| 訓道篇 | Ecclesiastes |
|---|
| 1我又轉目注視在太陽下所行的一切暴行：看，受壓迫者眼淚汪流，卻無人安慰；壓迫人者手中只有權勢，卻無人加以援助。 | 1Again I considered all the oppressions that take place under the sun: the tears of the victims with none to comfort them! From the hand of their oppressors comes violence, and there is none to comfort them! |
| 2於是我聲稱那已死去的人，比現今還活著的人更為有福， | 2And those now dead, I declared more fortunate in death than are the living to be still alive. |
| 3那還沒有出世的人，比這兩等人更為有福，因為他還沒見到太陽下所行的惡事。 | 3And better off than both is the yet unborn, who has not seen the wicked work that is done under the sun. |
| 4我也看出各種勞苦和一切工作的技巧，都是出於人彼切間的競爭：這也是空虛，也是追風。 | 4Then I saw that all toil and skillful work is the rivalry of one man for another. This also is vanity and a chase after wind. |
| 5愚人交臂叉手，是自食己肉。 | 5 "The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh"-- |
| 6捧一把安逸，勝過兩把勞苦和追風。 | 6Better is one handful with tranquility than two with toil and a chase after wind! |
| 7我又轉睛，看見在太陽下有件空虛的事： | 7Again I found this vanity under the sun: |
| 8有個孤獨無伴的人，既沒有兒子，又沒有兄弟，卻時常勞苦不息，他的眼總是貪得無厭，從來不問：「我辛辛苦苦，節制享樂，究竟是為誰？」這也是空虛和大不幸。 | 8a solitary man with no companion; with neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his toil, and riches do not satisfy his greed. "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good things?" This also is vanity and a worthless task. |
| 9兩人勝過一人，因為兩人工作，酬報優厚： | 9Two are better than one: they get a good wage for their labor. |
| 10若一個跌倒了，另一個可扶起自己的同伴。哀哉孤獨者！他若跌倒了，沒有另一人扶起他來。 | 10If the one falls, the other will lift up his companion. Woe to the solitary man! For if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up. |
| 11又如兩人同眠，都感溫暖；若孤獨一人，怎能暖和？ | 11So also, if two sleep together, they keep each other warm. How can one alone keep warm? |
| 12若一人低不住一人，兩人怎能低住。──三股繩，不易斷。 | 12Where a lone man may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken. |
| 13一個貧寒而明智的青年，勝過一個年老昏愚，而總不採納忠言的君王。 | 13Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows caution; |
| 14這青年雖在國中出身貧寒，但由獄中出來，執政為王； | 14 for from a prison house one comes forth to rule, since even in his royalty he was poor at birth. |
| 15我看見一切在太陽下行走的活人，都擁護青年人，新繼位者，來代替老王。 | 15 Then I saw all those who are to live and move about under the sun with the heir apparent who will succeed to his place. |
| 16擁護他為領袖的人民，多得無數；但日後，那些後來的人卻不喜歡他：這也是空虛，也是追風。 | 16There is no end to all these people, to all over whom he takes precedence; yet the later generations will not applaud him. This also is vanity and a chase after wind. |
| 17你往天主的殿裡去時，要小心邁步；你前去聽道，勝過愚人獻祭，因為他們只知作惡。 | 17 Guard your step when you go to the house of God. Let your approach be obedience, rather than the fools' offering of sacrifice; for they know not how to keep from doing evil. |
