< 传道书 1 >
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 传道者说:虚空的虚空, 虚空的虚空,凡事都是虚空。
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
3 人一切的劳碌, 就是他在日光之下的劳碌,有什么益处呢?
What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?
[One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever.
The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
6 风往南刮,又向北转, 不住地旋转,而且返回转行原道。
The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
7 江河都往海里流,海却不满; 江河从何处流,仍归还何处。
All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
8 万事令人厌烦, 人不能说尽。 眼看,看不饱; 耳听,听不足。
All things are full of toil; none can express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 已有的事后必再有; 已行的事后必再行。 日光之下并无新事。
That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 岂有一件事人能指着说这是新的? 哪知,在我们以前的世代早已有了。
Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already in the ages which were before us.
11 已过的世代,无人记念; 将来的世代,后来的人也不记念。
There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards.
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 我专心用智慧寻求、查究天下所做的一切事,乃知 神叫世人所经练的是极重的劳苦。
And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.
14 我见日光之下所做的一切事,都是虚空,都是捕风。
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 我心里议论说:我得了大智慧,胜过我以前在耶路撒冷的众人,而且我心中多经历智慧和知识的事。
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge.
17 我又专心察明智慧、狂妄,和愚昧,乃知这也是捕风。
And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.
18 因为多有智慧,就多有愁烦; 加增知识的,就加增忧伤。
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.