< Ecclesiastes 1 >
1 These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.
在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子、傳道者的言語。
2 The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions.
傳道者說:虛空的虛空, 虛空的虛空,凡事都是虛空。
3 What profit does mankind gain from all the work that they labor at under the sun?
人一切的勞碌, 就是他在日光之下的勞碌,有甚麼益處呢?
4 One generation goes, and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
一代過去,一代又來, 地卻永遠長存。
5 The sun rises, and it goes down and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
日頭出來,日頭落下, 急歸所出之地。
6 The wind blows south and circles around to the north, always going around along its pathway and coming back again.
風往南颳,又向北轉, 不住地旋轉,而且返回轉行原道。
7 All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. To the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
江河都往海裏流,海卻不滿; 江河從何處流,仍歸還何處。
8 Everything becomes wearisome, and no one can explain it. The eye is not satisfied by what it sees, nor is the ear fulfilled by what it hears.
萬事令人厭煩, 人不能說盡。 眼看,看不飽; 耳聽,聽不足。
9 Whatever has been is what will be, and whatever has been done is what will be done. There is nothing new under the sun.
已有的事後必再有; 已行的事後必再行。 日光之下並無新事。
10 Is there anything about which it may be said, 'Look, this is new'? Whatever exists has already existed for a long time, during ages which came long before us.
豈有一件事人能指着說這是新的? 哪知,在我們以前的世代早已有了。
11 No one seems to remember the things that happened in ancient times, and the things that happened much later and that will happen in the future will not likely be remembered either.”
已過的世代,無人記念; 將來的世代,後來的人也不記念。
12 I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。
13 I applied my mind to study and to search out by wisdom everything that is done under heaven. That search is a burdensome task that God has given to the children of mankind to be busy with.
我專心用智慧尋求、查究天下所做的一切事,乃知上帝叫世人所經練的是極重的勞苦。
14 I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all amount to vapor and chasing the wind.
我見日光之下所做的一切事,都是虛空,都是捕風。
15 The twisted cannot be straightened! The missing cannot be counted!
彎曲的,不能變直; 缺少的,不能足數。
16 I have spoken to my heart saying, “Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge.”
我心裏議論說:我得了大智慧,勝過我以前在耶路撒冷的眾人,而且我心中多經歷智慧和知識的事。
17 So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind.
我又專心察明智慧、狂妄,和愚昧,乃知這也是捕風。
18 For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
因為多有智慧,就多有愁煩; 加增知識的,就加增憂傷。