< Ecclesiastes 5 >
1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.
你到上帝的殿要謹慎腳步;因為近前聽,勝過愚昧人獻祭,他們本不知道所做的是惡。
2 Be not rash with thy month, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
你在上帝面前不可冒失開口,也不可心急發言;因為上帝在天上,你在地下,所以你的言語要寡少。
3 For a dream cometh with a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice with a multitude of words.
事務多,就令人做夢;言語多,就顯出愚昧。
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.
你向上帝許願,償還不可遲延,因他不喜悅愚昧人,所以你許的願應當償還。
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
你許願不還,不如不許。
6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
不可任你的口使肉體犯罪,也不可在祭司面前說是錯許了。為何使上帝因你的聲音發怒,敗壞你手所做的呢?
7 For [thus it cometh to pass] through the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear thou God.
多夢和多言,其中多有虛幻,你只要敬畏上帝。
8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there be higher than they.
你若在一省之中見窮人受欺壓,並奪去公義公平的事,不要因此詫異;因有一位高過居高位的鑒察,在他們以上還有更高的。
9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.
況且地的益處歸眾人,就是君王也受田地的供應。
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this also is vanity.
貪愛銀子的,不因得銀子知足;貪愛豐富的,也不因得利益知足。這也是虛空。
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with his eyes?
貨物增添,吃的人也增添,物主得甚麼益處呢?不過眼看而已!
12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
勞碌的人不拘吃多吃少,睡得香甜;富足人的豐滿卻不容他睡覺。
13 There is a grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:
我見日光之下有一宗大禍患,就是財主積存資財,反害自己。
14 and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
因遭遇禍患,這些資財就消滅;那人若生了兒子,手裏也一無所有。
15 As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
他怎樣從母胎赤身而來,也必照樣赤身而去;他所勞碌得來的,手中分毫不能帶去。
16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?
他來的情形怎樣,他去的情形也怎樣。這也是一宗大禍患。他為風勞碌有甚麼益處呢?
17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed and hath sickness and wrath.
並且他終身在黑暗中吃喝,多有煩惱,又有病患嘔氣。
18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour, wherein he laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.
我所見為善為美的,就是人在上帝賜他一生的日子吃喝,享受日光之下勞碌得來的好處,因為這是他的分。
19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
上帝賜人資財豐富,使他能以吃用,能取自己的分,在他勞碌中喜樂,這乃是上帝的恩賜。
20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.
他不多思念自己一生的年日,因為上帝應他的心使他喜樂。