传道书 9
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
把握 神所賜的時機
9 我留心這一切事，並加以闡明：就是義人、智慧人和他們所作的，都在 神手裡。臨到他們的一切，無論是愛是恨，人都不領悟。 2 眾人的命運都是一樣的：義人與惡人、好人與壞人、潔淨的與不潔淨的、獻祭的與不獻祭的，所遭遇的都是一樣的；好人怎樣，罪人也怎樣；起誓的怎樣，怕起誓的也怎樣。
3 在日光之下所發生的一切事，有一件令人遺憾的，就是眾人的命運都是一樣的，並且世人的心充滿邪惡，一生心懷狂妄，後來都歸到死人那裡去。 4 凡有生命的（“凡有生命的”原文作“凡與所有活人有關聯的”），就有盼望，因為活狗比死獅更好。 5 活人還知道自己必死，死人卻一無所知，而且再得不到酬勞，他們也被遺忘。 6 他們的愛，他們的恨，他們的嫉妒，都早已消失了，在日光之下所發生的一切事，永遠也沒有他們的分了。
7 你只管快快樂樂地去吃你的飯，懷著高興的心去喝你的酒，因為 神已經悅納了你所作的。 8 你當經常穿著白色的衣袍，頭上也不要缺少膏油。
9 在你一生虛空的年日中，就是 神在日光之下賜你虛空的年日中，你要和你所愛的妻子享受人生，因為那是你一生在日光之下從勞碌中所得的分。 10 凡是你手可作的，都當盡力去作；因為在你所要去的陰間裡，既沒有工作，又沒有籌謀；沒有知識，也沒有智慧。
11 我又看見在日光之下，跑得快的未必得獎，勇士未必戰勝，智慧的未必得糧食，精明的未必致富，博學的未必得人賞識，因為時機和際遇左右眾人。 12 原來人並不知道自己的時機，正像魚被惡網圈住，鳥被網羅捉住，險惡的時機忽然臨到世人身上的時候，世人也照樣陷在其中。
智慧勝過武力
13 在日光之下，我又看見一樣智慧，覺得很有意義： 14 有一座小城，人數不多；有一個大君王來進攻，把它包圍，建造巨大的高壘攻城。 15 城裡有一個貧窮但有智慧的人，用他的智慧救了那城。然而，卻沒有人記念那窮人。 16 於是我說：“智慧勝過武力”，但是那個窮人的智慧被藐視，他的話也沒有人聽從。 17 聽智慧人安安靜靜說出來的話，勝過聽管理愚昧者的人的喊叫。 18 智慧勝於戰鬥的武器，但一個罪人能破壞許多好事。
Ecclesiastes 9
King James Version
9 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Ecclesiastes 9
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 9
Love, Hatred, and Death.[a] 1 To all this I have applied my mind, and I came to this conclusion: the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. As to whether they will earn love or hatred, we have no way of knowing. 2 Everything that confronts them is futile, inasmuch as the same fate comes to all, to the upright, and the wicked, to the good and the bad, to the clean and the unclean, to those who offer sacrifice and those who do not.
As it is with the good person,
so is it with the sinner;
as it is with the one who takes an oath,
so is it with the one who is fearful of doing so.
3 The worst evil of all the things that happen under the sun is this: that the same fate befalls everyone. Moreover, the hearts of men are filled with evil; madness is in their hearts throughout their lives, and afterward they descend to the dead. 4 However, the one who is counted among the living still has hope. It is preferable to be a living dog rather than a dead lion.
5 The living realize that they will die,
whereas the dead know nothing whatever.
They will have no further reward,
and even the memory of them will be obliterated.
6 For them all love and hatred and jealousy
have already perished.
Never again will they have any share
in anything that is done under the sun.
Eat, Drink, and Love.[b] 7 Go forth, then. Eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God long ago approved what you do. 8 At all times dress in white garments and always anoint your head with oil.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love throughout all the days of your allotted span of life that have been given to you under the sun, because that is your lot while you live and labor here under the sun. 10 Whatever task your hand finds to do, expend all your efforts on it, for you will find no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom in the netherworld to which you are going.
11 Destiny and Life. Another thing I have observed here under the sun:
The race is not won by the swift,
nor the battle by the brave.
Food does not belong to the wise,
nor wealth to the intelligent,
nor success to the skillful.
Rather, time and chance govern all alike.
12 For no one is able to anticipate the time of disaster:
Like fish caught in a treacherous net,
and like birds caught in a snare,
so people are trapped
when misfortune suddenly falls upon them.
13 War and Peace.[c] I have also seen the following example of wisdom under the sun, and I find it of great significance.
14 There was a small town with very few inhabitants. A great king advanced against it and surrounded it while building great siege-works. 15 In the town there lived a man who, though poor, was wise, and by his wisdom he delivered the town. Yet no one remembered this poor man afterward. 16 Therefore, I said, “Wisdom is better than power.” Yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words go unheeded.
A Wise Man in the City of Fools[d]
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one mistake can undo a great deal of good.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:1 Qoheleth does not yet foresee the hope of a resurrection, and the pious teachings concerning prosperity of the righteous and the ruin of the wicked have for him a taste of useless opium. But he clings to the idea that it is good to live!
- Ecclesiastes 9:7 In the modest trilogy (eat, drink, and love) of happiness, love, which endures for a lifetime, replaces the joy of labor. Even if Qoheleth hasn’t the slightest presentiment of an eternal life, he has learned to accept the present as a gift of God.
- Ecclesiastes 9:13 Wisdom is more important than arms to save nations, but humankind seems unable to understand this. In all the eras of history, it prefers to keep the memory of its war leaders.
- Ecclesiastes 9:17 Qoheleth inserts some sayings and illustrations on the subject of chance. Merit means nothing in the face of chance (Eccl 9:11-12), and many things succeed or fail because of trivial causes (Eccl 9:13—10:20); hence risk is an essential part of life (Eccl 11:1-6).
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
