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喜乐福祉亦属虚空

我心里说:“来吧,我以喜乐试试你,你好享福。”谁知,这也是虚空。 我指喜笑说:“这是狂妄”,论喜乐说:“有何功效呢?” 我心里察究如何用酒使我肉体舒畅,我心却仍以智慧引导我;又如何持住愚昧,等我看明世人,在天下一生当行何事为美。

房舍田园仍属虚空

我为自己动大工程,建造房屋,栽种葡萄园, 修造园囿,在其中栽种各样果木树, 挖造水池,用以浇灌嫩小的树木。 我买了仆婢,也有生在家中的仆婢;又有许多牛群羊群,胜过以前在耶路撒冷众人所有的。 我又为自己积蓄金银和君王的财宝,并各省的财宝;又得唱歌的男女和世人所喜爱的物,并许多的妃嫔。 这样,我就日见昌盛,胜过以前在耶路撒冷的众人。我的智慧仍然存留。 10 凡我眼所求的,我没有留下不给它的;我心所乐的,我没有禁止不享受的。因我的心为我一切所劳碌的快乐,这就是我从劳碌中所得的份。 11 后来我察看我手所经营的一切事和我劳碌所成的功,谁知都是虚空,都是捕风,在日光之下毫无益处。

智慧终属虚空

12 我转念观看智慧、狂妄和愚昧。在王以后而来的人还能做什么呢?也不过行早先所行的就是了。 13 我便看出智慧胜过愚昧,如同光明胜过黑暗。 14 智慧人的眼目光明[a],愚昧人在黑暗里行,我却看明有一件事,这两等人都必遇见。 15 我就心里说:“愚昧人所遇见的,我也必遇见,我为何更有智慧呢?”我心里说:“这也是虚空。” 16 智慧人和愚昧人一样,永远无人记念,因为日后都被忘记。可叹智慧人死亡,与愚昧人无异! 17 我所以恨恶生命,因为在日光之下所行的事我都以为烦恼,都是虚空,都是捕风。

劳碌所得不知遗谁斯亦虚空

18 我恨恶一切的劳碌,就是我在日光之下的劳碌,因为我得来的必留给我以后的人。 19 那人是智慧是愚昧,谁能知道?他竟要管理我劳碌所得的,就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。这也是虚空。 20 故此,我转想我在日光之下所劳碌的一切工作,心便绝望。 21 因为有人用智慧、知识、灵巧所劳碌得来的,却要留给未曾劳碌的人为份。这也是虚空,也是大患。 22 人在日光之下劳碌、累心,在他一切的劳碌上得着什么呢? 23 因为他日日忧虑,他的劳苦成为愁烦,连夜间心也不安。这也是虚空。

神所悦者赐以智慧

24 人莫强如吃喝,且在劳碌中享福,我看这也是出于神的手。 25 论到吃用享福,谁能胜过我呢? 26 神喜悦谁,就给谁智慧、知识和喜乐,唯有罪人,神使他劳苦,叫他将所收聚的、所堆积的归给神所喜悦的人。这也是虚空,也是捕风。

Footnotes

  1. 传道书 2:14 “光明”原文作“在他头上”。

我心裡想:「來吧,不如盡情享樂,好好享受!」唉!結果這也是虛空。 我說:「歡笑只不過是一陣狂妄,享樂又有什麼用!」 於是,我決意用酒使自己快樂,在體驗愚昧的同時仍然保持理智,直到我明白在短暫的人生歲月中做何事才有益。 我大動工程,為自己建造房屋,栽種葡萄園, 開墾花圃園囿,種植各種果樹, 開鑿池塘,澆灌茂林。 我買了僕婢,又有生在家中的僕婢,擁有的牛羊遠超過有史以來耶路撒冷的任何人。 我為自己積聚金銀,搜羅列王和各省的奇珍異寶,得到男女歌優及許多妃嬪——都是世人所想望的。 這樣,我便財勢日增,享譽盛名,超過耶路撒冷歷來所有的人。然而,我仍然保持智慧。 10 凡我眼睛愛看的、心裡渴慕的,我都隨心所欲,盡情享受。我的心從勞碌中得到歡樂,這是我勞碌所得的回報。 11 然而,當我回顧雙手辛勤經營的一切成就時,唉,卻發現都是虛空,都是捕風;日光之下的一切都毫無益處。 12 於是,我轉念思考什麼是智慧、狂妄和愚昧。其實以後接替君王的人除了重演歷史之外,還能做什麼呢? 13 我領悟到智慧勝過愚昧,如同光明勝過黑暗。 14 智者高瞻遠矚,愚人卻在黑暗中摸索。但我知道兩者終必有同樣的命運。 15 於是,我想:「既然愚人的命運也將是我的命運,我有智慧又怎麼樣呢?我只能說,『這也是虛空。』」 16 因為智者和愚人一樣,不過被人記得一時,日後都會被遺忘。兩者都難逃死亡。 17 所以,我憎惡生命,因為在日光之下所做的一切都令我愁煩。唉!這一切都是虛空,都是捕風。 18 我憎惡自己在日光之下勞碌得來的一切,因為這些必留給後人。 19 誰知道那人是智者還是愚人呢?然而,他卻要接管我在日光之下用智慧辛勤經營的產業。這也是虛空。 20 因此,我對自己在日光之下一切的勞碌感到絕望。 21 一個人用智慧、知識和技能所得來的一切,卻要留給不勞而獲的人享用,這也是虛空,是極大的不幸! 22 世人在日光之下勞心勞力,究竟得到什麼呢? 23 他們一生充滿痛苦,勞碌中盡是愁煩,即使夜間心裡也不安寧。這也是虛空。 24 對人而言,沒有什麼比吃喝並享受勞碌之樂更好,我看這也是出自上帝的手。 25 離了上帝,誰還能吃喝享受呢? 26 上帝把智慧、知識和喜樂賜給祂喜悅的人,卻讓罪人忙於積攢財富,然後把他們的財富賜給祂喜悅的人。這也是虛空,也是捕風。

Pleasures Are Meaningless

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(E) and planted vineyards.(F) I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(G) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold(H) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(I) I acquired male and female singers,(J) and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(K) before me.(L) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(M)
    nothing was gained under the sun.(N)

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.(O)
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?(P)
13 I saw that wisdom(Q) is better than folly,(R)
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.(S)

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”(T)
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(U)
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(V)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(W)

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(X) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(Y) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(Z) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AA) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AB) even at night their minds do not rest.(AC) This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AD) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(AE) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(AF) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(AG) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(AH) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(AI) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(AJ) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.