< Ecclesiastes 1 >
1 Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子、傳道者的言語。
2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
傳道者說:虛空的虛空, 虛空的虛空,凡事都是虛空。
3 What advantage [is] to man by all his labour that he laboureth 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 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.
一代過去,一代又來, 地卻永遠長存。
5 Also, the sun hath risen, and the sun hath gone in, and unto its place panting it is rising there.
日頭出來,日頭落下, 急歸所出之地。
6 Going unto the south, and turning round unto the north, turning round, turning round, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind hath returned.
風往南颳,又向北轉, 不住地旋轉,而且返回轉行原道。
7 All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.
江河都往海裏流,海卻不滿; 江河從何處流,仍歸還何處。
8 All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.
萬事令人厭煩, 人不能說盡。 眼看,看不飽; 耳聽,聽不足。
9 What [is] that which hath been? it [is] that which is, and what [is] that which hath been done? it [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing 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 There is a thing of which [one] saith: 'See this, it [is] new!' already it hath been in the ages that were 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 There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
已過的世代,無人記念; 將來的世代,後來的人也不記念。
12 I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。
13 And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
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 works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!
我見日光之下所做的一切事,都是虛空,都是捕風。
15 A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
彎曲的,不能變直; 缺少的,不能足數。
16 I — I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly 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 And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit;
我又專心察明智慧、狂妄,和愚昧,乃知這也是捕風。
18 for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
因為多有智慧,就多有愁煩; 加增知識的,就加增憂傷。