Ecclesiastes 12
1 Yet remember thy Creator, in the days of thy vigour, —or ever come in, the days of discomfort, and the years arrive, in which thou shalt say—I have, in them, no pleasure;
你趁着年幼、衰敗的日子尚未來到，就是你所說，我毫無喜樂的那些年日未曾臨近之先，當記念造你的主。
2 Or ever be darkened—the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, —and the clouds return after a downpour of rain;
不要等到日頭、光明、月亮、星宿變為黑暗，雨後雲彩反回，
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the men of might bow themselves, —and the grinders cease because they are few, and they who look through the windows are darkened;
看守房屋的發顫，有力的屈身，推磨的稀少就止息，從窗戶往外看的都昏暗；
4 And the doors in the street be closed, when the sound of the mill become low, —and one rise at the chirp of a small bird, and low-voiced be all the daughters of song;
街門關閉，推磨的響聲微小，雀鳥一叫，人就起來，唱歌的女子也都衰微。
5 Yea, at what is high, they be in fear, and there be, terrors, in the way, and the almond be rejected, and the grasshopper drag itself along, and desire perish, —for man is going to his age-abiding home, when the wailers shall go round in the streets;
人怕高處，路上有驚慌，杏樹開花，蚱蜢成為重擔，人所願的也都廢掉；因為人歸他永遠的家，弔喪的在街上往來。
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, —or the bucket by the fountain be shivered, or the wheel at the well be broken;
銀鍊折斷，金罐破裂，瓶子在泉旁損壞，水輪在井口破爛，
7 And the dust return to the earth, as it was, —and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it.
塵土仍歸於地，靈仍歸於賜靈的上帝。
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, all, is vanity.
傳道者說：「虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空。」
9 Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, —still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.
再者，傳道者因有智慧，仍將知識教訓眾人；又默想，又考查，又陳說許多箴言。
10 The Proclaimer sought to find out words giving delight, and to note down rightly, the words of truth.
傳道者專心尋求可喜悅的言語，是憑正直寫的誠實話。
11 The words of the wise, are as goads, yea, as driven nails, their well-ordered sayings, —given from one shepherd.
智慧人的言語好像刺棍；會中之師的言語又像釘穩的釘子，都是一個牧者所賜的。
12 And besides, from them, my son, be admonished, —Of making many books, there is no end, and, much study, is a weariness of the flesh.
我兒，還有一層，你當受勸戒：著書多，沒有窮盡；讀書多，身體疲倦。
13 The conclusion of the matter—the whole, let us hear, —Towards God, be reverent, and, his commandments, observe, for, this, [concerneth] all mankind.
這些事都已聽見了，總意就是：敬畏上帝，謹守他的誡命，這是人所當盡的本分。
14 For, every work, will God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, —whether good, or evil.
因為人所做的事，連一切隱藏的事，無論是善是惡，上帝都必審問。
