Ecclesiastes 9
1 For I thought about all this in my mind to understand about the righteous and wise people and their deeds. They are all in God's hands. No one knows whether love or hate will come to someone.
我留心考察這一切，終於看出：義人、智者和他們的行為，都在天主手裏；是愛是恨，人不知道；二者都能來到他們身上。
2 Everyone has the same fate. The same fate awaits righteous people and wicked, the good, the clean and the unclean, and the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As good people will die, so also will the sinner. As the one who swears will die, so also will the man who fears to make an oath.
無論是義人，是惡人，是好人，是壞人，是潔淨的人，是不潔淨的人，是獻祭的人，是不獻祭的人，都有同樣的命運；好人與罪人一樣，妄發誓的與怕發誓的也一樣。
3 There is an evil fate for everything that is done under the sun, the same event happens to them all. The hearts of human beings are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live. So after that they go to the dead.
太陽之下所發生的一切事中，最不幸的是眾人都有同樣的命運；更有甚者，世人的心都充滿邪惡，有生之日，心懷狂妄，以後與死者相聚。
4 For anyone who is united to all the living, there is hope, just as a living dog is better than a dead lion.
的確，誰尚與活人有聯繫，還懷有希望，因為一隻活狗勝過一隻死獅。
5 For living people know they will die, but the dead do not know anything. They no longer have any reward because their memory is forgotten.
活著的人至少自知必死，而死了的人卻一無所知；他們再得不到報酬，因為連他們的記念也被人遺忘了。
6 Their love, hatred, and envy have vanished long ago. They will never have a place again in anything done under the sun.
他們的愛好，他們的憎恨，他們的熱誠，皆已消失；在太陽下所發生的一切事，永遠再沒有他們的分。
7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of celebrating good works.
你倒不如去快樂地吃你的飯，開懷暢飲你的酒，因為天主早已嘉納你所作的工作。
8 Let your clothes be always white and your head anointed with oil.
你的衣服常要潔白，你頭上不要缺少香液。
9 Live happily with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of uselessness, the days that God has given you under the sun during your days of uselessness. That is your reward in life for your work under the sun.
在天主賜你在太陽下的一生虛幻歲月中，同你的愛妻共享人生之樂：這原是你在太陽下，一生從勞苦中所應得的一分。
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, work at it with your strength, because there is no work or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going. (Sheol h7585)
你手能做什麼，就努力去做，因為在你所要去的陰府內，沒有工作，沒有計劃，沒有學問，沒有智慧。 (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen some interesting things under the sun: The race does not belong to swift people. The battle does not belong to strong people. Bread does not belong to wise people. Riches do not belong to people of understanding. Favor does not belong to people of knowledge. Instead, time and chance affect them all.
我又在太陽下看見：善跑的不得競賽，勇將不得參戰，智者得不到食物，明白人得不到財富，博學者得不到寵幸，因為他們都遭遇了不幸的時運。
12 Surely, no one knows when his time will come. As fish are caught in a deadly net, or birds are caught in a snare, the children of human beings are ensnared by evil times that suddenly fall upon them.
因為人不知道自己的時期，當凶險猝然而至的時候，人子為不幸的時運所獲，就像魚被網捕住，又像鳥被圈套套住。
13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun in a way that seemed great to me.
在太陽下我又得了一個智慧的經驗，依我看來，大有意義：
14 There was a small city with only a few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great siege ramps against it.
有座小城，裏面居民不多；有位大王來攻打此城，把城圍住，周圍築了高壘。
15 Now in the city was found a poor, wise man, who by his wisdom saved the city. Yet later, no one remembered that same poor man.
那時，城中有個貧賤卻具有智慧的人，他用自己的智慧，救了本城：可是人們卻忘了這貧賤的人。
16 So I concluded, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”
於是我說：智慧遠勝過武力；然而貧賤人的智慧卻被人輕忽，他的話卻沒有人聽。
17 The words of wise people spoken quietly are heard better than the shouts of any ruler among fools.
智者溫和的言語，比王者在愚人中的吶喊，更受歡迎。
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can ruin much good.
智慧勝於武器；一個錯誤能破壞許多好事。
