Ecclesiastes 9
1 But all this I have laid unto my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred doth man know, the whole [is] before them.
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 The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing 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 This [is] an evil among all that hath been done under the sun, that one event [is] to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart during their life, and after it — unto 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 But [to] him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it [is] better than to the 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 the living know that they die, and the dead know not anything, and there is no more to them a reward, for their remembrance hath been 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 also, their hatred also, their envy also, hath already perished, and they have no more a portion to the age in all that hath been 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, eat with joy thy bread, and drink with a glad heart thy wine, for already hath God been pleased with thy 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 At all times let thy garments be white, and let not perfume be lacking on thy head.
你的衣服常要潔白，你頭上不要缺少香液。
9 See life with the wife whom thou hast loved, all the days of the life of thy vanity, that He hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity, for it [is] thy portion in life, even of thy labour that thou art labouring at 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 All that thy hand findeth to do, with thy power do, for there is no work, and device, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol whither thou art 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 turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift [is] the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skilful grace, for time and chance happen with 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 For even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these [are] the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.
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 This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is 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 A little city, and few men in it, and a great king hath come unto it, and hath surrounded it, and hath built against it great bulwarks;
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 and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that 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 And I said, 'Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor 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 the wise in quiet are heard, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.
智者溫和的言語，比王者在愚人中的吶喊，更受歡迎。
18 Better [is] wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!
智慧勝於武器；一個錯誤能破壞許多好事。
