< 傳道書 2 >

1 我心下自語:「來,試一試快樂,享受一下福樂! 」看,這也是空虛。
Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
2 我稱歡笑為「瘋狂,」我對喜樂說:「這有何用﹖」
Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
3 我遂決意喝酒以使我的肉身暢快,--但我的心仍為智慧所引導,並決意迷於狂妄的事,直到我看清,世人在天下一生有限的歲月中所做的事,有什麼好處為止。
I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.
4 我於是擴大我的工程:為自己建造宮室,栽植葡萄園,
I enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
5 開闢園囿,在其中栽植各種果樹,
I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
6 挖掘水池,以澆灌在生長中的樹木。
I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:
7 買了奴婢,還有在家中出世的僮僕,又有許多牛羊,多過我以前住在耶路撒冷的人。
I acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been before me in Jerusalem;
8 我還聚斂了大批金銀,及各王候各省份的財寶;擁有許多歌唱的男女,無數的嬪妃,以及人間所有的享受。
I heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
9 我雖如此富有,超過以往住在耶路撒冷的人,但我仍沒有喪失智慧。
So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained with me;
10 凡我眼所希求的,我決不加以拒絕;凡我心所願享受的快樂,我決不加以阻止;因為我的心對我的一切勞苦工作,實在滿意;其實,這也是我由勞苦工作應得的報酬。
and, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
11 但當我回顧我所作的一切工作,以及工作時所受的勞苦,看,一切都是空虛,都是追風;在太陽之下,毫無裨益。
When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 我又回顧觀察智慧、瘋狂和昏愚;那繼位作君王的人能做什麼﹖只能做已做過的事。
Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
13 我看透智慧勝於昏愚,像光明勝於黑暗。「
Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 智者高瞻遠矚,愚者卻在黑暗中摸索。」但我也知道:二者都要遭遇同樣的命運。
As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
15 我心中自問:「愚人的命運,我也會遇到,為什麼我要更明智﹖」我遂下結論說:「這也是空虛。」
Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
16 因為智者和愚者,同樣不為人常久記念,早晚有一天都要被人遺忘。可惜,智者和愚者同樣死去!
For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
17 於是我惱恨生命,因為太陽之下所發生的事,無非使我煩惱,因為全是空虛,都是追風。
Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
18 我憎恨我在太陽下所受的勞苦,因為我要將勞苦所得,留給我的後人。
Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;
19 他是智是愚,有誰知道;但他一定要主管我在太陽下,以智慧所辛苦經營的一切工作:這也是空虛。
and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
20 我回顧我在太陽下所受的一切勞苦,就灰心失望。
Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.
21 因為有人以智慧、學問和才幹勞作得來的,卻應留給那未曾勞作的人,作為產業:這也是空虛和大不幸。
For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
22 人在太陽下所受的一切勞苦,以及痛心的事,究竟有什麼裨益﹖
For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
23 其實,人天天所有的事務,無非是悲苦和煩惱;而且夜裏,心也得不到安息:這也是空虛。
For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
24 人除了吃喝和享受自己勞作之所得以外,別無更好的事。我也看透了:這是從天主手裏來的。
There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
25 因為離了天主,誰能有吃的,誰能有所享受﹖
For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
26 天主原把智慧、學問和歡樂,賜給他所喜愛的人。至於罪人,天主將積蓄貯藏財物的勞苦加於他身上,好將一切財物留給天主所喜愛的人:這也是空虛,也是追風。
For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.

< 傳道書 2 >