מִי כְּהֶחָכָם וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ פֵּשֶׁר דָּבָר חָכְמַת אָדָם תָּאִיר פָּנָיו ועֹז פָּנָיו יְשֻׁנֶּא

Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of a matter? Nobody understands the meaning of matters in the world like a wise man. The wisdom of a man illuminates his face, and in his wisdom, his arrogance is ameliorated. In other words, wisdom influences his character traits.

אֲנִי פִּי־מֶלֶךְ שְׁמֹר ועַל דִּבְרַת שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִים

I keep the king’s directive, and I also observe the word of an oath to God, the oath I took to God.

אַל־תִּבָּהֵל מִפָּנָיו תֵּלֵךְ אַל־תַּעֲמֹד בְּדָבָר רָע כִּי כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַעֲשֶׂה

Do not flee; leave his, the king’s, presence; go wherever he sends you. Do not stay in a bad situation, as he will do what he wills. If you disobey the king, misfortune will befall you,

בַּאֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־מֶלֶךְ שִׁלְטוֹן וּמִי יֹאמַר־לוֹ מַה־תַּעֲשֶׂה

since governance is by the king’s word, as it is the instrument of his reign, and who will say to him: What are you doing? No one can challenge the king’s decisions, and all the more so the deeds of God.

שׁוֹמֵר מִצְוָה לֹא יֵדַע דָּבָר רָע וְעֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט יֵדַע לֵב חָכָם

One who follows a command of the king will not know an evil matter, and a wise man’s heart will know the time and judgment. A wise man remembers that the day of reckoning will ultimately arrive, and he obeys the law in the present with the future judgment in mind. Alternatively, a wise man knows the right time and framework for everything.

כִּי לְכָל־חֵפֶץ יֵשׁ עֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט כִּי־רָעַת הָאָדָם רַבָּה עָלָיו

For there is a time and a judgment for every purpose, as the evil of man overwhelms him. Great wisdom is required in order to identify what is right and what is correct in every situation.

כִּי־אֵינֶנּוּ יֹדֵעַ מַה־שֶּׁיִּהְיֶה כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה מִי יַגִּיד לוֹ

A person sins because he chooses to overlook the consequences of his deeds, for he does not know what will be in the future, for whatever it, the consequences of his actions, will be, who will have told him now?

אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלוֹא אֶת־הָרוּחַ וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא־יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת־בְּעָלָיו

There is no man who rules the spirit, his own living spirit, to retain the spirit, to prevent it departing from the body when his time comes; and there is no ruling by man over the day, the timing, of his death. There is no sending a proxy in war, one cannot transfer his fate to others, and maneuvering, extensive efforts or the amassing of wealth, will not rescue its owner from death.

אֶת־כָּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי וְנָתוֹן אֶת־לִבִּי לְכָל־מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ עֵת אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַט הָאָדָם בְּאָדָם לְרַע לוֹ

All this I have seen and taken to my heart, for every action that is performed under the sun: Whenever man controlled man, it was to his detriment. Man’s rule over another is detrimental to both the ruler and the ruled. There is a fundamental problem with the very concept of government.

וּבְכֵן רָאִיתִי רְשָׁעִים קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ יְהַלֵּכוּ וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר כֵּן־עָשׂוּ גַּם־זֶה הָבֶל

So, in this light, I saw the wicked who are now buried and gone, who have vanished; they went from a holy place and performed wickedness at will, but they were forgotten even in the city where they acted like that. This too, the fact that the wicked are forgotten, is futility.

אֲשֶׁר אֵין־נַעֲשָׂה פִתְגָם מַעֲשֵׂה הָרָעָה מְהֵרָה עַל־כֵּן מָלֵא לֵב בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם בָּהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע

Because justice for an evil act is not executed swiftly, therefore, as retribution is not immediate, the heart of the sons of man dares to perform evil. They repress their knowledge of the calamity that will befall them in the distant future.

אֲשֶׁר חֹטֶא עֹשֶׂה רָע מְאַת ומַאֲרִיךְ לוֹ כִּי גַּם־יוֹדֵעַ אָנִי אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־טּוֹב לְיִרְאֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יִירְאוּ מִלְּפָנָיו

So a sinner performs one hundred evils, and yet He, God, prolongs for him. He does not punish him immediately, in accordance with his evil. For I indeed know that it will be well for the fearers of God, who fear before Him.

וְטוֹב לֹא־יִהְיֶה לָרָשָׁע וְלֹא־יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים כַּצֵּל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יָרֵא מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים

Good will not be for the wicked, and he will not prolong his days, which are fleeting like a shadow, since he does not fear before God.

יֶשׁ־הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרְשָׁעִים וְיֵשׁ רְשָׁעִים שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצַּדִּיקִים אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶה הָבֶל

After asserting that retribution will eventually arrive, Kohelet once again reverses course: There is futility that is done on the earth, in our world, in that there are righteous who receive in accordance with the action of the wicked and there are wicked who receive in accordance with the action of the righteous, and nevertheless people expect to see justice and fairness. I said that this too is futility, as it is clear that the world does not operate as people think it should.

וְשִׁבַּחְתִּי אֲנִי אֶת־הַשִּׂמְחָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־טוֹב לָאָדָם תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי אִם־לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ וְהוּא יִלְוֶנּוּ בַעֲמָלוֹ יְמֵי חַיָּיו אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן־לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ

I therefore praised simple joy, as there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat, drink, and rejoice. That joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

כַּאֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי אֶת־לִבִּי לָדַעַת חָכְמָה וְלִרְאוֹת אֶת־הָעִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ כִּי גַם בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה שֵׁנָה בְּעֵינָיו אֵינֶנּוּ רֹאֶה

I reached this conclusion when I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see, understand, the affairs that are carried out upon the earth. As I discovered, both during the day and during the night, he, the one occupied with such matters, does not see sleep in his eyes. He finds no rest.

וְרָאִיתִי אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי לֹא יוּכַל הָאָדָם לִמְצוֹא אֶת־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַחַת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּשֶׁל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹל הָאָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ וְלֹא יִמְצָא וְגַם אִם־יֹאמַר הֶחָכָם לָדַעַת לֹא יוּכַל לִמְצֹא

I saw all the work of God, as man is not able to discover, comprehend, the work that is performed under the sun. Although man toils to seek, to understand the meaning of existence, he will not find; even if a wise man wishes to know, he will not be able to discover that meaning. I therefore recommend natural, unsophisticated joy. It is good for man when this type of joy accompanies him in his toil, renders his life pleasant, and soothes his soul.