< 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.
我又转念,见日光之下所行的一切欺压。看哪,受欺压的流泪,且无人安慰;欺压他们的有势力,也无人安慰他们。
2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
因此,我赞叹那早已死的死人,胜过那还活着的活人。
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.
并且我以为那未曾生的,就是未见过日光之下恶事的,比这两等人更强。
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.
我又见人为一切的劳碌和各样灵巧的工作就被邻舍嫉妒。这也是虚空,也是捕风。
5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
愚昧人抱着手,吃自己的肉。
6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
满了一把,得享安静,强如满了两把,劳碌捕风。
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
我又转念,见日光之下有一件虚空的事:
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.
有人孤单无二,无子无兄,竟劳碌不息,眼目也不以钱财为足。他说:“我劳劳碌碌,刻苦自己,不享福乐,到底是为谁呢?”这也是虚空,是极重的劳苦。
9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
两个人总比一个人好,因为二人劳碌同得美好的果效。
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!
若是跌倒,这人可以扶起他的同伴;若是孤身跌倒,没有别人扶起他来,这人就有祸了。
11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
再者,二人同睡就都暖和,一人独睡怎能暖和呢?
12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
有人攻胜孤身一人,若有二人便能敌挡他;三股合成的绳子不容易折断。
13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
贫穷而有智慧的少年人胜过年老不肯纳谏的愚昧王。
14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
这人是从监牢中出来作王,在他国中,生来原是贫穷的。
15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
我见日光之下一切行动的活人都随从那第二位,就是起来代替老王的少年人。
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.
他所治理的众人就是他的百姓,多得无数;在他后来的人尚且不喜悦他。这真是虚空,也是捕风。

< Ecclesiastes 4 >