Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything — a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:
凡事都有定期， 天下萬務都有定時。
2 A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.
生有時，死有時； 栽種有時，拔出所栽種的也有時；
3 A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up.
殺戮有時，醫治有時； 拆毀有時，建造有時；
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip.
哭有時，笑有時； 哀慟有時，跳舞有時；
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 embracing.
拋擲石頭有時，堆聚石頭有時； 懷抱有時，不懷抱有時；
6 A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.
尋找有時，失落有時； 保守有時，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，縫補有時； 靜默有時，言語有時；
8 A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.
喜愛有時，恨惡有時； 爭戰有時，和好有時。
9 What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
這樣看來，做事的人在他的勞碌上有甚麼益處呢？
10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
我見上帝叫世人勞苦，使他們在其中受經練。
11 The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end.
上帝造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裏。然而上帝從始至終的作為，人不能參透。
12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,
我知道世人，莫強如終身喜樂行善；
13 yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it [is] a gift of God.
並且人人吃喝，在他一切勞碌中享福，這也是上帝的恩賜。
14 I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.
我知道上帝一切所做的都必永存；無所增添，無所減少。上帝這樣行，是要人在他面前存敬畏的心。
15 What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which [is] to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.
現今的事早先就有了，將來的事早已也有了，並且上帝使已過的事重新再來。
16 And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment — there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness — there [is] the wicked.
我又見日光之下，在審判之處有奸惡，在公義之處也有奸惡。
17 I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.'
我心裏說，上帝必審判義人和惡人；因為在那裏，各樣事務，一切工作，都有定時。
18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves [are] beasts.
我心裏說，這乃為世人的緣故，是上帝要試驗他們，使他們覺得自己不過像獸一樣。
19 For an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] vanity.
因為世人遭遇的，獸也遭遇，所遭遇的都是一樣：這個怎樣死，那個也怎樣死，氣息都是一樣。人不能強於獸，都是虛空。
20 The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust.
都歸一處，都是出於塵土，也都歸於塵土。
21 Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?
誰知道人的靈是往上升，獸的魂是下入地呢？
22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it [is] his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?
故此，我見人莫強如在他經營的事上喜樂，因為這是他的分。他身後的事誰能使他回來得見呢？
