¹فاذكر خالقك في ايام شبابك قبل ان تأتي ايام الشر او تجيء السنون اذ تقول ليس لي فيها سرور.

¹Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.`

²قبلما تظلم الشمس والنور والقمر والنجوم وترجع السحب بعد المطر.

²While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

³في يوم يتزعزع فيه حفظة البيت وتتلوى رجال القوة وتبطل الطواحن لانها قلّت وتظلم النواظر من الشبابيك.

³In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,

⁴وتغلق الابواب في السوق. حين ينخفض صوت المطحنة ويقوم لصوت العصفور وتحط كل بنات الغناء.

⁴And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

⁵وايضا يخافون من العالي وفي الطريق اهوال واللوز يزهر والجندب يستثقل والشهوة تبطل لان الانسان ذاهب الى بيته الابدي والنادبون يطوفون في السوق.

⁵Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

⁶قبلما ينفصم حبل الفضة او ينسحق كوز الذهب او تنكسر الجرة على العين او تنقصف البكرة عند البئر.

⁶While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

⁷فيرجع التراب الى الارض كما كان وترجع الروح الى الله الذي اعطاها.

⁷And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

⁸باطل الاباطيل قال الجامعة الكل باطل

⁸Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.

⁹بقي ان الجامعة كان حكيما وايضا علّم الشعب علما ووزن وبحث واتقن امثالا كثيرة.

⁹And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out — he made right many similes.

¹⁰الجامعة طلب ان يجد كلمات مسرة مكتوبة بالاستقامة كلمات حق.

¹⁰The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written [by] the upright, words of truth.

¹¹كلام الحكماء كالمناسيس وكاوتاد منغرزة ارباب الجماعات قد أعطيت من راع واحد.

¹¹Words of the wise [are] as goads, and as fences planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

¹²وبقي فمن هذا يا ابني تحذر. لعمل كتب كثيرة لا نهاية والدرس الكثير تعب للجسد.

¹²And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.

¹³فلنسمع ختام الأمر كله. اتّق الله واحفظ وصاياه لان هذا هو الانسان كله.

¹³The end of the whole matter let us hear: — `Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.

¹⁴لان الله يحضر كل عمل الى الدينونة على كل خفي ان كان خيرا او شرا

¹⁴For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.`