Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not understand that they are doing what is wrong.
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 be too quick to speak with your mouth, and do not let your heart be too quick to bring any matter up before God. God is in heaven, but you are on earth, so 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 If you have too many things to do and worry about, you will probably have bad dreams. The more words you speak, the more foolish things you will probably say.
因為夜夢由於事務繁雜，亂語出於多言。
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to do it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Do what you vow you will do.
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 It is better not to make a vow than to make one that you do not carry out.
不許願好過許而不還。
6 Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. Do not say to the priest's messenger, “That vow was a mistake.” Why make God angry by vowing falsely, provoking God to destroy 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 many dreams, as in many words, there is meaningless vapor. So fear God.
多夢多虛幻，多言多糊塗；你要敬畏天主。
8 When you see the poor being oppressed and robbed of just and right treatment in your province, do not be astonished as if no one knows, because there are people in power who watch those under them, and there are even higher ones 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 In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.
國家全面的利益，在乎有一位關心農業的君王。
10 Anyone who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and anyone who loves wealth always wants more. This, too, is vapor.
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 As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it. What advantage in wealth is there to the owner except to watch it with 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 The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or a lot, but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well.
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 an evil that I have seen under the sun: riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.
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 When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck, his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.
生意一次失敗，財產盡失：生了個兒子，手中一無所有。
15 As a man comes from his mother's womb, so also he will leave naked. He can take none of the fruits of his labor 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 Another evil is that as a person comes, so he goes away. So what profit is there for him who works for the 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 During his days he eats with darkness and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.
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 Look, what I have seen to be good and suitable is to eat and drink and to enjoy the gain from all our work, as we labor under the sun during the days of this life that God has given us. For this is man's assignment.
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 Anyone to whom God has given riches and wealth and the ability to receive his share and rejoice in his work—this is a gift from 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 call to mind very often the days of his life, because God makes him keep busy with the things that he enjoys doing.
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。
