< Ecclesiastes 1 >

1 THE WORDS OF the Koheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子、傳道者的言語。
2 Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
傳道者說:虛空的虛空, 虛空的虛空,凡事都是虛空。
3 What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?
人一切的勞碌, 就是他在日光之下的勞碌,有甚麼益處呢?
4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.
一代過去,一代又來, 地卻永遠長存。
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.
日頭出來,日頭落下, 急歸所出之地。
6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its circuit, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
風往南颳,又向北轉, 不住地旋轉,而且返回轉行原道。
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
江河都往海裏流,海卻不滿; 江河從何處流,仍歸還何處。
8 All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
萬事令人厭煩, 人不能說盡。 眼看,看不飽; 耳聽,聽不足。
9 That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.
已有的事後必再有; 已行的事後必再行。 日光之下並無新事。
10 Is there a thing whereof it is said: 'See, this is new'? — it hath been already, in the ages which were before us.
豈有一件事人能指着說這是新的? 哪知,在我們以前的世代早已有了。
11 There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after.
已過的世代,無人記念; 將來的世代,後來的人也不記念。
12 I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。
13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; it is a sore task that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
我專心用智慧尋求、查究天下所做的一切事,乃知上帝叫世人所經練的是極重的勞苦。
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
我見日光之下所做的一切事,都是虛空,都是捕風。
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
彎曲的,不能變直; 缺少的,不能足數。
16 I spoke with my own heart, saying: 'Lo, I have gotten great wisdom, more also than all that were before me over Jerusalem'; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
我心裏議論說:我得了大智慧,勝過我以前在耶路撒冷的眾人,而且我心中多經歷智慧和知識的事。
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly — I perceived that this also was a striving after wind.
我又專心察明智慧、狂妄,和愚昧,乃知這也是捕風。
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
因為多有智慧,就多有愁煩; 加增知識的,就加增憂傷。

< Ecclesiastes 1 >