Holy Mass 1st Reading on Saturday Morning of week 25 in Ordinary Time --- [Ecclesiastes] Kohelet 11:9 - 12:8 ... Youth and Old Age - Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth; all is vanity.



  



[Koħ:11:9] Thenna, o żagħżugħ, fir-rebbiegħa ta' ħajtek,

u ħa tkun ferħana qalbek f'jiem żgħożitek.

Imxi wara t-taħbit ta' qalbek,

u wara l-għaxqa ta' għajnejk.

Iżda kun af li ta' dan kollu jitolbok kont Alla fil-ħaqq tiegħu.

[Koħ:11:10] Ħarrab ukoll minn moħħok it-tħassib,

u żomm il-ħsara 'l bogħod minn ġismek;

għax it-tfulija u ż-żgħożija buffura riħ.

 

12. Ix-xjuħija

[Koħ:12:1] Ftakar f'min ħalqek f'jiem żgħożitek

qabel ma jaslu jiem  in-niket,

u joqorbu s-snin li tgħid għalihom: "Xejn ma jogħġbuni";

[Koħ:12:2] qabel ma jiddallmu x-xemx u d-dawl,

u l-qamar u l-kwiekeb,

u s-sħab jerġa' jidher wara x-xita;

[Koħ:12:3] meta dawk li jgħassu d-dar jibdew jitriegħdu,

meta l-qalbenin jitgħawwġu,

u jieqfu dawk li jitħnu, għax jonqsu fl-għadd,

u jiddallmu dawk li jħarsu 'l barra mit-tieqa;

[Koħ:12:4] meta l-bibien jingħalqu fuq it-triq,

u l-ħoss tal-mitħna jonqos,

u l-għana ta' l-għasfur jintefa,

u kull għana jieqaf;

[Koħ:12:5] meta kull telgħa tbażża',

u t-triq issir tkexkix,

meta s-siġra tal-lewż tarmi ż-żahar,

u l-ġrad jitqal fil-mixi;

u l-kappara titlef gostha,

għax il-bniedem imur id-dar tiegħu ta' dejjem,

u l-bekkejja jiġġerrew mat-toroq;

[Koħ:12:6] qabel ma l-ħajta tal-fidda tinqata',

u l-musbieħ tad-deheb jitfarrak;

qabel ma l-ġarra fuq l-għajn tinkiser,

u   t-tarjola fuq il-bir tinqasam;

[Koħ:12:7] u t-trab jerġa' jmur fl-art mnejn ġie,

u n-nifs tal-ħajja jitlaq lejn Alla, minn fejn ġie.

[Koħ:12:8] O frugħa tal-frugħat, jgħid Koħèlet, kollox frugħa.



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https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+11&version=NRSVCE

11:  ...Youth and Old Age...

⁹ Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
¹⁰ Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. 

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+12&version=NRSVCE

12: 

 ¹ Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

  ² before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain;

  ³ in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly;

  ⁴ when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;

  ⁵ when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets;

  ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern,

  ⁷ and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it.

  ⁸ Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity.

 

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