Ecclesiastes 4
1 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
我又轉目注視在太陽下所行的一切暴行：看，受壓迫者眼淚汪流，卻無人安慰；壓迫人者手中只有權勢，卻無人加以援助。
2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
於是我聲稱那已死去的人，比現今還活著的人更為有福。
3 And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.
那還沒有出世的人，比這兩等人更為有福，因為他還沒有見到太陽下所行的惡事。
4 And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
我也看出各種勞苦和一切工作的技巧，都是出於人彼此間的競爭：這也是空虛，也是追風。
5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
愚人交臂叉手，是自食己肉。
6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
捧一把安逸，勝過兩把勞苦和追風。
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
我又轉睛，看見在太陽下有件空虛的事：
8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
有個孤獨無伴的人，既沒有兒子，又沒有兄弟，卻時常勞苦不息，他的眼總是貪得無厭，從來不問：「我辛辛苦苦，節制享樂，究竟是為誰﹖」這也是空虛和大不幸。
9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
兩人勝過一人，因為兩人工作，酬報優厚：
10 For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!
若一個跌倒了，另一個可扶起自己的同伴。哀哉孤獨者! 他若跌倒了，沒有另一人扶起他來。
11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
又如兩人同眠，都感溫暖；若孤獨一人，怎能暖和﹖
12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
若一人抵不住一人，兩人就能抵住。－－三股繩，不易斷。
13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
一個貧寒而明智的青年，勝過一個年老昏愚，而總不採納忠言的君王。
14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
這青年雖在國中出身貧寒，但由獄中出來，執政為王；
15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
我看見一切在太陽下行走的活人，都擁護青年人，新繼位者，來代替老王。
16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.
擁護他為領袖的人民，多得無數；但日後，那些後來的人卻不喜歡他：這也是空虛，也是追風。
