傳道書-Ecclesiastes<上一章 下一章>

傳道書-Ecclesiastes 第 4 章

4:1我又見日光之下所行的一切欺壓。看哪,受欺壓的流淚,無人安慰;欺壓他們的有勢力,也無人安慰他們。
Then again I saw all the acts of oppression that are done under the sun; and indeed, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of the oppressors was power, and they had no comforter.
4:2因此,我讚歎那早已死的死人,勝過那還活著的活人。
And I praised the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive.
4:3並且我以為那未曾生的,就是未見過日光之下惡事的,比這兩等人更好。
And better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
4:4我又見人一切的勞碌,和工作上各樣的技能,被鄰舍所嫉妒。這也是虛空,也是捕風。
Then I saw all labor and all skill in work, that it is man's jealousy for his neighbor. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
4:5愚昧人抱著手,吃自己的肉。
The fool folds his hands together and consumes his own flesh.
4:6滿了一把,得享安靜,強如滿了兩把,勞碌捕風。
Better is a handful with quietness than two hands full with labor and a chasing after wind.
4:7我又見日光之下有一件虛空的事。
Then again I saw vanity under the sun.
4:8有人孤單無二,無子無兄,卻勞碌不息,眼目也不以財富為足。他說,我勞勞碌碌,刻苦自己,不享福樂,到底是為誰呢?這也是虛空,是極重的辛勞。
There is one alone and without a second; also he has no son or brother. Yet there is no end to all his labor; moreover his eye is not satisfied with riches. For whom then, he says, do I labor and deprive myself of good? This also is vanity and grievous travail.
4:9兩個人總比一個人好,因為二人勞碌,可得美好的酬報;
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor;
4:10若是跌倒,一人可以扶起他的同伴。若是孤身跌倒,沒有別人扶他起來,這人就有禍了!
For if they fall, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls and does not have another to lift him up!
4:11再者,二人同睡就都暖和,一人獨睡怎能暖和呢?
Again, if two lie together, they keep warm. But how can one be warm alone?
4:12有人能打勝孤身一人,若有二人便能抵擋他;三股合成的繩子,不容易折斷。
And while a man may prevail against the one, the two will withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
4:13貧窮而有智慧的少年人,勝過年老不再納諫的愚昧王。
Better is a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to be admonished.
4:14因為人能從監牢中出來作王,雖然他在國中生來原是貧窮的。
For one can come forth from prison to reign, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.
4:15我見日光之下一切行動的活人都隨從那少年人,就是起來代替老王的繼承人。
I saw all the living that went about under the sun with the youth, the successor, who stood up in place of him.
4:16他所治理的眾人,就是他的百姓,多得無數;但後來的人並不喜悅他。這實在也是虛空,也是捕風。
There was no end to all the people, to all before whom he stood, yet even those who come after will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
 
傳道書-Ecclesiastes 第 4 章 <上一章 下一章>