| 1 | 名譽強如美好的膏油.人死的日子、勝過人生的日子。
A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. | |
| 2 | 往遭喪的家去、強如往宴樂的家去、因為死是眾人的結局.活人也必將這事放在心上。
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. | |
| 3 | 憂愁強如喜笑、因為面帶愁容終必使心喜樂。
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. | |
| 4 | 智慧人的心、在遭喪之家.愚昧人的心、在快樂之家。
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. | |
| 5 | 聽智慧人的責備、強如聽愚昧人的歌唱。
It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. | |
| 6 | 愚昧人的笑聲、好像鍋下燒荊棘的爆聲、這也是虛空。
Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. | |
| 7 | 勒索使智慧人變為愚妄.賄賂能敗壞人的慧心。
Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. | |
| 8 | 事情的終局、強如事情的起頭.存心忍耐的、勝過居心驕傲的。
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. | |
| 9 | 你不要心裡急躁惱怒、因為惱怒存在愚昧人的懷中。
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. | |
| 10 | 不要說、先前的日子強過如今的日子、是甚麼緣故呢.你這樣問、不是出於智慧。
Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions. | |
| 11 | 智慧和產業並好.而且見天日的人、得智慧更為有益。
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. | |
| 12 | 因為智慧護庇人、好像銀錢護庇人一樣.惟獨智慧能保全智慧人的生命、這就是知識的益處。
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. | |
| 13 | 你要察看 神的作為、因 神使為曲的、誰能變為直呢。
Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? | |
| 14 | 遇亨通的日子、你當喜樂.遭患難的日子、你當思想.因為 神使這兩樣並列、為的是叫人查不出身後有甚麼事。
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. | |
| 15 | 有義人行義、反致滅亡.有惡人行惡、倒享長壽.這都是我在虛度之日中所見過的。
In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. | |
| 16 | 不要行義過分.也不要過於自逞智慧.何必自取敗亡呢。
Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise--why destroy yourself? | |
| 17 | 不要行惡過分.也不要為人愚昧.何必不到期而死呢。
Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool--why die before your time? | |
| 18 | 你持守這個為美.那個也不要鬆手.因為敬畏 神的人、必從這兩樣出來。
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. | |
| 19 | 智慧使有智慧的人、比城中十個官長更有能力。
Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. | |
| 20 | 時常行善而不犯罪的義人、世上實在沒有。
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. | |
| 21 | 人所說的一切話、你不要放在心上、恐怕聽見你的僕人咒詛你。
Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you-- | |
| 22 | 因為你心裡知道、自己也曾屢次咒詛別人。
for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. | |
| 23 | 我曾用智慧試驗這一切事.我說、要得智慧、智慧卻離我遠。
All this I tested by wisdom and I said, "I am determined to be wise"--but this was beyond me. | |
| 24 | 萬事之理、離我甚遠、而且最深、誰能測透呢。
Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound--who can discover it? | |
| 25 | 我轉念、一心要知道、要考察、要尋求智慧、和萬事的理由.又要知道邪惡為愚昧、愚昧為狂妄。
So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. | |
| 26 | 我得知有等婦人、比死還苦、他的心是網羅、手是鎖鍊.凡蒙 神喜悅的人、必能躲避他.有罪的人、卻被他纏住了。
I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare. | |
| 27 | 傳道者說、看哪、一千男子中、我找到一個正直人.但眾女子中、沒有找到一個.我將這事一一比較、要尋求其理、我心仍要尋找、卻未曾找到。
"Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-- | |
| 28 | 見上節
while I was still searching but not finding--I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. | |
| 29 | 我所找到的、只有一件、就是 神造人原是正直、但他們尋出許多巧計。
This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." | |