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¶ Men pawòl pitit David la, filozòf la, ki te wa nan lavil Jerizalèm.

Nan lavi a anyen pa vo anyen. Se sa filozòf la di. Non, anyen pa vo anyen nan lavi a. Tout bagay gen pou pase.

Yon moun te mèt pase tout lavi l' ap travay di, ap bay kò l' traka sou latè beni, kisa sa rapòte l'?

¶ Moun fèt, moun mouri. Men sa pa deranje anyen sou latè.

Solèy leve, solèy kouche. L'ap kouri tounen kote pou l' leve a ankò.

Van an soufle soti nan nò desann nan sid. Apre sa, li vire soti nan sid moute nan nò. Konsa, l'ap vire tounen nan menm chemen an san rete.

Tout dlo larivyè desann nan lanmè, men lanmè pa janm plen. Dlo a tounen kote larivyè a te soti a. Konsa, larivyè a pa janm sispann koule.

Tout bagay ap vire won san rete. Pa gen pawòl ki ka di jan sa ye. Je pa janm bouke wè. Zòrèy pa janm bouke tande.

¶ Sa ki te rive anvan, se sa ki va rive apre. Sa yo te fè anvan an, se sa y'ap toujou fè. Pa gen anyen ki chanje sou latè beni.

10 Menm lè nou di: Gade! Men yon bagay ki nèf, bagay la te la deja depi nan tan lontan anvan nou te fèt.

11 Pesonn pa chonje sa ki te pase nan tan lontan. Konsa tou, pita, pesonn p'ap chonje sa k'ap pase koulye a.

12 ¶ Mwen menm, nèg fò, mwen te wa peyi Izrayèl nan lavil Jerizalèm.

13 Mwen te soti pou m' te fouye, pou m' te egzaminen tou sa k'ap fèt sou latè nan tout ti detay yo. Travay Bondye bay moun fè sou latè a pa manke rèd.

14 Mwen wè tou sa k'ap fèt sou latè. Anyen pa vo anyen! Anyen pa rapòte anyen.

15 Ou pa ka drese sa ki fin kwochi. Ou pa ka konte sa ou pa genyen.

16 Mwen di nan kè mwen: Mwen vin grannèg. Mwen vin pi fò pase tout wa ki t'ap gouvènen lavil Jerizalèm anvan m' yo. Mwen konnen sa ki rele gen konprann ak konesans.

17 Mwen te soti pou m' te konnen diferans ki genyen ant moun ki gen konprann ak moun egare, ant moun ki gen konesans ak moun sòt. Men, la ankò, mwen wè anyen pa rapòte anyen.

18 Paske plis ou gen konprann, se plis ou nan tèt chaje. Plis ou konnen, se plis ou soufri.

¶ Mwen di nan kè mwen: Bon! Ann al pran plezi nou! Ann al mennen lavi dous! Men, mwen jwenn sa a tou, sa pa vo anyen!

Ala bagay sòt se lè yon moun ap plede ri! Pran plezi, sa pa rapòte anyen!

Tèlman mwen t'ap chache gen konprann, mwen pran desizyon lage kò m' nan bwè bweson, nan viv tankou moun fou. Mwen di nan kè m': Ou pa janm konnen, se ka sa ki pi bon pou yon moun fè pandan de twa jou l'ap pase sou tè a.

Mwen fè gwo zafè: Mwen bati yon bann kay, mwen plante anpil jaden rezen.

Mwen fè jaden ak bèl lakou, mwen plante tout kalite pyebwa ki ka donnen ladan yo.

Mwen fouye basen pou m' pran dlo, konsa m'a ka wouze tout pyebwa yo.

Mwen achte fi kou gason pou sèvi m' esklav, san konte moun ki fèt esklav lakay mwen. Mwen te gen bèt ak zannimo pase tout moun ki janm viv nan lavil Jerizalèm.

Mwen ranmase anpil bagay fèt an ajan ak an lò ansanm ak richès lòt chèf k'ap dirije nan pwovens yo. Mwen te gen moun pou chante pou mwen, fi kou gason. Mete sou sa, bagay gason pi renmen, mwen te gen fanm mezi mwen te bezwen.

Wi, pou grannèg mwen te grannèg, pi grannèg pase tout lòt moun ki janm viv nan lavil Jerizalèm. Men, mwen pa janm kite sa vire tèt mwen.

10 Mwen te gen tou sa mwen te vle. Mwen pa janm refize tèt mwen ankenn plezi. Mwen te kontan wè tou sa mwen te travay fè. Se kè kontan sa a ki tout rekonpans mwen.

11 Apre sa, mwen kalkile sou tou sa m' te fè ak men m', sou tout traka mwen te bay kò m' pou m' te fè yo. Enben! Mwen jwenn sa pa t' vo anyen. Anyen pa rapòte anyen. Konsa, pa gen ankenn pwofi pou tou sa ou fè sou latè beni.

12 ¶ Lè ou gade byen, kisa yon wa ka fè pase sa wa ki te anvan l' yo te fè? Apre sa, mwen pran kalkile sa sa vle di lè yon moun gen konprann, osinon lè yon moun sòt, ou ankò lè yon moun fou.

13 Mwen wè menm jan pito ou nan limyè pase ou nan fènwa, pito ou gen konprann pase ou pa genyen.

14 Moun ki gen konprann yo, se pa je pete klere yo ye. Moun ki pa gen konprann yo ap mache nan fènwa. Men, mwen konnen tou de ap fini menm jan.

15 Mwen di nan kè mwen: Sa ki rive moun fou yo ap rive m' tou. Nan kondisyon sa a, sa m' te bezwen gen tout konprann sa yo? Kisa sa ap pwofite m'? Mwen di nan kè m': Sa a tou, sa pa vo anyen!

16 Pesonn p'ap janm chonje moun ki gen konprann yo ni tou yo p'ap chonje moun sòt yo. Pi devan, n'ap bliye yo tout. Nou tout gen pou mouri, kit nou gen bon konprann kit nou sòt.

17 ¶ Se konsa lavi pa di m' anyen ankò. Tou sa mwen fè sou latè se traka li ban mwen. Paske anyen pa vo anyen, anyen pa rapòte anyen.

18 Tout travay mwen te fè sou latè pa di m' anyen ankò, paske mwen konnen mwen gen pou m' kite yo pou sa k'ap vin dèyè.

19 Se ka yon moun lespri, se ka yon moun sòt. Pesonn pa konnen. Men, se pou li m'ap kite tou sa mwen te travay di fè ak lespri mwen. Sa a ankò, sa pa vo anyen.

20 Se konsa mwen vin konprann tout travay di mwen te fè sou latè p'ap rapòte m' anyen. Sa vin dekouraje m'.

21 Wi, yon nonm fè travay li avèk lespri, avèk konesans, avèk ladrès. Apre sa, se pou l' pati kite l' pou yon lòt ki pa leve ni lou ni lejè nan travay la. Sa a tou, sa pa vo anyen. Sa pa bon menm.

22 Ou travay di, ou pran kont tèt chaje ou, ou pa dòmi pou ou ka fè sa w'ap fè a. Apre sa, kisa sa rapòte ou?

23 Ou pase tout lavi ou nan lapenn, nan chagren. Menm lannwit lespri ou ap travay. Sa a tou, sa pa sèvi ou anyen.

24 Pi bon bagay yon moun ka fè, se manje, se bwè, se jwi sa travay ou rapòte ou. Men la tou, mwen wè sa se travay Bondye.

25 Paske, san Bondye, ki moun ki ka manje? Ki moun ki ka bwè.

26 Bondye bay moun ki fè l' plezi bon konprann, konesans ak kè kontan. Konsa tou, li fè mechan yo travay fè lajan sere pou l' ka bay moun ki fè l' plezi. La tou, sa pa vo anyen. Sa pa rapòte anyen.

¶ Gen yon lè pou chak bagay. Bondye fikse yon tan pou chak bagay k'ap fèt sou latè.

Li fikse lè pou ou fèt, lè pou ou mouri, lè pou ou plante, lè pou ou rekòlte,

lè pou ou touye, lè pou ou geri, lè pou ou kraze, lè pou ou bati.

Li fikse lè pou ou kriye, lè pou ou ri, lè pou ou nan lapenn, lè pou ou fè fèt,

lè pou ou kouche ak madanm ou, lè pou ou pa kouche ak li, lè pou nou fè karès, lè pou nou pa fè karès.

Li fikse lè pou ou chache, lè pou ou pèdi, lè pou ou fè ekonomi, lè pou ou gaspiye lajan,

lè pou ou dechire, lè pou ou koud, lè pou ou rete san pale, lè pou ou pale.

Li fikse lè pou ou renmen, lè pou ou rayi, lè pou nou fè lagè, lè pou nou fè lapè.

Kisa yon nonm jwenn nan travay li?

10 Mwen rive konnen ki kalite travay Bondye bay moun pou yo fè.

11 ¶ Li fikse yon lè pou chak bagay byen fèt. Li mete nan kè moun lanvi pou yo konnen sa ki gen pou rive denmen. Men, li pa janm kite yo fin konprann nèt travay l'ap fè a.

12 Mwen wè pi bon bagay yon moun ka fè nan lavi, se fè kè ou kontan epi se fè sa ou vin pou fè a byen.

13 Tout moun fèt pou yo manje, pou yo bwè, pou yo jwi sa travay yo rapòte yo. Sa se kado Bondye ba yo.

14 Mwen konnen tou sa Bondye fè la pou toutan. Ou pa ka mete anyen sou li, ou pa ka wete anyen ladan l'. Bondye fè sa konsa pou lèzòm ka gen krentif pou li.

15 Sa ki rive koulye a te rive deja! Sa ki gen pou rive te rive deja tou! Bondye fè bagay ki te rive deja rive ankò!

16 ¶ Apre sa, mwen wè sou latè se mechanste ou jwenn kote pou ou ta jwenn jistis. Malveyans chita nan tribinal yo.

17 Mwen di nan kè mwen: Bondye ap jije ni bon yo ni mechan yo, paske chak bagay gen lè pa yo. Gen yon tan pou tou sa w'ap fè.

18 Mwen di nan kè mwen ankò: Bondye ap gade kote moun ye. L'ap fè yo wè yo pa pi bon pase zannimo.

19 Lè ou gade byen, sò moun ak sò zannimo, se menm bagay la. Ni yonn ni lòt gen pou mouri. Se menm souf la k'ap bat nan tou de. Moun pa gen ankenn avantaj sou zannimo, paske lavi pa vo anyen ni pou yonn ni pou lòt.

20 Tou de pral menm kote Tou de soti nan pousyè tè a. Tou de ap tounen pousyè tè a ankò.

21 Ki moun ki konnen si nanm moun moute anwo nan syèl epi nanm zannimo desann anba tè vre?

22 Konsa, mwen wè pa gen pi bon bagay yon moun ka fè sou latè pase jwi sa travay li rapòte l'. Se sèlman sa li ka fè. Epitou, ki moun k'ap fè l' tounen pou l' ka konnen sa k'ap rive apre li fin mouri?

¶ Apre sa, mwen gade tout lenjistis k'ap fèt sou latè. Dlo ap koule konsa nan je moun y'ap maltrete yo. Pa gen pesonn pou ede yo. Moun k'ap maltrete yo gen lafòs avèk yo. Pesonn pa ka fè anyen pou yo.

Mwen wè sò moun mouri yo miyò pase sò moun vivan yo.

Men, gen yon lòt moun ankò ki pi bon pase yo tou de: Se moun ki pa t' janm fèt la, paske li pa janm wè move zak k'ap fèt sou tè a.

¶ Mwen vin wè tout travay di lèzòm ap travay di a, tout bèl bagay y'ap reyalize nan lavi a, se paske yonn vle gen plis pase lòt. Men, sa tou, sa pa vo anyen, sa pa rapòte anyen.

Pawòl la di: Moun sòt rete san fè anyen, yo pito grangou.

Men, pito ou pran ti repo ou tanzantan ak kè poze pase pou ou touye tèt ou ap travay di, lèfini pou sa pa rapòte anyen.

¶ Mwen wè yon lòt bagay nan lavi a ki pa vo anyen ankò.

Se te yon nonm ki t'ap viv pou kont li, san zanmi. Li pa t' gen pitit gason, li pa t' gen frè. Li travay san pran souf. Li pa t' janm gen ase. Pou ki moun li t'ap travay di konsa, san bay tèt li yon ti plezi? Li pa t' janm gen tan pou mande tèt li sa. Sa a tou, sa pa vo anyen, se pa yon bon jan pou moun viv.

Lè ou gen yon lòt moun avèk ou, li pi bon pase lè ou pou kont ou, paske ansanm nou bay pi bon rannman nan travay nou.

10 Si yonn tonbe, lòt la va ba l' men pou l' leve. Men, malè pou moun k'ap viv pou kont li! Si l' tonbe, p'ap gen moun pou ba l' men.

11 Konsa tou, lè fè frèt, si yo kouche ansanm, yonn va chofe lòt. Men, si li pou kont li, ki jan pou l' fè chofe kò l'?

12 Kote dezòm ka kenbe tèt ak yon moun k'ap atake yo, yon sèl p'ap kapab. Yon kòd trese an twa pa fasil pou kase.

13 ¶ -(we vèsè pwochen)

14 Yon nonm ka soti nan mizè pou l' rive chèf nan peyi l'. Ou ankò li ka soti nan prizon epi yo mete l' chèf pou gouvènen. Pito ou annafè ak yon ti moun ki pòv men ki gen lespri pase pou ou annafè ak yon wa ki fin granmoun, ki fin gaga, ki pa ka pran konsèy.

15 Mwen kalkile, mwen gade tout moun k'ap viv sou latè, mwen di nan mitan tout moun sa yo gen jenn gason ki pral pran plas wa a.

16 Ou pa ka konte kantite moun yon wa ka gouvènen, kantite moun yon wa ka dirije. Men lè l' mouri, pesonn p'ap chonje di l' mèsi pou sa li te fè pou yo. Tou sa pa vo anyen. Sa pa rapòte anyen.

Everything Is Meaningless

The words of the Teacher,[a](A) son of David, king in Jerusalem:(B)

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”(C)

What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?(D)
Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.(E)
The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.(F)
The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.(G)
All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,(H)
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;(I)
    there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,(J)
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.(K)

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher,(L) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.(M) 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.(N) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!(O) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(P)

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(Q)
    what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me;(R) I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom,(S) and also of madness and folly,(T) but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;(U)
    the more knowledge, the more grief.(V)

Pleasures Are Meaningless

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(W) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,”(X) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine,(Y) and embracing folly(Z)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(AA) and planted vineyards.(AB) I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(AC) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold(AD) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(AE) I acquired male and female singers,(AF) and a harem[b] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(AG) before me.(AH) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(AI)
    nothing was gained under the sun.(AJ)

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.(AK)
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?(AL)
13 I saw that wisdom(AM) is better than folly,(AN)
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.(AO)

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”(AP)
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(AQ)
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(AR)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(AS)

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(AT) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(AU) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(AV) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AW) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AX) even at night their minds do not rest.(AY) This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AZ) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(BA) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(BB) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(BC) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(BD) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(BE) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(BF) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

A Time for Everything

There is a time(BG) for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,(BH)
    a time to kill(BI) and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent(BJ) and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?(BK) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(BL) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(BM) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[c] no one can fathom(BN) what God has done from beginning to end.(BO) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(BP) and find satisfaction(BQ) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(BR) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(BS)

15 Whatever is has already been,(BT)
    and what will be has been before;(BU)
    and God will call the past to account.[d]

16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment(BV)
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”(BW)

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(BX) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(BY) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[e]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(BZ) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(CA) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(CB) because that is their lot.(CC) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

Again I looked and saw all the oppression(CD) that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.(CE)
And I declared that the dead,(CF)
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.(CG)
But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,(CH)
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.(CI)

And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(CJ)

Fools fold their hands(CK)
    and ruin themselves.
Better one handful with tranquillity
    than two handfuls with toil(CL)
    and chasing after the wind.

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content(CM) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
    “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
    a miserable business!

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Advancement Is Meaningless

13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12
  2. Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
  4. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit