万物有时

天下万物都有定期,
凡事都有定时。
出生有时,死亡有时;
耕种有时,拔出有时;
杀戮有时,医治有时;
拆毁有时,建造有时;
哭泣有时,欢笑有时;
哀伤有时,雀跃有时;
抛石有时,堆石有时[a]
拥抱有时,避开有时;
寻找有时,遗失有时;
保存有时,丢弃有时;
撕裂有时,缝合有时;
沉默有时,发言有时;
爱慕有时,憎恶有时;
争战有时,和好有时。

那么,人劳碌做工有什么益处呢? 10 我察觉上帝给世人重担,使他们忙碌不休。 11 祂使万事各按其时变得美好,又把永恒的意识放在人心里,人却不能测透上帝从始至终的作为。 12 我认识到,人生在世没有什么比欢乐、享受更好。 13 人人都该吃喝、享受自己劳苦的成果,这是上帝的恩赐。 14 我知道,上帝所做的都会存到永远,谁也不能增减。祂这样安排是叫人敬畏祂。 15 现在的事并不是新事,未来的事也早已发生过。上帝使过去的事再次出现。

世间的不公

16 我又看到日光之下,即使在公道和正义之地也有邪恶。 17 我心里想:“不论义人或恶人,上帝必审判,因为万事万务都有受审之时。” 18 我又想:“至于世人,上帝试验他们,是要他们知道自己与兽类无异。 19 因为人和兽的际遇并无分别,两者都难逃一死,活着都靠一口气。人并不比兽强,一切都是虚空。 20 两者都同归一处,出于尘土,也归于尘土。 21 谁知道人的气息[b]会向上升,兽的气息会降到地下呢?” 22 因此,我觉得没有什么比人享受工作之乐更好,因为这是人当得的。人死后,谁能使他看到世间的事呢?

Footnotes

  1. 3:5 抛石有时,堆石有时”意义不明,有犹太拉比说是“同房有时,分房有时”。
  2. 3:21 气息”或译“灵”,本节同。

万事均有定时劳碌无益

凡事都有定期,天下万务都有定时。 生有时,死有时。栽种有时,拔出所栽种的也有时。 杀戮有时,医治有时。拆毁有时,建造有时。 哭有时,笑有时。哀恸有时,跳舞有时。 抛掷石头有时,堆聚石头有时。怀抱有时,不怀抱有时。 寻找有时,失落有时。保守有时,舍弃有时。 撕裂有时,缝补有时。静默有时,言语有时。 喜爱有时,恨恶有时。争战有时,和好有时。 这样看来,做事的人在他的劳碌上有什么益处呢? 10 我见神叫世人劳苦,使他们在其中受经练。 11 神造万物,各按其时成为美好,又将永生[a]安置在世人心里,然而神从始至终的作为,人不能参透。 12 我知道,世人莫强如终身喜乐、行善。 13 并且人人吃喝,在他一切劳碌中享福,这也是神的恩赐。 14 我知道,神一切所做的都必永存,无所增添,无所减少,神这样行,是要人在他面前存敬畏的心。 15 现今的事早先就有了,将来的事早已也有了,并且神使已过的事重新再来[b]

世人所遇与兽无异

16 我又见日光之下,在审判之处有奸恶,在公义之处也有奸恶。 17 我心里说:“神必审判义人和恶人,因为在那里,各样事务、一切工作都有定时。” 18 我心里说:“这乃为世人的缘故,是神要试验他们,使他们觉得自己不过像兽一样。 19 因为世人遭遇的,兽也遭遇,所遭遇的都是一样。这个怎样死,那个也怎样死,气息都是一样。人不能强于兽,都是虚空。 20 都归一处,都是出于尘土,也都归于尘土。 21 谁知道人的灵是往上升,兽的魂是下入地呢?” 22 故此,我见人莫强如在他经营的事上喜乐,因为这是他的份。他身后的事,谁能使他回来得见呢?

Footnotes

  1. 传道书 3:11 “永生”原文作“永远”。
  2. 传道书 3:15 或作:并且神再寻回已过的事。

Everything Has Its Time

To everything there is a season,
A (A)time for every purpose under heaven:

A time [a]to be born,
And (B)a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to (C)weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
(D)A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
(E)A time to keep silence,
And a time to (F)speak;
A time to love,
And a time to (G)hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

(H)What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 (I)I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that (J)no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

12 I know that nothing is (K)better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that (L)every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
(M)Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 (N)That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God [b]requires an account of [c]what is past.

Injustice Seems to Prevail

16 Moreover (O)I saw under the sun:

In the place of [d]judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
[e]Iniquity was there.

17 I said in my heart,

(P)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every [f]purpose and for every work.”

18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19 (Q)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: (R)all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 (S)Who[g] knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 22 (T)So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for (U)that is his [h]heritage. (V)For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:2 Lit. to bear
  2. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Lit. seeks
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:15 what is pursued
  4. Ecclesiastes 3:16 justice
  5. Ecclesiastes 3:16 Wickedness
  6. Ecclesiastes 3:17 desire
  7. Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
  8. Ecclesiastes 3:22 portion or lot

A Time for Everything

There is a time(A) for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,(B)
    a time to kill(C) and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent(D) and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?(E) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(F) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(H) what God has done from beginning to end.(I) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(J) and find satisfaction(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(L) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(M)

15 Whatever is has already been,(N)
    and what will be has been before;(O)
    and God will call the past to account.[b]

16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment(P)
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”(Q)

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(R) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(T) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(V) because that is their lot.(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
  2. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit