1 Porque se dicen discurriendo desacertadamente: «Corta es y triste nuestra vida; no hay remedio en la muerte del hombre ni se sabe de nadie que haya vuelto del Hades.
| 1 they who said among themselves, thinking not aright: "Brief and troublous is our lifetime; neither is there any remedy for man's dying, nor is anyone known to have come back from the nether world. |
2 Por azar llegamos a la existencia y luego seremos como si nunca hubiéramos sido. Porque humo es el aliento de nuestra nariz y el pensamiento, una chispa del latido de nuestro corazón;
| 2 For haphazard were we born, and hereafter we shall be as though we had not been; Because the breath in our nostrils is a smoke and reason is a spark at the beating of our hearts, |
3 al apagarse, el cuerpo se volverá ceniza y el espíritu se desvanecerá como aire inconsistente.
| 3 And when this is quenched, our body will be ashes and our spirit will be poured abroad like unresisting air. |
4 Caerá con el tiempo nuestro nombre en el olvido, nadie se acordará de nuestras obras; pasará nuestra vida como rastro de nube, se disipará como niebla acosada por los rayos del sol y por su calor vencida.
| 4 Even our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will recall our deeds. So our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and will be dispersed like a mist pursued by the sun's rays and overpowered by its heat. |
5 Paso de una sombra es el tiempo que vivimos, no hay retorno en nuestra muerte; porque se ha puesto el sello y nadie regresa.
| 5 For our lifetime is the passing of a shadow; and our dying cannot be deferred because it is fixed with a seal; and no one returns. |
6 Venid, pues, y disfrutemos de los bienes presentes, gocemos de las criaturas con el ardor de la juventud.
| 6 Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are real, and use the freshness of creation avidly. |
7 Hartémonos de vinos exquisitos y de perfumes, no se nos pase ninguna flor primaveral,
| 7 Let us have our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no springtime blossom pass us by; |
8 coronémonos de rosas antes que se marchiten;
| 8 let us crown ourselves with rosebuds ere they wither. |
9 ningún prado quede libre de nuestra orgía, dejemos por doquier constancia de nuestro negocijo; que nuestra parte es ésta, ésta nuestra herencia.
| 9 Let no meadow be free from our wantonness; everywhere let us leave tokens of our rejoicing, for this our portion is, and this our lot. |
10 Oprimamos al justo pobre, no perdonemos a la viuda, no respetemos las canas llenas de años del anciano.
| 10 Let us oppress the needy just man; let us neither spare the widow nor revere the old man for his hair grown white with time. |
11 Sea nuestra fuerza norma de la justicia, que la debilidad, como se ve, de nada sirve.
| 11 But let our strength be our norm of justice; for weakness proves itself useless. |
12 Tendamos lazos al justo, que nos fastidia, se enfrenta a nuestro modo de obrar, nos echa en cara faltas contra la Ley y nos culpa de faltas contra nuestra educación.
| 12 Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. |
13 Se gloría de tener el conocimiento de Dios y se llama a sí mismo hijo del Señor.
| 13 He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD. |
14 Es un reproche de nuestros criterios, su sola presencia nos es insufrible,
| 14 To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, |
15 lleva una vida distinta de todas y sus caminos son extraños.
| 15 Because his life is not like other men's, and different are his ways. |
16 Nos tiene por bastardos, se aparta de nuestros caminos como de impurezas; proclama dichosa la suerte final de los justos y se ufana de tener a Dios por padre.
| 16 He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure. He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his Father. |
17 Veamos si sus palabras son verdaderas, examinemos lo que pasará en su tránsito.
| 17 Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. |
18 Pues si el justo es hijo de Dios, él le asistirá y le librará de las manos de sus enemigos.
| 18 For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. |
19 Sometámosle al ultraje y al tormento para conocer su temple y probar su entereza.
| 19 With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. |
20 Condenémosle a una muerte afrentosa, pues, según él, Dios le visitará».
| 20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him." |
21 Así discurren, pero se equivocan; los ciega su maldad;
| 21 These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, |
22 no conocen los secretos de Dios, no esperan recompensa por la santidad ni creen en el premio de las almas intachables.
| 22 And they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward. |
23 Porque Dios creó al hombre para la incorruptibilidad, le hizo imagen de su misma naturaleza;
| 23 For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. |
24 mas por envidia del diablo entró la muerte en el mundo, y la experimentan los que le pertenecen.
| 24 But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it. |