Ecclesiastes 3
1 For, every thing, there is a season, —and a time for every pursuit, under the heavens: —
事事有時節，天下任何事皆有定時：
2 A time to be born, and a time to die, —A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;
生有時，死有時，栽種有時，拔除栽種的亦有時；
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal, —A time to break down, and a time to build up;
殺戮有時，治療有時，拆毀有時，建築有時；
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh, —A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;
哭有時，笑有時，哀悼有時，舞蹈有時；
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to heap up stones, —A time to embrace, and a time to be far from loving embrace;
拋石有時，堆石有時；擁抱有時，戒避擁抱亦有時；
6 A time to seek, and a time to give up as lost, —A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
尋找有時，遺失有時；保存有時，捨棄有時；
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew, —A time to be silent, and a time to speak;
撕裂有時，縫綴有時；緘默有時，言談有時，
8 A time to love and a time to hate, —A time of war, and a time of peace.
愛慕有時，憎恨有時；作戰有時，和睦有時。
9 What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein, himself, hath toiled?
工作的人，從勞苦中得了什麼利益﹖
10 I looked at the employment which God hath given to the sons of men, to work therein:
我觀察了天主交予人類所應從事的事務，得知：
11 Everything, hath he made beautiful in its own time, —also, intelligence, hath he put in their heart, without which men could not find out the work which God hath wrought, from the beginning even unto the end.
天主所行的一切事宜，都很適時，並賜給人認識時事的經歷，但人仍不能明瞭，天主自始至終所做的工作。
12 I know that there is no blessedness in them, —save to be glad, and to do well with one’s life.
於是我明瞭：人類的幸福，只有在此生歡樂享受；
13 Though indeed, that any man should eat and drink, and see blessedness, in all his toil, it is, the gift of God.
但人人有吃有喝，享受自己一切勞苦之所得，也是天主的恩賜。
14 I know, that, whatsoever God doeth, the same, shall be age-abiding, unto it, there is nothing to add, and, from it, there is nothing to take away, —and, God, hath done it, that men should stand in awe before him.
我知道：凡天主所行的事，永恒不變，無一可增，無一可減。天主這樣作，是為叫人敬畏他。
15 That which was, already, had been, and, that which shall be, already, shall have been, —but, God, seeketh that which hath been chased away.
現今所有的，早已有過；將來所有有，先前已有過；因為天主必追尋已往的事。
16 Then, again, I saw under the sun, the place of justice, that there was lawlessness, and, the place of righteousness, that there was lawlessness.
我在太陽下還看見：正義之處有不義，公平之處有不平。
17 Said, I, in my heart, Both the righteous and the lawless, will God judge, —for [there will be] a time for every pursuit, and concerning every work—there.
我心裏想天主必要審判義人和惡人，因為各種事情和行為，在天主那裏都有其定時。
18 Said, I, in my heart, as concerning the sons of men, That God was minded to prove them, —and that they might see, that they were beasts, of themselves.
我想，天主藉此是為使世人認清自己是誰，看清自己與走獸無異。
19 For, as regardeth the destiny of the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one spirit, have they all, —and, the pre-eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity:
的確，世人的命運，同走獸的命運，都是一樣：前者怎樣死，後者也怎樣死；氣息都一樣，人並不優於走獸：因為都是虛無。
20 all, go unto one place, —all, came from the dust, and all, return to the dust.
都同歸於一處；既都出於塵土，也都歸於塵土。
21 Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above, —or the spirit of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to the earth?
人的氣息是否向上高升，走獸的氣息是否下降地下，有誰知道﹖
22 So I saw, that there was nothing better than that a man should be glad in his works, for, that, is his portion, —for who can bring him in, to look upon that which shall be after him?
因此，我看出：人最好還是享受自己勞苦之所得，因為這是他的命運；有誰能領他去看自己身後的事呢﹖
