1 Only the wise know what things really mean. Wisdom makes them smile and makes their frowns disappear.
Obey the King
2 Do what the king says, and don't make any rash promises to God. 3 The king can do anything he likes, so depart from his presence; don't stay in such a dangerous place. 4 The king acts with authority, and no one can challenge what he does. 5 As long as you obey his commands, you are safe, and a wise person knows how and when to do it. 6 There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little! 7 None of us knows what is going to happen, and there is no one to tell us. 8 No one can keep from dying or put off the day of death. That is a battle we cannot escape; we cannot cheat our way out.
The Wicked and the Righteous
9 I saw all this when I thought about the things that are done in this world, a world where some people have power and others have to suffer under them. 10 Yes, I have seen the wicked buried and in their graves, but on the way back from the cemetery people praise them in the very city where they did their evil. It is useless.
11 Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough. 12 A sinner may commit a hundred crimes and still live. Oh yes, I know what they say: “If you obey God, everything will be all right, 13 but it will not go well for the wicked. Their life is like a shadow and they will die young, because they do not obey God.” 14 But this is nonsense. Look at what happens in the world: sometimes the righteous get the punishment of the wicked, and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I say it is useless.
15 So I am convinced that we should enjoy ourselves, because the only pleasure we have in this life is eating and drinking and enjoying ourselves. We can at least do this as we labor during the life that God has given us in this world.
16 Whenever I tried to become wise and learn what goes on in the world, I realized that you could stay awake night and day 17 and never be able to understand what God is doing. However hard you try, you will never find out. The wise may claim to know, but they don't.
Paklausi ķēniņam
1 Kurš gan ir kā gudrais,
kas izprot lietu dabu?
Gudrība dara cilvēka vaigu laipnu,
bet nīgru vaigu tā atmaidzina.
2 Es saku: klausi, ko ķēniņš pavēl, jo tu esi zvērējis pie Dieva. 3 Nebēdz no viņa vaiga un nepastāvi uz savu, ja lieta nav droša, jo viņš dara visu, ko vēlas.
4 Kad ķēniņa vārdam ir vara,
kurš var tam pateikt: ko tu dari?
5 Tam, kas klausa pavēlēm, nenotiks nekas ļauns,
un gudrā prāts zinās īsto laiku un paņēmienu.
6 Katrai lietai ir savs laiks un savs paņēmiens,
kaut posts smagi gulstas pār cilvēku.
7 Jo viņš nezina, kas notiks,
nedz kā tas notiks, – kas viņam to stāstīs?
8 Nav tāda cilvēka, kuram būtu vara pār garu – paturēt to,
un nevienam nav varas pār nāves dienu,
un karā nav atelpas,
un ļaunums neglābj tos, kas to dara.
9 To visu es ieraudzīju, kad apsvēru prātā visu, kas notiek zem saules – laikā, kad cilvēks pavēl pār cilvēku pašam par ļaunu!
Dieva ceļi ir neizdibināmi
10 Tad es redzēju guldām ļaundarus kapā – un nāca uz svēto vietu un gāja prom! – un viņus aizmirsa pilsētā, kur viņi bija tā darījuši. Arī tā ir tukšība!
11 Tā kā spriedums par ļaunu darbu netiek izpildīts ātri, tad cilvēkbērnu sirdis tiecas darīt ļaunu. 12 Kaut grēcinieks dara ļaunu simts reižu un viņam vēl tiek dots laiks, tomēr es zinu, ka labi būs tiem, kas bīstas Dieva, jo tie bīstas viņa vaiga. 13 Bet ļaundarim nebūs labi, neilgs viņa dienas, viņš kā ēna, jo nebīstas Dieva vaiga.
14 Tukšība ir tas, kas tiek darīts virs zemes – ka ir taisnie, kuriem notiek pēc ļaundaru darītā, un ļaundari, kuriem notiek pēc taisno darītā. Es saku, ka arī tā ir tukšība! 15 Un es sveicu prieku, jo cilvēkam nav nekā laba zem saules kā vien ēst, dzert un priecāties. Tas viņu pavada viņa pūliņos, cik vien dzīves dienu Dievs viņam devis zem saules.
16 Kad es ar prātu nodevos izzināt gudrību un izlūkot amatu, ko tas veic virs zemes dienu un nakti, ka ne miega tam acī, 17 es ieraudzīju, ka visu, ko Dievs dara, cilvēkam neatklāt – visu, kas notiek zem saules. Lai kā cilvēks pūlētos meklēt, viņš to neatklās – kaut gudrais teiktu, ka to zina, viņam to neatklāt!
