Aramaic Targum to Ecclesiastes

Sefaria · Tanakh > Targum > Aramaic Targum > Writings · 160 sections

1.1
The words of prophecy which Coheleth, that is, the son of David the King, who was in Jerusalem, prophesied.
1.2
When Solomon the King of Israel foresaw, by the spirit of prophecy, the kingdom of Rehoboam his son, which will be divided with Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and that Jerusalem and the holy temple will be destroyed, and that the people of Israel will be led into captivity, he said by the divine word, Vanity of vanities is this world! Vanity of vanities is all which I and my father David have laboured for, all of it is vanity!
1.3
What advantage is there to a man, after his death, from all his labour which he laboured under the sun in this world, except he studied the word of God, in order to receive a good reward in the world to come from before the Lord of the world?
1.4
King Solomon said, by the spirit of prophecy, The good generation of the righteous departs from the world because of the sins of the wicked generation that is to follow them, but the earth abides for ever and ever, to reserve the punishment which is to come upon the world, on account of the sins of the children of men.
1.5
And the sun rises in the day from the east, and the sun goes down in the west by night, and hastens to its place, and goes through the path under the sea and rises the following day from the place where it rested yesterday;
1.6
it goes all the side of the south in the day, and goes round to the side of the north by night, through the path under the sea; it turns round and round to the wind of the south corner in the revolution of Nisan and Tamuz, and returns on its circuits to the wind of the north corner in the revolution of Tishri and Tebeth, it comes through the windows of the east in the morning, and goes into the windows of the west in the evening.
1.7
All the rivers and streams of water go and flow into the waters of the ocean which surround the world like a ring, and the ocean is not full, and to the place where the streams go and flow there they go again through the channels of the sea.
1.8
The ancient prophets have exerted themselves in all the things which will take place in the world, and they could not find out their end; therefore, a man has no power to declare what will be after him, neither can the eye see all that is to be in the world, nor can the ear be filled with hearing all the words of the inhabitants of the earth.
1.9
What was aforetime, the same will be afterwards again, and what was done aforetime the same will be done again to the end of all generations, and there is no new thing in the world under the sun.
1.10
There may be something of which a man says, Behold, this a new thing, but it has been long ago, in the generations which were before us.
1.11
There is no remembrance of former generations, and also of the coming ones that will be, there will be no remembrance of them among the generations that will be in the days of the King Messiah.
1.12
When King Solomon was sitting upon the throne of his kingdom, his heart became very proud of his riches, and he transgressed the word of God, and he gathered many horses, and chariots, and riders, and he amassed much gold and silver, and he married from foreign nations, whereupon the anger of the Lord was kindled against him, and he sent to him Ashmoda the king of the demons, who drove him from the throne of his kingdom, and took away the ring from his hand, in order that he should roam and wander about in the world to reprove it; and he went about in the provincial towns and the cities of the land of Israel, weeping and lamenting, and saying, I am Coheleth, whose name was formerly called Solomon, who was king over Israel in Jerusalem;
1.13
and I gave my heart to ask instruction from God at the time when he appeared unto me in Gibeon, to try me, and to ask me what I desire of him, and I asked nothing of him except wisdom, to know the difference between good and evil, and knowledge of whatsoever was done under the sun in this world, and I saw all the works of the wicked children of men - a bad business which God gave to the children of men to be afflicted by it;
1.14
I saw all the works of the children of men which were done under the sun in this world; behold, all is vanity and breaking of the spirit.
1.15
A man whose ways are perverted in this world, and who dies therein and does not repent, has no power to become right after his death; and whoso departs from the law and the precepts in his life, has no power to be numbered with the righteous in paradise after his death.
1.16
I spake with the thoughts of my heart, saying: I, behold! I have increased and multiplied wisdom above all the wise who were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge;
1.17
and I gave my heart to know wisdom, and the fear of the Kingdom, and knowledge and discretion, I know it by experience that even this is a breaking of the spirit to the man who is employed to find them out.
1.18
Because a man who increases his knowledge when he is guilty, and does not repent, increases the anger of God; and he who accumulates wisdom and dies in his youth, increases the sadness of heart to his relations.
2.1
I said in my heart, I will go now and try mirth, and behold the good of this world; and when pain and affliction befell me, I said by the divine word, Also this is vanity.
2.2
To laughter I said, in time of affliction. It is mockery; and to mirth. What profit is it to the man who indulges in it?
2.3
I tried in my heart to enrapture my flesh in the house of the feast of wine, and my heart conducted with wisdom, and to seize the folly of youth, until I examined and saw which of them was good for the children of men, that they may do while they abide in this world under the heavens, the number of the days of their life.
2.4
I multiplied good works in Jerusalem. I built houses, viz., the temple, to make atonement for Israel, and a royal palace, and the conclave, and the porch, and a house of judgment of hewn stones, where the wise men sit, and the judges, to give judgment; I made a throne of ivory for the sitting of royalty; I planted vineyards in Jabne, that I and the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin might drink wine, and also to make libations of wine, new and old, upon the altar;
2.5
I made watered gardens and parks, and I sowed there all kinds of herbs, some for food, some for drink, and some for medicine, and all kinds of aromatics; I planted therein sterile trees, and aromatic trees, which the spectres and evil spirits brought me from India, and all kinds of fruit- bearing trees ; and its boundary was from the wall of the city of Jerusalem to the margin of the river Siloah;
2.6
I made receptacles of water, whence to water the trees and the herbs; I made pools of water, to water from them even the thicket which produces fine wood;
2.7
I bought bond-men and bond-women from the children of Ham, and other foreign nations; and I had officers placed over the eatables of my house, to provide for me and the people of my house food twelve months of the year, and one to provide for me during the leap-year; I had also cattle and sheep more than all generations before me in Jerusalem;
2.8
I gathered also treasures of silver and gold; even right weights and measures I made from good gold; and the treasures of kings and provinces were given to me as tribute; I made for the temple musical instruments, that the Levites might play them at the sacrifices, and citherns and flutes that the male and female singers might play them in the wine house, and the delights of the children of men; and warm springs, and baths, channels pouring out cold water, and channels pouring out warm water;
2.9
and I multiplied goods and increased riches more than all generations before me in Jerusalem, because my wisdom stood with me and assisted me;
2.10
and whatsoever the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin asked of me respecting pure and impure, innocent and guilty, I did not withhold from them any explanation of these things; and I did not keep my heart from the joy of the law, because I had the inclination of heart to enjoy the wisdom given me by God more than any man, and rejoiced in it more than in all my labour; and this was my good portion which was assigned to me, so that I might receive for it a good reward in the world to come, more than for all my labour.
2.11
And I considered all my works which my hands had worked, and my labours which I had laboured to do, and behold! it was all vanity and breaking of spirit; and there is no profit in them under the sun in this world; but I shall have full reward for good work in the world to come.
2.12
And I gave attention to consider wisdom, and the fear of the kingdom and understanding, because what use is there to a man to pray after the decree of the King, and after retribution? behold! it is then already decreed about him and executed on him.
2.13
And I saw by the spirit of prophecy that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, above the advantage of the light of the day over the darkness of night.
2.14
The wise man reflects in the beginning what there will be at last, and prays and averts the evil decree from the world; while the fool walks in darkness; and I also know that if the wise man does not pray, and avert the evil decree from the world, when retribution shall come upon the world, the same destiny shall befall them all.
2.15
And I said in my heart, a destiny like that of Saul, the son of Kish, the king, who turned aside, and did not keep the commandment given to him about Amalek, and the kingdom was taken from him, will also befall me; and why then am I wiser than he? And I said in my heart, that also this is vanity, and there is nothing except the decree of the Lord.
2.16
For the remembrance of the wise man is not with the fool in the world to come, for after the death of a man, that which happened long ago in his lifetime, when the days come which are to follow him after his death, everything will be disclosed; and why, then, say the children of men. that the end of the righteous is like that of the wicked?
2.17
And I hated all evil life, because the evil work which is done against the children of men under the sun in this world displeased me, for it is all vanity, and breaking of spirit.
2.18
And I hated all my labour which I laboured under the sun in this world, for I must leave it to Rehoboam my son, who comes after me, and Jeroboam his servant will come and take away out of his hands ten tribes, and will possess half of the kingdom.
2.19
And who knows whether wise or foolish will be the king who is to be after me, and reign over all my labour which I laboured in this world, and over all which I accomplish in my wisdom under the sun in this world? and I was confounded in my heart, and again said: This, too, is vanity.
2.20
And I turned about to despair respecting all my labour which laboured to acquire, and was wise to accomplish under the sun in this world.
2.21
Because there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, reason, and justice, and he dies without issue; and to a man who did not labour for it, he is to give it, that it may be his portion; also this is vanity, and a great evil.
2.22
For what pleasure has this man for all his labour and breaking of his heart, wherewith he laboured under the sun in this world?
2.23
For all his days are sorrowful, and his business kindles his anger, even in the night he sleeps not on account of the thoughts of his heart; this too is vanity.
2.24
There is nothing comely for a man but that he eat, drink, and make his soul see good before the sons of men, in order to do the commandments, to walk in the straight path before him, so that it may be well with him from his labour; also this I saw, that if a man prospers in this world, it is from the hand of the Lord, who decrees it so for him.
2.25
For who is occupied with the words of the law, and who is the man that has anxiety about the great day of judgment which is to come, besides me?
2.26
For to the man whose works are straight before God, he gave wisdom and knowledge in this world, and joy with the righteous in the world to come; and to the wicked he gave all evil employment, to gather money and to heap up much wealth, to be taken away from him, and to be given to him who pleases the Lord; this, too, is vanity for the wicked, and breaking of spirit.
3.1
To every man comes a time, and to every thing an opportune season under the sun.
3.2
There is a special time to beget sons and daughters, and a special time for killing disobedient and perverse children, to kill them with stones according to the decree of the judges; and an opportune time for planting a tree, and an opportune time for rooting up a planted tree:
3.3
an opportune time for killing in war, and an opportune time for healing the sick; an opportune time to destroy a building, and an opportune time to build up a ruin:
3.4
a time to beweep the dead, and an opportune time to be joyful with laughter; an opportune time to mourn over the slain, and an opportune time to dance at nuptials;
3.5
an opportune time to throw away a heap of stones, and an opportune time to gather stones for a building; an opportune time to embrace a wife, and an opportune time to abstain from embracing her, in the seven days of mourning;
3.6
an opportune time to wish for riches, and an opportune time to lose riches; an opportune time to keep merchandise, and an opportune time to throw merchandise into the sea, during a great storm;
3.7
an opportune time to tear the garment for the dead, and an opportune time to sew together the torn pieces; an opportune time to be silent and not to rebuke, and an opportune time to speak words of reproof;
3.8
an opportune time to love each other, and an opportune time to hate the wicked; an opportune time to make war, and an opportune time to restore peace.
3.9
What advantage has the toiling man, who labours to make treasures, and to gather mammon, unless he is helped by Providence from above?
3.10
I saw the painful business and punishment which the Lord gave to the children of men who are wicked, to afflict them therewith.
3.11
King Solomon said by the spirit of prophecy, God made everything beautiful in its time; for it was opportune that there should be the strife which was in the days of Jeroboam, son of Neboth; it was to have been in the days of Sheba, son of Bichri, and it was delayed, and came to pass in the days of Jeroboam, son of Nebat; for if it had been in the days of Sheba, son of Bichri, the temple would not have been built, because of the golden calves which the wicked Jeroboam made, and placed one in Beth-el and one in Dan, and put watches on the road, and they stopped the pilgrims to the feasts; and therefore it was delayed up to the time when the temple was built, in order not to hinder Israel to build it. He concealed from them also the great Name written and expressed on the foundation-stone, the evil inclinations in their hearts being known to Him; for if it had been delivered into the hands of men, they would have used it, and found by it what will come to pass in the latter days, world without end; and He also hid from them the day of death, in order that it should not be known to man from the beginning what will come to pass at the end.
3.12
King Solomon said by the spirit of prophecy, I know that there is nothing good among the children of men, but that they rejoice in the joy of the law, and do good in the days of their life.
3.13
And also that if any man eats and drinks and sees good in his days, and causes his children to inherit all his labour in the time of his death, this is a gift given to him from the Lord.
3.14
I know by the spirit of prophecy, that everything which the Lord does in the world, whether good or evil, whatsoever is decreed from His month, will be for ever; to it man has no power to add, nor has any one power to take from it; and at the same time, when punishment comes into the world, it is the Lord who does it, that the children of man may fear before Him.
3.15
What has been from the beginning has come to pass; and what will be at the end of days has already happened; and at the great day of judgment the Lord will demand the poor and the needy from the hands of the wicked who persecuted him.
3.16
And further, I saw under the sun in this world, the place of judgment, in which false judges condemn the innocent, in his judgment, in order to acquit the guilty; and the place where the innocent is found, there the guilty is to tyrannise over him, because of the guilt of the wicked generation.
3.17
I said in my heart, that God will judge in the great day of judgement the righteous and the guilty, because a time is appointed for every thing, and for every work done in this world they will be judged there.
3.18
I said in my heart concerning the children of men, as to the chastisements and evil events which come upon them, God sends these to try and to prove them, to see whether they will return in repentance and be forgiven and healed; but the wicked who are like beasts do not repent, therefore they are reproved thereby to their own condemnation.
3.19
For as to the destiny of the wicked, and the destiny of the unclean beast, it is one destiny for both of them; and as the unclean beast dies so he dies who does not return in repentance before his death; and the breath of life over both is judged alike in every manner, and the advantage of a sinner over the unclean beast is nothing but the burial place; for all is vanity.
3.20
All go to one place; all the inhabitants of the earth are made of dust, and when they die, all return to the dust.
3.21
Who is wise to know the breathing spirit of the children of men, whether it goes upward to heaven, and the breathing spirit of cattle, whether it goes down to the earth?
3.22
I saw, therefore, that there is no good in this world, but that man should rejoice in his good works, and eat and drink, and do good to his heart; because this is his good part in this world, to acquire thereby the world to come, so that no man should say in his heart, “Why am I distributing money to do charity? I had better leave it to my son after me, or be nursed tor it in my old age;" because who can bring him to see what will be after him?
4.1
And I turned and saw all the oppressions which are done to the righteous in this world under the sun, from the hand of their oppressors; and there is none that should speak consolation to them; and there is none to deliver them from the hand of their oppressors with strong hand and power, and none comforts them.
4.2
And I praised the dead who have long since died, and do not see the punishment which comes into the world after their death, more than the living, who live in this world in so much misery, till now.
4.3
And better than both of them is he who has not lived till now, and has not been created, who does not see the bad doings which are done in this work under the sun.
4.4
And I saw all the trouble and every good work which the children of men do, to be nothing but jealousy, man emulating his neighbour, to do like him; he who emulates his neighbour to do good like him, the word of heaven will do him good; and if he emulate him in evil, to do like his badness, the word of heaven will do him evil; and also these things are vanity for the wicked, and breaking of spirit.
4.5
The fool goes and folds his hands in summer, and will not labour; and in winter eats all he has, even the garment from the skin of his flesh.
4.6
Better for a man one handful of food with comfort of soul, and without rapine and violence, than two handsful of eating with rapine and violence, which in future will be requited in the judgment in labour and breaking of spirit.
4.7
And I turned and saw the vanity which is destined to be in this world under the sun.
4.8
There is a solitary man, and no second besides him, he has even no son nor brother to inherit his property, and there is no end to all his labour, and even his eye cannot be satisfied with his riches, and he does not say to his heart, “Why am I labouring and restraining my soul from good? I will arise now, and will do charity therefrom, and will be joyful in this world with the children of men, and with the righteous in the world to come;” this, too, is vanity, and an evil work.
4.9
Better two righteous in a generation than one, and it is they who lead successfully, and cause their words to be heard; they have a good reward in the world to come for their labours which they laboured to sustain their generation.
4.10
For if one of them falls upon the bed and lies sick, the other will cause his friend to rise by his prayer; but if there is only one innocent man in a generation, if he falls upon the bed and lies sick, he has no companion in his generation to pray for him, yet shall he rise by his own merit from his sickness.
4.11
Also if two sleep together—a man and his wife, they will be warm in the winter; but one, how can he be warm?
4.12
And if a wicked and strong man rises in a generation, and his works are injurious, and cause punishments to come in the world, two righteous shall stand up against him, and abolish the punishment by their merits; and how much more useful are three righteous who are in a generation, and peace is among them, like a chain that is woven of three-fold cords, which does not easily break.
4.13
Better, i. e., Abraham who is the poor youth, and in whom was the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, and to whom the Lord was known when three years old, and who would not worship an idol—than the wicked Nimrod, who was an old and foolish king. And because Abraham would not worship an idol, he threw him into the burning furnace, and a miracle was performed for him from the Lord of the world, and he delivered him from it; and even after this, Nimrod had no sense to be admonished not to worship the idol which he worshipped before.
4.14
For Abraham went out from the family of idolaters, and reigned over the land of Canaan, for even in the reign of Abraham, Nimrod became poor in the world.
4.15
King Solomon said. By the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, I foresaw all the living who walk in their folly rebel against Rehoboam, my son, under heaven, and divide his kingdom to give it to Jeroboam, son of Nebat — except the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, whose heart was faithful with the boy, that is, Rehoboam my son, who, second in my kingdom, is to rise and reign in Jerusalem, the place of his inheritance.
4.16
There was no end to all the house of Israel, to all the righteous before whom he ruled; but they advised him in their wisdom to lighten their yoke, and he in his folly went and took counsel with the youth, and they in their folly, advised him to make heavier the yoke of his kingdom upon the people of the house of Israel, and he left the advice of the aged, and followed the advice of the latter; but these latter ones were afterwards confounded and displeased with him, and they caused him to flee, so that the ten tribes should separate from him ; and the wicked Jeroboam ruled over them ; I said this too is vanity for Rehoboam my son, and breaking of spirit to him.
4.17
Thou son of man, guard thy feet when thou goest to the sanctuary of the Lord to pray, so that thou goest not there full of sin before thou has repented, and incline thine ear to receive the teaching of the Law from the priests and sages, and be not like fools, who bring sacrifices for their sins, and do not leave off their evil works which they hold in their hands, and they have no acceptance, for they know not whether they do good or evil therewith.
5.1
Do not hurry on thy language so as to make a mistake in the words of thy mouth, and let not thy heart make a vow, resolving to do something at the time when thou prayest before the Lord, for the Lord rules over all the world, and sits upon the throne of glory in the high heavens, and thou sittest on earth, therefore let the words of thy mouth be few.
5.2
For as a dream comes through the thoughts of the heart engaged in a multitude of business, so the noise of the fool through the multitude of empty words.
5.3
When thou vowest a vow before the Lord, do not defer to pay it, for the Lord hath no pleasure in fools, because they defer their vows and do not pay, but thou, whatsoever thou vowest, pay.
5.4
It is better for thee that thou vowest not, than that thou vowest and pay not.
5.5
Do not degrade the words of thy mouth to cause judgments of Gehenna upon thy flesh; and in the day of the great judgment thou wilt not be able to say before the avenging angel who exercises dominion over thee, that it is an error; why then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against the voice of thy shamefully uttered language, and destroy the works of thine hand?
5.6
For in the multitude of the dreams of the false prophets, and in the vanities of sorcerers, and in the many words of the wicked, believe not, but serve the wise and the just; from them seek instruction, and fear before the Lord.
5.7
When thouseest the oppression of the poor, robbery, and justice in the city, be not astonished in thy heart, saying, How can the will of the Lord be with all this? for the mighty God from on high watches the works of the children of men, whether good or evil, and from his presence are sent forth proud and powerful men to rule over the wicked, and to be appointed masters over them.
5.8
And the great advantage of cultivating the land is above all, for when the subjects of a country revolt, and the king flies from them into the country, if he has no more to eat, this very king becomes subject to a labourer in the field.
5.9
A merchant who loves to acquire money, and men of business, shall not be satisfied in amassing money ; and he who loves to heap up great mammon, has no praise in the world to come, unless he has done charity with it, because he has not deserved to eat fruit; this, too, is vanity.
5.10
When good is multiplied in the world, the children of men who eat it are also multiplied; and what advantage is there to the owner who gathers it unless he does good with it, that he may see in the world to come the reward given with his eyes.
5.11
Sweet is the sleep of a man who serves the Lord of the world with all his heart; and he has rest in his grave, whether he lives few years or many years; after having served the Lord of the world in this world, he will inherit in the world to come a reward for the works of his hand. And the wisdom of the Law of God belongs to the man who is rich in wisdom; in the same manner as he occupies himself with it in this world, and exerts himself in learning, so will it rest with him in the grave, and not leave him alone; just as a woman does not leave her husband to sleep alone.
5.12
There is a sore evil which I saw in this world under the sun, and there is no remedy for it; a man who gathers riches and does no good with them, and at the end of days these riches are kept for him for his condemnation in the world to come.
5.13
And the riches,which he leaves to his son after his death, shall perish, because he got them in an evil employment, and they shall not abide in the hand of the son whom he has begotten, and nothing whatever shall remain in his hand.
5.14
As he came out of his mother's womb naked, without a covering, and without any good, so shall he return to his grave, void of merit, just as he came into this world; and he shall receive no good reward whatever for his labour, to carry with him into the world whither he goes, to be a merit in his hand.
5.15
And this also is a sore evil, and there is no remedy for it, as he came into this world void of merit, so he shall depart into that world; and what advantage has he that he labored for his spirit?
5.16
Also all his days he dwells iu darkness, that he may eat his bread alone, and he sees in much indignation, and his life is in sickness and vexation.
5.17
And behold that which I have seen good for the children of men, and that which is comely for them to do in this world, that they eat and drink from their labours, in order not to put forth the hand to oppression and rapine, and to keep the words of the law, and to have compassion on the poor, so that they may see good in all their labours wherewith they labour in this world under the sun, the number of the days of a man's life, which God in his providence gives to him; for this is his portion, and none's beside him.

Coheleth, trans. by C.D.Ginsburg, London 1861. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: Coheleth, Commonly called the Book of Ecclesiastes in 1861, by C.D. Gill Licence: Public Domain. Source.