Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.
有誰相似智者，有誰會解釋事理﹖智慧使人的面容煥發，使嚴肅的容貌變為溫和。
2 I [say], Keep the king's commandment, and [that] on account of the oath of God.
為了向天主起的誓，你應遵守君王的命令；
3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatever pleaseth him,
你不可由他面前倉猝離去，也不可行惡，因為凡他喜歡的事，都可隨意執行。
4 because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
原來君王的話具有威力，誰敢向他說：「你做什麼﹖」
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.
遵守誡命的，不會遇到災禍；智者的心能辨識時機和審斷。
6 For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;
的確，事事都有定時和定案；但重大的負擔仍壓在人身上，
7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?
因為人不知道將來要發生什麼事，有誰能告訴他，何時要發生﹖
8 There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
沒有人有權將生氣保留不失，也沒有人能支配死期，戰場上沒有人能退役，邪惡救不了作惡的人。
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.
我看見了這一切，專心研究在太陽下所行的一切事：有時統治人的人，自受其害；
10 And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from [the] holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.
有時我看見惡人被抬去安葬，而行義的人卻離開聖處，而在城中被人遺忘：這也是虛幻。
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
因為懲惡的定案未有迅速執行，世人因此充滿了行惡的偏向。
12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;
惡人雖百次行惡，仍享長壽，姑且不論；我確實知道，那敬畏天主的人，因他們在天主前起敬起畏，必得幸福；
13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.
而惡人必得不到幸福，他的時日如影，決不能久長，因為他不敬畏天主。
14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous [men] unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked [men] to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
在世上還有一件虛幻的事：就是義人所遭遇的，反如惡人所應得的；而惡人所遭遇的，反如義人所應得的；我遂說：這也是虛幻。
15 And I commended mirth, because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.
為此，我稱讚快樂，因為在太陽下，人除了吃喝行樂外，別無幸福；因為這是人在天主賞他在太陽下的一生歲月內，從他的勞苦中，所獲得的幸福。
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),
當我專心追求智慧，觀察人在世上，連黑夜白日都不能閉目安眠，所行的工作時，
17 then I saw that all [is] the work of God, [and] that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek [it] out, yet doth he not find [it]; and even, if a wise [man] think to know [it], he shall not be able to find [it] out.
我面對天主的一切作為，發覺人決不能知道在太陽下所發生的一切事。人雖然努力研究，終歸無法得知；縱然有智者以為知道了，仍是一無所知。
