Eikhah (איכה ) - Lamentazioni 8

STUTTGARTENSIA-DELITZSCH	NEW JERUSALEM
1 מִי כְּהֶחָכָם וּמִי יֹודֵעַ פֵּשֶׁר דָּבָר חָכְמַת אָדָם תָּאִיר פָּנָיו וְעֹז פָּנָיו יְשֻׁנֶּא	1 Who compares with the sage? Who else knows how to explain things? Wisdom lights up the face,enlivening a grim expression.
2 אֲנִי פִּי־מֶלֶךְ שְׁמֹור וְעַל דִּבְרַת שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִים	2 Obey the king's command and, because of the divine promise,
3 אַל־תִּבָּהֵל מִפָּנָיו תֵּלֵךְ אַל־תַּעֲמֹד בְּדָבָר רָע כִּי כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַעֲשֶׂה	3 be in no hurry to depart from it; do not be obstinate in a bad cause, since the king wil do as he likes inany case.
4 בַּאֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־מֶלֶךְ שִׁלְטֹון וּמִי יֹאמַר־לֹו מַה־תַּעֲשֶׂה	4 Since the word of a king is sovereign, what is the point of saying, 'Why do that?'
5 שֹׁומֵר מִצְוָה לֹא יֵדַע דָּבָר רָע וְעֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט יֵדַע לֵב חָכָם	5 One who obeys the command will come to no harm; the heart of the sage knows the right moment andverdict,
6 כִּי לְכָל־חֵפֶץ יֵשׁ עֵת וּמִשְׁפָּט כִּי־רָעַת הָאָדָם רַבָּה עָלָיו	6 for there is a right moment and verdict for everything; but misfortune lies heavy upon anyone
7 כִּי־אֵינֶנּוּ יֹדֵעַ מַה־שֶּׁיִּהְיֶה כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה מִי יַגִּיד לֹו	7 who does not know what the outcome wil be, no one is going to say how things wil turn out.
8 אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלֹוא אֶת־הָרוּחַ וְאֵין שִׁלְטֹון בְּיֹום הַמָּוֶת וְאֵין מִשְׁלַחַת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא־יְמַלֵּט רֶשַׁע אֶת־בְּעָלָיו	8 No one can control the wind and stop it from blowing, no one can control the day of death. From warthere is no escape, no more can wickedness save the person who commits it.
9 אֶת־כָּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי וְנָתֹון אֶת־לִבִּי לְכָל־מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ עֵת אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַט הָאָדָם בְּאָדָם לְרַע לֹו	9 I have seen al this to be so, having careful y studied everything taking place under the sun, while oneperson tyrannises over another to the former's detriment.
10 וּבְכֵן רָאִיתִי רְשָׁעִים קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקֹום קָדֹושׁ יְהַלֵּכוּ וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר כֵּן־עָשׂוּ גַּם־זֶה הָבֶל	10 And again, I have observed the wicked carried to their graves, and people leaving the holy place and,once out in the city, forgetting how the wicked used to behave; how futile this is too!
11 אֲשֶׁר אֵין־נַעֲשָׂה פִתְגָם מַעֲשֵׂה הָרָעָה מְהֵרָה עַל־כֵּן מָלֵא לֵב בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם בָּהֶם לַעֲשֹׂות רָע	11 Because the sentence on the evil-doer is not carried out on the instant, people's hearts are ful ofdesire to do wrong.
12 אֲשֶׁר חֹטֶא עֹשֶׂה רָע מְאַת וּמַאֲרִיךְ לֹו כִּי גַּם־יֹודֵעַ אָנִי אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־טֹּוב לְיִרְאֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יִירְאוּ מִלְּפָנָיו	12 The sinner who does wrong a hundred times lives on. But this too I know, that there is good in store forpeople who fear God, because they fear him,
13 וְטֹוב לֹא־יִהְיֶה לָרָשָׁע וְלֹא־יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים כַּצֵּל אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ יָרֵא מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים	13 but there is no good in store for the wicked because he does not fear God, and so, like a shadow, hewil not prolong his days.
14 יֶשׁ־הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ׀ יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרְשָׁעִים וְיֵשׁ רְשָׁעִים שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ אֲלֵהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצַּדִּיקִים אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־זֶה הָבֶל	14 Another futile thing that happens on earth: upright people being treated as though they were wickedand wicked people being treated as though they were upright. To me this is one more example of futility.
15 וְשִׁבַּחְתִּי אֲנִי אֶת־הַשִּׂמְחָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־טֹוב לָאָדָם תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי אִם־לֶאֱכֹול וְלִשְׁתֹּות וְלִשְׂמֹוחַ וְהוּא יִלְוֶנּוּ בַעֲמָלֹו יְמֵי חַיָּיו אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן־לֹו הָאֱלֹהִים תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ	15 And therefore I praise joy, since human happiness lies only in eating and drinking and in takingpleasure; this comes from what someone achieves during the days of life that God gives under the sun.
16 כַּאֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי אֶת־לִבִּי לָדַעַת חָכְמָה וְלִרְאֹות אֶת־הָעִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל־הָאָרֶץ כִּי גַם בַּיֹּום וּבַלַּיְלָה שֵׁנָה בְּעֵינָיו אֵינֶנּוּ רֹאֶה	16 Having applied myself to acquiring wisdom and to observing the activity taking place in the world -- forday and night our eyes enjoy no rest-
17 וְרָאִיתִי אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי לֹא יוּכַל הָאָדָם לִמְצֹוא אֶת־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַחַת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּשֶׁל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹל הָאָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ וְלֹא יִמְצָא וְגַם אִם־יֹאמַר הֶחָכָם לָדַעַת לֹא יוּכַל לִמְצֹא	17 I have scrutinised God's whole creation: you cannot get to the bottom of everything taking place underthe sun; you may wear yourself out in the search, but you wil never find it. Not even a sage can get to thebottom of it, even if he says that he has done so.