double;
when the women stop grinding grain,
because there are so few;
when the women at the windows
can no longer see out;
4 when the doors to the streets are kept shut;
when the noise from the grain-mill fades;
when a person is startled by the chirp of a bird,
yet their singing is hard to hear;
5 when they will be afraid to go up a hill,
and terrors will stalk the way,
even though the almond tree is in bloom;
when the locust can only drag itself along,
and the caper berry has no [aphrodisiac] effect —
because the person is headed for his eternal home,
and the mourners are already gathering
in the marketplace —
6 before the silver cord is snapped
the bowl of gold is cracked,
the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
the pulley is broken at the cistern,
7 the dust returns to earth, as it was,
and the spirit returns to God, who gave it!
8 Pointless! Meaningless! — says Kohelet,
Nothing matters at all!
9 Not only was Kohelet wise, he also taught the people what he knew; also he weighed, researched and corrected many ethical sayings. 10 Kohelet worked to develop an attractive writing style, in which he expressed the truth straightforwardly. 11 The sayings of the wise are as sharp as goads, and those given by leaders of assemblies are like well-fixed nails; [in this case,] they are presented by a single shepherd. 12 In addition, my son, take heed: one can write many books — there’s no end to it; and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh.
13 Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about. 14 For God will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad.
[Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.]
Ecclesiastes 12
The Message
12 1-2 Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
3-5 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.
6-7 Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.
8 It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke.
The Quester says that everything’s smoke.
The Final Word
9-10 Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.
11 The words of the wise prod us to live well.
They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together.
They are given by God, the one Shepherd.
12-13 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:
Fear God.
Do what he tells you.
14 And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil.
La Palabra, (versión española) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson