Ecclesiastes 4
1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
我又轉念，見日光之下所行的一切欺壓。看哪，受欺壓的流淚，且無人安慰；欺壓他們的有勢力，也無人安慰他們。
2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.
因此，我讚歎那早已死的死人，勝過那還活着的活人。
3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
並且我以為那未曾生的，就是未見過日光之下惡事的，比這兩等人更強。
4 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
我又見人為一切的勞碌和各樣靈巧的工作就被鄰舍嫉妒。這也是虛空，也是捕風。
5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
愚昧人抱着手，吃自己的肉。
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
滿了一把，得享安靜，強如滿了兩把，勞碌捕風。
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun.
我又轉念，見日光之下有一件虛空的事：
8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
有人孤單無二，無子無兄，竟勞碌不息，眼目也不以錢財為足。他說：「我勞勞碌碌，刻苦自己，不享福樂，到底是為誰呢？」這也是虛空，是極重的勞苦。
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
兩個人總比一個人好，因為二人勞碌同得美好的果效。
10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!
若是跌倒，這人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，沒有別人扶起他來，這人就有禍了。
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人獨睡怎能暖和呢？
12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
有人攻勝孤身一人，若有二人便能敵擋他；三股合成的繩子不容易折斷。
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
貧窮而有智慧的少年人勝過年老不肯納諫的愚昧王。
14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
這人是從監牢中出來作王，在他國中，生來原是貧窮的。
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
我見日光之下一切行動的活人都隨從那第二位，就是起來代替老王的少年人。
16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
他所治理的眾人就是他的百姓，多得無數；在他後來的人尚且不喜悅他。這真是虛空，也是捕風。
