< 傳道書 1 >
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
[One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
7 江河流入大海,大海總不滿溢;江河仍向所往之處,川流不息。
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
8 萬事皆辛勞,無人能盡言:眼看,看不夠;耳聽,聽不飽。
All things [are] full of labour; man cannot utter [it: ] the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 往昔所有的,將來會再有;昔日所行的,將來會再行;太陽之下決無新事。
The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun.
10 若有人指著某事說:「看,這是新事。」豈不知在我們以前早就有過。
Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 只是對往者,沒有人去追憶;同樣,對來者,也不會為後輩所記念。
[There is] no remembrance of former [things; ] neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 我曾專心用智慧考查研究過天下所發生的一切;--這實在是天主賜與人類的一項艱辛的工作。
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
14 我觀察了在太陽下所發生的一切:看,都是空虛,都是追風。
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
15 彎曲的,不能使之正直,虧缺的,實在不可勝數。
[That which is] crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 我心裏自語說:「看,我獲得了又大又多的智慧,勝過了所有在我以前住在耶路撒冷的人,我的心獲得了許多智慧和學問。」
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all [they] that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 我再專心研究智慧和學問,愚昧和狂妄,我纔發覺:連這項工作也是追風。
And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 因為,智慧愈多,煩惱愈多;學問越廣,憂慮越深。
For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.