Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
名譽強如美好的膏油；人死的日子勝過人生的日子。
2 Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
往遭喪的家去， 強如往宴樂的家去； 因為死是眾人的結局， 活人也必將這事放在心上。
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
憂愁強如喜笑； 因為面帶愁容，終必使心喜樂。
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
智慧人的心在遭喪之家； 愚昧人的心在快樂之家。
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
聽智慧人的責備， 強如聽愚昧人的歌唱。
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
愚昧人的笑聲， 好像鍋下燒荊棘的爆聲； 這也是虛空。
7 Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
勒索使智慧人變為愚妄； 賄賂能敗壞人的慧心。
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
事情的終局強如事情的起頭； 存心忍耐的，勝過居心驕傲的。
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
你不要心裏急躁惱怒， 因為惱怒存在愚昧人的懷中。
10 Say not thou, 'What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
不要說： 先前的日子強過如今的日子， 是甚麼緣故呢？ 你這樣問，不是出於智慧。
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
智慧和產業並好， 而且見天日的人得智慧更為有益。
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.
因為智慧護庇人， 好像銀錢護庇人一樣。 惟獨智慧能保全智慧人的生命。 這就是知識的益處。
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
你要察看上帝的作為； 因上帝使為曲的，誰能變為直呢？
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
遇亨通的日子你當喜樂；遭患難的日子你當思想；因為上帝使這兩樣並列，為的是叫人查不出身後有甚麼事。
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
有義人行義，反致滅亡；有惡人行惡，倒享長壽。這都是我在虛度之日中所見過的。
16 Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
不要行義過分，也不要過於自逞智慧，何必自取敗亡呢？
17 Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
不要行惡過分，也不要為人愚昧，何必不到期而死呢？
18 [It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
你持守這個為美，那個也不要鬆手；因為敬畏上帝的人，必從這兩樣出來。
19 The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
智慧使有智慧的人比城中十個官長更有能力。
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
時常行善而不犯罪的義人，世上實在沒有。
21 Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
人所說的一切話，你不要放在心上，恐怕聽見你的僕人咒詛你。
22 For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
因為你心裏知道，自己也曾屢次咒詛別人。
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it [is] far from me.
我曾用智慧試驗這一切事；我說，要得智慧，智慧卻離我遠。
24 Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
萬事之理，離我甚遠，而且最深，誰能測透呢？
25 I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
我轉念，一心要知道，要考察，要尋求智慧和萬事的理由；又要知道邪惡為愚昧，愚昧為狂妄。
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
我得知有等婦人比死還苦：她的心是網羅，手是鎖鍊。凡蒙上帝喜悅的人必能躲避她；有罪的人卻被她纏住了。
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
傳道者說：「看哪，一千男子中，我找到一個正直人，但眾女子中，沒有找到一個。」我將這事一一比較，要尋求其理，我心仍要尋找，卻未曾找到。
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they — they have sought out many devices.
我所找到的只有一件，就是上帝造人原是正直，但他們尋出許多巧計。
