Ecclesiastes 5
1 Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil.
你往天主的殿裏去時，要小心邁步；你前去聽道，勝過愚人獻祭，因為他們只知作惡。
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.
你不要在天主前冒然開口，你的心也不要急於發言應許，因為天主在天上，你在地下，為此你說話應當簡單。
3 For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.
因為夜夢由於事務繁雜，亂語出於多言。
4 When thou hast vowed a vowe to God, deferre not to pay it: for he deliteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed.
你一向天主許願，就不可拖延償還，因為他不喜歡人怠慢；你許了願，就應速還；
5 It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.
不許願好過許而不還。
6 Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to sinne: neither say before the Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God bee angry by thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?
不要放任你的口，使你陷於罪過，免得你在使者前說是「錯許了。」為何要天主因你這句話而發怒，破壞你手中的工作﹖
7 For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.
多夢多虛幻，多言多糊塗；你要敬畏天主。
8 If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.
你若在某省看見欺壓窮人，違犯公道和正義的事，不必對此驚奇，因為高者之上還有更高者在上鑒察，而他們之上還有更高者。
9 And the abundance of the earth is ouer all: the King also consisteth by the fielde that is tilled.
國家全面的利益，在乎有一位關心農業的君王。
10 He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite thereof: this also is vanitie.
愛錢的，錢不能使他滿足；愛財的，進益不能使他滿足：這也是空虛。
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?
錢財增多，消費的人也隨之增多；財主除飽享眼福外，能有什麼益處﹖
12 The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.
工人不論吃多吃少，總睡得甘甜；飽食的富人，卻難於安眠。
13 There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.
我看見在太陽下有一件慘痛的事：財主積蓄財富，反而害了自己。
14 And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.
生意一次失敗，財產盡失：生了個兒子，手中一無所有。
15 As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by his hand.
他赤身出離母胎，也照樣赤身歸去；他勞力之所得，絲毫不能帶去。
16 And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?
這也是一件慘痛的事：他怎樣來，也怎樣去；他操勞追風，究有什麼益處；
17 Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.
況且他一生在黑暗中生活，遭受許多煩惱、疾病和悲憤的事。
18 Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.
我所認為幸福美滿的事，是人在天主所賞的少數歲月內，有吃有喝，且享受他在太陽下一切勞碌所得的福樂，這原是他應得的一分。
19 Also to euery man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures, and giueth him power to eate thereof, and to take his part, and to enioy his labour: this is the gift of God.
的確，天主賞賜人財產和富裕，叫他能享用；能取得應有的一分，能享受勞碌所得的快樂，實是天主的恩賜。
20 Surely hee will not much remember the dayes of his life, because God answereth to the ioy of his heart.
那麼，人就不甚顧慮人生歲月的短促，因為天主以喜樂充滿了他的心。
