Ecclesiastes 6

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:

我看見在太陽下，另有一種不幸，重壓在人身上：

2 a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honour, and he wants nothing for his soul of all things that he shall desire, yet God shall not give him power to eat of it, for a stranger shall devour it: this is vanity, and an evil infirmity.

有一人，天主賜他富裕、錢財、光榮；凡他心中所願意的，一件也不缺；但天主沒有讓他享用這一切，卻讓外人享用了：這也是空虛，是一件很悲慘的事。

3 If a man beget a hundred [children], and live many years, yes, however abundant the days of his years shall be, yet [if] his soul shall not be satisfied with good, and also he have no burial; I said, An untimely birth is better than he.

有一人生有百子，活了很大歲數，他年紀雖高，卻沒有隨心享受福樂，且未得安葬，照我看來，他還不如流產的胎兒。

4 For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

流產的胎兒徒然而來，悄然而去，他的名字也湮沒無聞；

5 Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is [no more rest] to this one than another.

他沒有見過天日，也沒有任何知覺，但他總比那人更享安寧。

6 Though he has lived to the return of a thousand years, yet he has seen no good: do not all go to one place?

那人即便活了兩千歲，如未享受福樂，他們二人豈不是同歸一處﹖

7 All the labour of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be satisfied.

人的一切勞碌都是為了口腹，但他的慾望卻總不知滿足。

8 For [what] advantage has the wise man over the fool, since [even] the poor knows how to walk in the direction of life?

智者較愚者究有什麼利益﹖知道如何與人往來的窮人，能得什麼好處﹖

9 The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.

眼看見過的總勝過心所想望的：這也是空虛，也是追風。

10 If anything has been, its name has already been called: and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is stronger than he.

已往所有的，都已有名可稱；人為何物，都已知道；人決不能與強於自己的抗辯。

11 For there are many things which increase vanity.

說話多，必多空談：這對人能有什麼益處﹖

12 What advantage has a man? for who knows [what is] good for a man in his life, [during] the number of the life of the days of his vanity? and he has spent them as a shadow; for who shall tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

在空虛，消逝如影的人生少數歲月內，有誰知道什麼事對人有益﹖又有誰能指給人指示，他身後在太陽下要發生什麼事﹖