傳道書

第9章

1 我竭吾心思、詳察百事、知義人智人之所爲、咸歸上帝治理、惟觀其人之所値、而上帝之眷顧與否、仍難逆料。

2 萬民所遭、初無或異、義不義、潔不潔、祭不祭、善不善、妄誓不妄誓者、億兆亦同此賦畀。

3 事有深可歎息者、人生於世、心懷惡而行猖狂、終歸死地。

4 生存之時、猶堪希望、生之犬愈於死之獅。

5 生者知必有死、死者知覺已泯、賞賚已絕、記錄已滅。

6 所好惡所艷羨者、悉歸無有、天下所經營、與彼無與、

7 莫若以欣以悅、食餅飲酒、爾爲是則上帝悅懌。

8 章身之衣恒潔、沐首之膏不匱、

9 上帝使人生於斯世、悉屬虛浮、畢生操作、安享其所得、夫婦之間、必當眷愛懽娛、以至沒齒。

10 且爾竭心思、爲所當爲、轉瞬之間、卽歸于土、在彼無工作、無計謀、無智慧。

11 我又遍覽天下事、疾趨未必先至、勁旅未必獲捷、有智未必得餱糧、聰明未必得貨財、機巧未必沐恩寵、凡百之事、悉由偶然而至。

12 譬彼水族羽族、猝罹網羅、人遘飛殃、出於莫測者亦若是。

13 我觀世事、智之所用甚廣。

14 設也城邑褊小、人民鮮少、大國之君圍之、築高壘以環攻、

15 邑中有貧人、明哲是懷、施其智以救邑衆、其後人無復念之者。

16 我竊思之、智愈於力、貧者之智、爲人藐忽、不從其言。

17 寧從哲士之詞、莫聽昏君之論。

18 智之爲用勝於劍戟、惟一愚人與其間、則雖有嘉謀、亦爲所敗。

Ecclesiastes

Chapter 9

1 FOR all the essence of these things have I considered in my heart, and my heart perceived all of this, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; no man knows either love or hatred; for everything which is before him is vanity.

2 All things happen alike to all; there is one chance for the righteous and for the wicked; to the good and to the bad, to the clean and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice; as is the good man, so is the sinner; and he who swears is as he who fears an oath.

3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, for there is one chance to all; yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and grievous error is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

4 For him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

7 Come now, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God is pleased with your works.

8 Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, because she is your portion in life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun.

10 Whatsoever your hand is able to do, do it with your might; for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol whither you are going.

11 I turned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to the men of understanding nor glory to the learned men; because time and chance happen to them all.

12 For man knows not his time; but as fish that are taken in a treacherous net and as birds that are caught in the snares, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them.

13 This wisdom I have seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me:

14 There was a little city and few men in it; and there came a great king against it and beseiged it and built bulwarks against it;

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than might; nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.

17 The words of the wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of a ruler who is a fool.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sin destroys much good.

傳道書

第9章

Ecclesiastes

Chapter 9

1 我竭吾心思、詳察百事、知義人智人之所爲、咸歸上帝治理、惟觀其人之所値、而上帝之眷顧與否、仍難逆料。

1 FOR all the essence of these things have I considered in my heart, and my heart perceived all of this, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; no man knows either love or hatred; for everything which is before him is vanity.

2 萬民所遭、初無或異、義不義、潔不潔、祭不祭、善不善、妄誓不妄誓者、億兆亦同此賦畀。

2 All things happen alike to all; there is one chance for the righteous and for the wicked; to the good and to the bad, to the clean and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice; as is the good man, so is the sinner; and he who swears is as he who fears an oath.

3 事有深可歎息者、人生於世、心懷惡而行猖狂、終歸死地。

3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, for there is one chance to all; yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and grievous error is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

4 生存之時、猶堪希望、生之犬愈於死之獅。

4 For him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 生者知必有死、死者知覺已泯、賞賚已絕、記錄已滅。

5 For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 所好惡所艷羨者、悉歸無有、天下所經營、與彼無與、

6 Also their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

7 莫若以欣以悅、食餅飲酒、爾爲是則上帝悅懌。

7 Come now, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God is pleased with your works.

8 章身之衣恒潔、沐首之膏不匱、

8 Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment.

9 上帝使人生於斯世、悉屬虛浮、畢生操作、安享其所得、夫婦之間、必當眷愛懽娛、以至沒齒。

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, because she is your portion in life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun.

10 且爾竭心思、爲所當爲、轉瞬之間、卽歸于土、在彼無工作、無計謀、無智慧。

10 Whatsoever your hand is able to do, do it with your might; for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol whither you are going.

11 我又遍覽天下事、疾趨未必先至、勁旅未必獲捷、有智未必得餱糧、聰明未必得貨財、機巧未必沐恩寵、凡百之事、悉由偶然而至。

11 I turned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to the men of understanding nor glory to the learned men; because time and chance happen to them all.

12 譬彼水族羽族、猝罹網羅、人遘飛殃、出於莫測者亦若是。

12 For man knows not his time; but as fish that are taken in a treacherous net and as birds that are caught in the snares, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them.

13 我觀世事、智之所用甚廣。

13 This wisdom I have seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me:

14 設也城邑褊小、人民鮮少、大國之君圍之、築高壘以環攻、

14 There was a little city and few men in it; and there came a great king against it and beseiged it and built bulwarks against it;

15 邑中有貧人、明哲是懷、施其智以救邑衆、其後人無復念之者。

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

16 我竊思之、智愈於力、貧者之智、爲人藐忽、不從其言。

16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than might; nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.

17 寧從哲士之詞、莫聽昏君之論。

17 The words of the wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of a ruler who is a fool.

18 智之爲用勝於劍戟、惟一愚人與其間、則雖有嘉謀、亦爲所敗。

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sin destroys much good.