傳道書 7

名譽強如美好的膏油；人死的日子勝過人生的日子。

míng yù qiáng rú měi hǎo de gāo yóu ； rén sǐ de rì zi shèng guò rén shēng de rì zi 。

A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.

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。

wǎng zāo sàng de jiā qù ， qiáng rú wǎng yàn lè de jiā qù ； yīn wèi sǐ shì zhòng rén de jié jú ， huó rén yě bì jiāng zhè shì fàng zài xīn shàng 。

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.

憂愁強如喜笑； 因為面帶愁容，終必使心喜樂。

yōu chóu qiáng rú xǐ xiào ； yīn wèi miàn dài chóu róng ， zhōng bì shǐ xīn xǐ lè 。

Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

智慧人的心在遭喪之家； 愚昧人的心在快樂之家。

zhì huì rén de xīn zài zāo sàng zhī jiā ； yú mèi rén de xīn zài kuài lè zhī jiā 。

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

聽智慧人的責備， 強如聽愚昧人的歌唱。

tīng zhì huì rén de zé bèi ， qiáng rú tīng yú mèi rén de gē chàng 。

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

愚昧人的笑聲， 好像鍋下燒荊棘的爆聲； 這也是虛空。

yú mèi rén de xiào shēng ， hǎo xiàng guō xià shāo jīng jí de bào shēng ； zhè yě shì xū kōng 。

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

勒索使智慧人變為愚妄； 賄賂能敗壞人的慧心。

lè suǒ shǐ zhì huì rén biàn wèi yú wàng ； huì lù néng bài huài rén de huì xīn 。

Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.

事情的終局強如事情的起頭； 存心忍耐的，勝過居心驕傲的。

shì qíng de zhōng jú qiáng rú shì qíng de qǐ tóu ； cún xīn rěn nài de ， shèng guò jū xīn jiāo ào de 。

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

你不要心裏急躁惱怒， 因為惱怒存在愚昧人的懷中。

nǐ bú yào xīn lǐ jí zào nǎo nù ， yīn wèi nǎo nù cún zài yú mèi rén de huái zhōng 。

Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

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。

bú yào shuō ： xiān qián de rì zi qiáng guò rú jīn de rì zi ， shì shén me yuán gù ne ？ nǐ zhè yàng wèn ， bú shì chū yú zhì huì 。

Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

智慧和產業並好， 而且見天日的人得智慧更為有益。

zhì huì hé chǎn yè bìng hǎo ， ér qiě jiàn tiān rì de rén dé zhì huì gèng wéi yǒu yì 。

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

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。

yīn wèi zhì huì hù bì rén ， hǎo xiàng yín qián hù bì rén yí yàng 。 wéi dú zhì huì néng bǎo quán zhì huì rén de shēng mìng 。 zhè jiù shì zhī shi de yì chù 。

For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

你要察看上帝的作為； 因上帝使為曲的，誰能變為直呢？

nǐ yào chá kàn shén de zuò wéi ； yīn shén shǐ wèi qǔ de ， shuí néng biàn wèi zhí ne ？

Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?

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。

yù hēng tōng de rì zi nǐ dāng xǐ lè ； zāo huàn nàn de rì zi nǐ dāng sī xiǎng ； yīn wèi shén shǐ zhè liǎng yàng bìng liè ， wèi de shì jiào rén chá bù chū shēn hòu yǒu shén me shì 。

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

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。

yǒu yì rén xíng yì ， fǎn zhì miè wáng ； yǒu è rén xíng è ， dǎo xiǎng cháng shòu 。 zhè dōu shì wǒ zài xū dù zhī rì zhōng suǒ jiàn guò de 。

All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.

不要行義過分，也不要過於自逞智慧，何必自取敗亡呢？

bú yào xíng yì guò fèn ， yě bú yào guò yú zì chěng zhì huì ， hé bì zì qǔ bài wáng ne ？

Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

不要行惡過分，也不要為人愚昧，何必不到期而死呢？

bú yào xíng è guò fèn ， yě bú yào wèi rén yú mèi ， hé bì bú dào qī ér sǐ ne ？

Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

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。

nǐ chí shǒu zhè ge wèi měi ， nà gè yě bú yào sōng shǒu ； yīn wèi jìng wèi shén de rén ， bì cóng zhè liǎng yàng chū lái 。

It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

智慧使有智慧的人比城中十個官長更有能力。

zhì huì shǐ yǒu zhì huì de rén bǐ chéng zhōng shí gè guān zhǎng gèng yǒu néng lì 。

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

時常行善而不犯罪的義人，世上實在沒有。

shí cháng xíng shàn ér bú fàn zuì de yì rén ， shì shàng shí zài méi yǒu 。

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.

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。

rén suǒ shuō de yí qiè huà ， nǐ bú yào fàng zài xīn shàng ， kǒng pà tīng jiàn nǐ de pú rén zhòu zǔ nǐ 。

Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

因為你心裏知道，自己也曾屢次咒詛別人。

yīn wèi nǐ xīn lǐ zhī dào ， zì jǐ yě céng lǚ cì zhòu zǔ bié rén 。

for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.

我曾用智慧試驗這一切事；我說，要得智慧，智慧卻離我遠。

wǒ céng yòng zhì huì shì yàn zhè yí qiè shì ； wǒ shuō ， yào dé zhì huì ， zhì huì què lí wǒ yuǎn 。

All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.

萬事之理，離我甚遠，而且最深，誰能測透呢？

wàn shì zhī lǐ ， lí wǒ shèn yuǎn ， ér qiě zuì shēn ， shuí néng cè tòu ne ？

That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?

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。

wǒ zhuǎn niàn ， yì xīn yào zhī dào ， yào kǎo chá ， yào xún qiú zhì huì hé wàn shì de lǐ yóu ； yòu yào zhī dào xié è wèi yú mèi ， yú mèi wèi kuáng wàng 。

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

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。

wǒ dé zhī yǒu děng fù rén bǐ sǐ hái kǔ ： tā de xīn shì wǎng luó ， shǒu shì suǒ liàn 。 fán méng shén xǐ yuè de rén bì néng duǒ bì tā ； yǒu zuì de rén què bèi tā chán zhù le 。

I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

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。

chuán dào zhě shuō ：「 kàn nǎ ， yì qiān nán zǐ zhōng ， wǒ zhǎo dào yí gè zhèng zhí rén ， dàn zhòng nǚ zǐ zhōng ， méi yǒu zhǎo dào yí gè 。」 wǒ jiāng zhè shì yī yī bǐ jiào ， yào xún qiú qí lǐ ， wǒ xīn réng yào xún zhǎo ， què wèi céng zhǎo dào 。

“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation

which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.

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。

wǒ suǒ zhǎo dào de zhī yǒu yí jiàn ， jiù shì shén zào rén yuán shì zhèng zhí ， dàn tā men xún chū xǔ duō qiǎo jì 。

Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”