Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 8

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	Biblia Sagrada
1 The wisdom of a man shines in his countenance, and even the expression of a most powerful man will change.	1 ¿Quién puede ser sabio? ¿Quién sabe el significado de un asunto? La sabiduría ilumina el rostro del hombre y cambia la dureza del semblante.
2 I heed the mouth of the king, and the commandment of an oath to God.	2 Cumple el mandato del rey, a causa del juramento hecho a Dios.
3 You should not hastily withdraw from his presence, nor should you remain in an evil work. For all that pleases him, he will do.	3 No te apresures a abandonar su presencia; no te obstines en asuntos que le desagradan, pues puede hacer cuanto desee.
4 And his word is filled with authority. Neither is anyone able to say to him: “Why are you acting this way?”	4 La palabra del rey es poderosa: ¿quién puede decirle «qué estás haciendo»?
5 Whoever keeps the commandment will not experience evil. The heart of a wise man understands the time to respond.	5 El que cumple los mandatos no sufrirá nada malo. El sabio atina con el momento y el método,
6 For every matter, there is a time and an opportunity, as well as many difficulties, for man.	6 pues cada asunto tiene su momento y su método. El hombre está expuesto a muchos males,
7 For he is ignorant of the past, and he is able to know nothing of the future by means of a messenger.	7 porque no sabe lo que va a suceder, ¿y quién le informará de lo que va a pasar?
8 It is not in the power of a man to prohibit the spirit, nor does he have authority over the day of death, nor is he permitted to rest when war breaks out, and neither will impiety save the impious.	8 El hombre no es dueño de su aliento vital ni puede retenerlo; tampoco es dueño del día de la muerte ni puede librarse del combate. Ni la maldad librará a quien la practique.
9 I have considered all these things, and I have applied my heart to all the works which are being done under the sun. Sometimes one man rules over another to his own harm.	9 Todo esto lo he observado fijándome en todo lo que sucede bajo el sol, cuando una persona domina a otra para su mal.
10 I have seen the impious buried. These same, while they were still living, were in the holy place, and they were praised in the city as workers of justice. But this, too, is emptiness.	10 También he observado lo siguiente: sepultan a los malvados y la gente, al volver del lugar santo, se olvida en la ciudad de cómo habían obrado.
11 For the sons of men perpetrate evils without any fear, because judgment is not pronounced quickly against the evil.	11 También esto es vanidad: como la sentencia dictada contra un delito no se ejecuta enseguida, el corazón humano está dispuesto a hacer el mal.
12 But although a sinner may do evil of himself one hundred times, and by patience still endure, I realize that it will be well with those who fear God, who revere his face.	12 El pecador obra cien veces mal y tiene una larga vida, aunque ya conozco eso de que: «Le irá bien al que tema a Dios, precisamente porque lo teme»,
13 So, may it not go well with the impious, and may his days not be prolonged. And let those who do not fear the face of the Lord pass away like a shadow.	13 y aquello otro: «No le irá bien al malvado, ni alargará su vida como sombra, por no temer a Dios».
14 There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are the just, to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the impious. And there are the impious, who are very secure, as though they possess the deeds of the just. But this, too, I judge to be a very great vanity.	14 Y en la tierra se manifiesta otra vanidad: hay honrados tratados según la conducta de los malvados, y malvados tratados según la conducta de los honrados. También esto lo considero vanidad.
15 And so, I praised rejoicing, because there was no good for a man under the sun, except to eat and drink, and to be cheerful, and because he may take nothing with him from his labor in the days of his life, which God has given to him under the sun.	15 Por eso alabo la alegría, porque el único bien del hombre bajo el sol es comer y beber y disfrutar; eso le quedará de sus fatigas durante los días de vida que Dios le conceda vivir bajo el sol.
16 And I applied my heart, so that I might know wisdom, and so that I might understand a disturbance that turns upon the earth: it is a man, who takes no sleep with his eyes, day and night.	16 Me dediqué a conseguir sabiduría observando todas las tareas que se realizan en la tierra: los ojos del hombre no concilian el sueño ni de día ni de noche.
17 And I understood that man is able to find no explanation for all those works of God which are done under the sun. And so, the more that he labors to seek, so much the less does he find. Yes, even if a wise man were to claim that he knows, he would not be able to discover it.	17 También pude observar todas las obras de Dios: el hombre no puede descubrir el sentido de cuanto se hace bajo el sol. Por más que el hombre se fatigue buscando, no lo descubrirá; y aunque el sabio pretenda saberlo, nunca podrá descubrirlo.