Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep your feet when you go to a house of God, and draw near to hear rather than to give of fools the sacrifice, for they do not know they do evil.
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 Do not cause your mouth to hurry, and do not let your heart hurry to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and you on the earth, therefore let your words be few.
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 the dream has come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.
因為夜夢由於事務繁雜，亂語出於多言。
4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay to complete it, for there is no pleasure in fools; that which you vow—complete.
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 Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.
不許願好過許而不還。
6 Do not permit your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger that it [is] ignorance. Why is God angry because of your voice and has destroyed the work of your 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 abundance of dreams both vanities and words abound; but fear God.
多夢多虛幻，多言多糊塗；你要敬畏天主。
8 If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness you see in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones [are] over them.
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 a land is for all. A king for a field is served.
國家全面的利益，在乎有一位關心農業的君王。
10 Whoever is loving silver is not satisfied [with] silver, nor he who is in love with stores [with] increase. Even this [is] vanity.
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 In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his 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 Sweet [is] the sleep of the laborer whether he eat little or much; and the sufficiency of the wealthy is not permitting him to sleep.
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 a painful evil I have seen under the sun: wealth kept for its possessor, for his evil.
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 that wealth has been lost in an evil business, and he has begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!
生意一次失敗，財產盡失：生了個兒子，手中一無所有。
15 As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turns back to go as he came, and he does not take away anything of his labor, that goes in 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] a painful evil, just as he came, so he goes, and what advantage [is] to him who labors for wind?
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 He also consumes all his days in darkness, and sadness, and wrath, and sickness abound.
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 Behold, that which I have seen: [It is] good, because beautiful, to eat, and to drink, and to see good in all one’s labor that he labors at under the sun, the number of the days of his life that God has given to him, for it [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 Every man also to whom God has given wealth and riches, and has given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is a 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 For he does not much remember the days of his life, for God is answering through the joy 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。
