Ecclesiastes 9
1 For all this I laid to my heart and [indeed] to investigate all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; man knoweth neither love nor hatred: all is before them.
我留心考察這一切，終於看出：義人、智者和他們的行為，都在天主手裏；是愛是恨，人不知道；二者都能來到他們身上。
2 All things [come] alike to all: one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
無論是義人，是惡人，是好人，是壞人，是潔淨的人，是不潔淨的人，是獻祭的人，是不獻祭的人，都有同樣的命運；好人與罪人一樣，妄發誓的與怕發誓的也一樣。
3 This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, that one thing befalleth all: yea, also the heart of the children of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live; and after that, [they have to go] to the dead.
太陽之下所發生的一切事中，最不幸的是眾人都有同樣的命運；更有甚者，世人的心都充滿邪惡，有生之日，心懷狂妄，以後與死者相聚。
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
的確，誰尚與活人有聯繫，還懷有希望，因為一隻活狗勝過一隻死獅。
5 For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
活著的人至少自知必死，而死了的人卻一無所知；他們再得不到報酬，因為連他們的記念也被人遺忘了。
6 Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy is already perished; neither have they any more for ever a portion in all that is done under the sun.
他們的愛好，他們的憎恨，他們的熱誠，皆已消失；在太陽下所發生的一切事，永遠再沒有他們的分。
7 Go, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.
你倒不如去快樂地吃你的飯，開懷暢飲你的酒，因為天主早已嘉納你所作的工作。
8 Let thy garments be always white, and let not thy head lack oil.
你的衣服常要潔白，你頭上不要缺少香液。
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherein thou art labouring under the sun.
在天主賜你在太陽下的一生虛幻歲月中，同你的愛妻共享人生之樂：這原是你在太陽下，一生從勞苦中所應得的一分。
10 Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. (Sheol h7585)
你手能做什麼，就努力去做，因為在你所要去的陰府內，沒有工作，沒有計劃，沒有學問，沒有智慧。 (Sheol h7585)
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the intelligent, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
我又在太陽下看見：善跑的不得競賽，勇將不得參戰，智者得不到食物，明白人得不到財富，博學者得不到寵幸，因為他們都遭遇了不幸的時運。
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are taken with the snare, like them are the children of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
因為人不知道自己的時期，當凶險猝然而至的時候，人子為不幸的時運所獲，就像魚被網捕住，又像鳥被圈套套住。
13 This also have I seen as wisdom under the sun, and it was great unto me.
在太陽下我又得了一個智慧的經驗，依我看來，大有意義：
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and encompassed it, and built great bulwarks against it:
有座小城，裏面居民不多；有位大王來攻打此城，把城圍住，周圍築了高壘。
15 and there was found in it a poor wise man, who by his wisdom delivered the city; but no man remembered that poor man.
那時，城中有個貧賤卻具有智慧的人，他用自己的智慧，救了本城：可是人們卻忘了這貧賤的人。
16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
於是我說：智慧遠勝過武力；然而貧賤人的智慧卻被人輕忽，他的話卻沒有人聽。
17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
智者溫和的言語，比王者在愚人中的吶喊，更受歡迎。
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.
智慧勝於武器；一個錯誤能破壞許多好事。
