Ecclesiastes 7
1 A [good] name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
良好的聲譽勝於名貴的香液；死日勝於生日。
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: in that that is the end of all men, and the living taketh it to heart.
往居喪的家去，勝於往宴會的家去，因為喪事是人人的結局，活人應將此事放在心上。
3 Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
悲哀勝於歡笑，因為愁容能使心靈舒暢。
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth.
智者的心是在居喪的家中，愚人的心是在歡笑的家中。
5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.
聽智者斥責，勝過聽愚人歌唱。
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
愚人的歡笑，就像斧底荊棘的爆炸聲，但這也是空虛。
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.
實在，壓榨使智者昏愚，賄賂能敗壞人心。
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a proud spirit.
事情的結局勝過事情的開端；居心寬容，勝過存心傲慢。
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be vexed; for vexation resteth in the bosom of fools.
你心裏不要輕易動怒，因為憤怒只停留在愚人胸中。
10 Say not, How is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.
你不要問：「為什麼昔日勝於今日﹖」因為這樣的詰問，不是出於智慧。
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun.
智慧與家產都好，對看見天日的人都有益，
12 For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.
因為受智慧的蔭庇與受金錢的蔭庇無異；但認識智慧的好處，是在於智慧賦與有智慧者生命。
13 Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?
你應觀察天主的作為：他所彎曲的，誰能使之正直﹖
14 In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.
幸福之日，你應歡樂，不幸之日，你應思慮：幸與不幸，都是天主所為；其目的是叫人不能察覺自己將來的事。
15 All [this] have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous [man] that perisheth by his righteousness, and there is a wicked [man] that prolongeth [his days] by his wickedness.
在我虛度的歲月內，我見了許多事：義人在正義中夭亡，惡人在邪惡中反而長壽。
16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
不要過於正義，也不要自作聰明，免得自趨滅亡。
17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
不要作惡無度，也不要糊塗太甚，免得你死非其時。
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God cometh forth from them all.
你的手最好把持這個，也不要放棄那個，因為敬畏天主的人，二者兼顧並重。
19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty [men] that are in a city.
智慧使智者的權勢，勝過本城十個有權勢的人。
20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
世上沒有一個只行善，而不犯罪的義人。
21 Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.
你不要傾心去聽人說的一切閒話，免得你聽到你的僕人詛咒你；
22 For also thine own heart knoweth that oftentimes thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
因為你心裏知道，你許多次也詛咒過別人。
23 All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
這一切我都用智慧追究過；我宣稱我將成個智者，然而智慧仍離我很遠。
24 Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?
所有的事，既深遠，又玄奧，誰能窮究﹖
25 I turned, I and my heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom and reason, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;
我又專心致力於認識、考察事物，尋求智慧和事理，得知邪惡就是昏愚，昏愚就是狂妄。
26 and I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is nets and snares, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.
我發覺女人比死亡還苦，她一身是羅網：她的心是陷阱，她的手是鎖鏈；凡博天主歡心的，必逃避她；但罪人卻被她纏住。
27 See this which I have found, saith the Preacher, [searching] one by one to find out the reason;
訓道者說：看，這是我所發現的，一一加以比較，好探知事物的原理，
28 which my soul yet seeketh, and I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.
對此我的心還在追求，但尚未找到：在一千男人中，我發現了一個；在所有的女人中，卻沒有發現一個。
29 Only see this which I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices.
我發現的只有這一件事：天主造人原很正直，但人卻發明了許多詭計。
