传道书 2

Chinese New Version (Simplified)

财富享乐都是虚空

2 我自己心里说：“来吧，我用享乐试试你，让你看看有甚么好处。”想不到，这也是虚空。 ²对嬉笑，我说：“那是狂妄”；对享乐，我说：“这有甚么作用呢？” ³我心里筹思，怎样用酒使我的身体畅快，又保持愚昧，但我的内心仍由智慧引导；直到我看明世人，在诸天之下一生有限的年日中所行的，对他们有益的是甚么。

⁴我大事发展：为自己建造房屋，栽种葡萄园， ⁵修造园囿和庭园，在园中栽种各类果树， ⁶挖造水池，用来浇灌培植树木的林园。 ⁷我买了仆婢，也有生在家中的奴仆；又拥有大群牛羊，胜过任何比我先在耶路撒冷的人所拥有的。 ⁸我又为自己积蓄金银，以及列王和各省的财宝。我又为自己招募男女歌手，收纳许多妃嫔，是世人所以为乐的。 ⁹于是我就日渐昌大，超过任何比我先在耶路撒冷的人；我的智慧仍然与我同在。 ¹⁰我眼中所求的，我都不禁止；我心所喜欢的，我都没抑制。我的心因我的一切劳碌而快乐，这就是我从一切劳碌中所得的分。 ¹¹然后，我省察我手所作的一切，和我劳碌所成就的，想不到一切都是虚空，都是捕风，在日光之下毫无益处。

智愚同一命运都是虚空

¹²我转过来观察智慧、狂妄和愚昧。王的继承人还能作甚么呢？只不过作先前作过的罢了。 ¹³于是我看出智慧胜过愚昧，如同光明胜过黑暗一样。 ¹⁴智慧人的眼目明亮，愚昧人却走在黑暗中。我也知道同一的命运要临到这两种人身上。 ¹⁵我自己心里说：“临到愚昧人身上的，也必临到我身上；那么，我为甚么要更有智慧呢？”于是我心里说：“这也是虚空。” ¹⁶因为智慧人和愚昧人一样，没有人永远记念他们，在未来的日子里，都会被人遗忘。可叹智慧人跟愚昧人一样，终必死亡。 ¹⁷因此我恨恶生命，因为在日光之下所发生的事，都使我厌烦。一切都是虚空，都是捕风。

劳碌一生都是虚空

¹⁸我恨恶我的一切劳碌，就是我在日光之下的劳碌，因为我不得不把劳碌的成果留给后人。 ¹⁹那人将来是智是愚，有谁晓得呢？可是他竟要掌管一切我劳碌得来的，就是我在日光之下用智慧得来的。这又是虚空。 ²⁰于是我转念，对日光之下我所劳碌的一切，心感绝望； ²¹因为人用智慧、知识和技能所劳碌得来的，却必须留给未曾劳碌的人为分。这也是虚空，是极大的憾事。 ²²人的一切劳碌和操心，就是他在日光之下所劳碌的，对自己有甚么益处呢？ ²³其实终其一生，他的担子既痛苦又烦恼，在夜间也不能安心。这也是虚空。

人生享乐皆　神所赐

²⁴人最好是吃喝，在自己的劳碌中自得其乐；我看这也是出于　神的手。 ²⁵离开了他（“离开了他”：《马索拉文本》作“除了我”；现参照《七十士译本》等古译本翻译），谁能有吃的呢？谁能享乐呢？ ²⁶　神把智慧、知识和喜乐赐给他所喜悦的人，却使罪人作收集和积聚的差事，把所得的归给　神所喜悦的人。这也是虚空，也是捕风。

Ecclesiastes 2

The Message

2 ^1-3I said to myself, “Let’s go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!” But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.

What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane!
    My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it?
With the help of a bottle of wine
    and all the wisdom I could muster,
I tried my level best
    to penetrate the absurdity of life.
I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do
    during the years we spend on this earth.

I Never Said No to Myself

^4-8Oh, I did great things:
    built houses,
    planted vineyards,
    designed gardens and parks
        and planted a variety of fruit trees in them,
    made pools of water
        to irrigate the groves of trees.
I bought slaves, male and female,
        who had children, giving me even more slaves;
    then I acquired large herds and flocks,
        larger than any before me in Jerusalem.
I piled up silver and gold,
        loot from kings and kingdoms.
I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song,
    and—most exquisite of all pleasures—
    voluptuous maidens for my bed.

^9-10Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!

I Hate Life

¹¹Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

^12-14And then I took a hard look at what’s smart and what’s stupid. What’s left to do after you’ve been king? That’s a hard act to follow. You just do what you can, and that’s it. But I did see that it’s better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than darkness. Even so, though the smart ones see where they’re going and the stupid ones grope in the dark, they’re all the same in the end. One fate for all—and that’s it.

^15-16When I realized that my fate’s the same as the fool’s, I had to ask myself, “So why bother being wise?” It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke. The smart and the stupid both disappear out of sight. In a day or two they’re both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the stupid die, and that’s it.

¹⁷I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind.

^18-19And I hated everything I’d accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can’t take it with me—no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they’re worthy or worthless—and who’s to tell?—they’ll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke.

^20-23That’s when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth. What’s the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that’s what it is. A bad business from start to finish. So what do you get from a life of hard labor? Pain and grief from dawn to dusk. Never a decent night’s rest. Nothing but smoke.

^24-26The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can. The way I see it, that’s it—divine fate. Whether we feast or fast, it’s up to God. God may give wisdom and knowledge and joy to his favorites, but sinners are assigned a life of hard labor, and end up turning their wages over to God’s favorites. Nothing but smoke—and spitting into the wind.

Chinese New Version (Simplified) (CNVS)

The Message (MSG)

传道书 2 Chinese New Version (Simplified)