וּזְכֹר֙ אֶת־בּ֣וֹרְאֶ֔יךָ בִּימֵ֖י בְּחוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ יְמֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ה וְהִגִּ֣יעוּ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמַ֔ר אֵֽין־לִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם חֵֽפֶץ׃ So appreciate your vigoraCf. postbiblical bori; others “Remember thy Creator.” in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
עַ֠ד אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־תֶחְשַׁ֤ךְ הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ וְהָא֔וֹר וְהַיָּרֵ֖חַ וְהַכּוֹכָבִ֑ים וְשָׁ֥בוּ הֶעָבִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַגָּֽשֶׁם׃ before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds come back again after the rain:
בַּיּ֗וֹם שֶׁיָּזֻ֙עוּ֙ שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִֽתְעַוְּת֖וּ אַנְשֵׁ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וּבָטְל֤וּ הַטֹּֽחֲנוֹת֙ כִּ֣י מִעֵ֔טוּ וְחָשְׁכ֥וּ הָרֹא֖וֹת בָּאֲרֻבּֽוֹת׃ When the guards of the housebI.e., the arms. become shaky,
And the men of valorcI.e., the legs. are bent,
And the maids that grind,dI.e., the teeth. grown few, are idle,
And the ladies that peer through the windowseI.e., the eyes. grow dim,
וְסֻגְּר֤וּ דְלָתַ֙יִם֙ בַּשּׁ֔וּק בִּשְׁפַ֖ל ק֣וֹל הַֽטַּחֲנָ֑ה וְיָקוּם֙ לְק֣וֹל הַצִּפּ֔וֹר וְיִשַּׁ֖חוּ כׇּל־בְּנ֥וֹת הַשִּֽׁיר׃ And the doors to the streetfI.e., the ears. are shut—
With the noise of the hand mill growing fainter,
And the song of the bird gExact meaning of Heb. uncertain.growing feebler,-g
And all the strains of music dying down;hCf. 2 Sam. 19.36.
גַּ֣ם מִגָּבֹ֤הַּ יִרָ֙אוּ֙ וְחַתְחַתִּ֣ים בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְיָנֵ֤אץ הַשָּׁקֵד֙ וְיִסְתַּבֵּ֣ל הֶֽחָגָ֔ב וְתָפֵ֖ר הָֽאֲבִיּוֹנָ֑ה כִּֽי־הֹלֵ֤ךְ הָאָדָם֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית עוֹלָמ֔וֹ וְסָבְב֥וּ בַשּׁ֖וּק הַסּוֹפְדִֽים׃ When one is afraid of heights
And there is terror on the road.—
For the almond tree may blossom,
iEmendation yields “The squill (postbiblical Heb. ḥaṣab) resume its burden,” i.e., its blossom-stalk and its leaves.The grasshopper be burdened,-i
And the caper bush may bud again;jThese plants, after seeming dead for part of the year, revive, unlike man; cf. Job 14.7–10.
But man sets out for his eternal abode,
With mourners all around in the street.—
עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־[יֵרָתֵק֙] (ירחק) חֶ֣בֶל הַכֶּ֔סֶף וְתָר֖וּץ גֻּלַּ֣ת הַזָּהָ֑ב וְתִשָּׁ֤בֶר כַּד֙ עַל־הַמַּבּ֔וּעַ וְנָרֹ֥ץ הַגַּלְגַּ֖ל אֶל־הַבּֽוֹר׃ Before the silver cord snaps
And the golden bowl crashes,
The jar is shattered at the spring,
And the jugkSo in Punic; others “wheel.” is smashed at the cistern.lPoetic figure for the end of life.
וְיָשֹׁ֧ב הֶעָפָ֛ר עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָ֑ה וְהָר֣וּחַ תָּשׁ֔וּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְתָנָֽהּ׃ And the dust returns to the ground
As it was,
And the lifebreath returns to God
Who bestowed it.
הֲבֵ֧ל הֲבָלִ֛ים אָמַ֥ר הַקּוֹהֶ֖לֶת הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל׃ Utter futility—said Koheleth—
All is futile!
וְיֹתֵ֕ר שֶׁהָיָ֥ה קֹהֶ֖לֶת חָכָ֑ם ע֗וֹד לִמַּד־דַּ֙עַת֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וְאִזֵּ֣ן וְחִקֵּ֔ר תִּקֵּ֖ן מְשָׁלִ֥ים הַרְבֵּֽה׃ A further word: Because Koheleth was a sage, he continued to instruct the people. He listened to and tested the soundnessmA noun, like dibber (Jer. 5.13), which occurs in such postbiblical phrases as shanim kethiq(qe)nan, “normal years” (lit. “years according to their propriety”). of many maxims.
בִּקֵּ֣שׁ קֹהֶ֔לֶת לִמְצֹ֖א דִּבְרֵי־חֵ֑פֶץ וְכָת֥וּב יֹ֖שֶׁר דִּבְרֵ֥י אֱמֶֽת׃ Koheleth sought to discover useful sayings and recordednWekhathub is equivalent to wekhathob, an infinitive employed as in Esth. 9.16 and elsewhere. genuinely truthful sayings.
דִּבְרֵ֤י חֲכָמִים֙ כַּדָּ֣רְבֹנ֔וֹת וּֽכְמַשְׂמְר֥וֹת נְטוּעִ֖ים בַּעֲלֵ֣י אֲסֻפּ֑וֹת נִתְּנ֖וּ מֵרֹעֶ֥ה אֶחָֽד׃ The sayings of the wise are like goads, like nails fixed oMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Others “are those that are composed in collections.”in prodding sticks.-o pMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “They are accounted as a sharp ox goad” (post-biblical mardea‘).They were given by one Shepherd.-p
וְיֹתֵ֥ר מֵהֵ֖מָּה בְּנִ֣י הִזָּהֵ֑ר עֲשׂ֨וֹת סְפָרִ֤ים הַרְבֵּה֙ אֵ֣ין קֵ֔ץ וְלַ֥הַג הַרְבֵּ֖ה יְגִעַ֥ת בָּשָֽׂר׃ A further word: qEmendation yields “Slow, there!” Cf. Arabic mah and mah mah; so also mah (meh) in Prov. 31.2.Against them,-q my son, be warned!
The making of many books is without limit
And much studyrMeaning of Heb. uncertain. is a wearying of the flesh.
ס֥וֹף דָּבָ֖ר הַכֹּ֣ל נִשְׁמָ֑ע אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים יְרָא֙ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו שְׁמ֔וֹר כִּי־זֶ֖ה כׇּל־הָאָדָֽם׃ The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind:
כִּ֚י אֶת־כׇּל־מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים יָבִ֥א בְמִשְׁפָּ֖ט עַ֣ל כׇּל־נֶעְלָ֑ם אִם־ט֖וֹב וְאִם־רָֽע׃ that God will call every creature to account for sEmendation yields “all their conduct.”everything unknown,-s be it good or bad.
The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind.