Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is as the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
誰如智慧人呢？ 誰知道事情的解釋呢？ 人的智慧使他的臉發光， 並使他臉上的暴氣改變。
2 I say, Keep the king's command, and that because of the oath of God.
我勸你遵守王的命令；既指上帝起誓，理當如此。
3 Be not hasty to go out of his presence. Persist not in an evil matter, for he does whatever pleases him.
不要急躁離開王的面前，不要固執行惡，因為他凡事都隨自己的心意而行。
4 For the king's word has power, and who may say to him, What are thou doing?
王的話本有權力，誰敢問他說「你做甚麼」呢？
5 He who keeps a commandment shall know no evil thing. And a wise man's heart discerns the time and decision.
凡遵守命令的，必不經歷禍患；智慧人的心能辨明時候和定理。
6 For to every purpose there is a time and decision, although the distress of man is great upon him.
各樣事務成就都有時候和定理，因為人的苦難重壓在他身上。
7 For he knows not that which shall be, for who can tell him how it shall be?
他不知道將來的事，因為將來如何，誰能告訴他呢？
8 There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, nor has he power over the day of death. And there is no discharge in war. Neither shall wickedness deliver him who is given to it.
無人有權力掌管生命，將生命留住；也無人有權力掌管死期；這場爭戰，無人能免；邪惡也不能救那好行邪惡的人。
9 All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.
這一切我都見過，也專心查考日光之下所做的一切事。有時這人管轄那人，令人受害。
10 So I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were praised in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.
我見惡人埋葬，歸入墳墓；又見行正直事的離開聖地，在城中被人忘記。這也是虛空。
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
因為斷定罪名不立刻施刑，所以世人滿心作惡。
12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and prolongs his days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before him.
罪人雖然作惡百次，倒享長久的年日；然而我準知道，敬畏上帝的，就是在他面前敬畏的人，終久必得福樂。
13 But it shall not be well with a wicked man, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he did not fear before God.
惡人卻不得福樂，也不得長久的年日；這年日好像影兒，因他不敬畏上帝。
14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked, again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
世上有一件虛空的事，就是義人所遭遇的，反照惡人所行的；又有惡人所遭遇的，反照義人所行的。我說，這也是虛空。
15 Then I commended joy, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be cheerful. For that shall abide with him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
我就稱讚快樂，原來人在日光之下，莫強如吃喝快樂；因為他在日光之下，上帝賜他一生的年日，要從勞碌中，時常享受所得的。
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is he who sees sleep with his eyes neither day nor night),
我專心求智慧，要看世上所做的事。（有晝夜不睡覺不合眼的。）
17 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea moreover, though a wise man thinks to know it, yet he shall not be able to find it.
我就看明上帝一切的作為，知道人查不出日光之下所做的事；任憑他費多少力尋查，都查不出來，就是智慧人雖想知道，也是查不出來。
