Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, or ever the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
在你年輕的時日，在災禍的日子來到之前，即在你說的那些「沒有歡樂」的日子來到之前，你應記念你的造主；
2 or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:
不要等到太陽、光體、月亮、星辰失光，雨後雲彩再來；
3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
因為那時，看門者戰慄，大力士屈伏，推磨的婦女因為少而停工，眺望窗外的女人面目昏黑，
4 and the door shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
兩扇街門將要關閉，磨聲低微，雀鳥息聲，歌女低吟，
5 yea, they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and terrors [shall be] in the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and the caper-berry shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
怕上高處，行路危險，杏子被棄，蚱蜢被嫌，續隨子失去效力，因為人要回永久的家鄉，哀悼的人徘徊街頭；
6 or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern;
那時銀鏈將斷，金燈將碎，水罐將破於泉旁，輪子將爛於井邊，
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
灰塵將歸於原來的土中，生氣將歸於天主，因為原是天主之所賜。
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
訓道者說：虛而又虛，萬事皆虛。
9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
訓道者不但是智者，並且教人獲得知識，在沉思推究之後，編撰了許多格言。
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, [even] words of truth.
訓道者費神尋找適當的語句，忠誠地寫下了真理之言。
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are [the words of] the masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.
智者的話好似錐子，收集起的言論集，好像釘牢的釘子：二者都是一位牧者所賜。
12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
除此之外，我兒，不必再找別的書籍，書不論寫多少，總沒有止境；用功過度，必使身體疲倦。
13 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.
總而言之：「你應敬畏天主，遵守他的誡命，因為這是眾人的義務。」
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
因為天主對一切行為，連最隱秘的，不論好壞，都要一一審判。
