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财富享乐都是虚空

我自己心里说:“来吧,我用享乐试试你,让你看看有甚么好处。”想不到,这也是虚空。 对嬉笑,我说:“那是狂妄”;对享乐,我说:“这有甚么作用呢?” 我心里筹思,怎样用酒使我的身体畅快,又保持愚昧,但我的内心仍由智慧引导;直到我看明世人,在诸天之下一生有限的年日中所行的,对他们有益的是甚么。

我大事发展:为自己建造房屋,栽种葡萄园, 修造园囿和庭园,在园中栽种各类果树, 挖造水池,用来浇灌培植树木的林园。 我买了仆婢,也有生在家中的奴仆;又拥有大群牛羊,胜过任何比我先在耶路撒冷的人所拥有的。 我又为自己积蓄金银,以及列王和各省的财宝。我又为自己招募男女歌手,收纳许多妃嫔,是世人所以为乐的。 于是我就日渐昌大,超过任何比我先在耶路撒冷的人;我的智慧仍然与我同在。 10 我眼中所求的,我都不禁止;我心所喜欢的,我都没抑制。我的心因我的一切劳碌而快乐,这就是我从一切劳碌中所得的分。 11 然后,我省察我手所作的一切,和我劳碌所成就的,想不到一切都是虚空,都是捕风,在日光之下毫无益处。

智愚同一命运都是虚空

12 我转过来观察智慧、狂妄和愚昧。王的继承人还能作甚么呢?只不过作先前作过的罢了。 13 于是我看出智慧胜过愚昧,如同光明胜过黑暗一样。 14 智慧人的眼目明亮,愚昧人却走在黑暗中。我也知道同一的命运要临到这两种人身上。 15 我自己心里说:“临到愚昧人身上的,也必临到我身上;那么,我为甚么要更有智慧呢?”于是我心里说:“这也是虚空。” 16 因为智慧人和愚昧人一样,没有人永远记念他们,在未来的日子里,都会被人遗忘。可叹智慧人跟愚昧人一样,终必死亡。 17 因此我恨恶生命,因为在日光之下所发生的事,都使我厌烦。一切都是虚空,都是捕风。

劳碌一生都是虚空

18 我恨恶我的一切劳碌,就是我在日光之下的劳碌,因为我不得不把劳碌的成果留给后人。 19 那人将来是智是愚,有谁晓得呢?可是他竟要掌管一切我劳碌得来的,就是我在日光之下用智慧得来的。这又是虚空。 20 于是我转念,对日光之下我所劳碌的一切,心感绝望; 21 因为人用智慧、知识和技能所劳碌得来的,却必须留给未曾劳碌的人为分。这也是虚空,是极大的憾事。 22 人的一切劳碌和操心,就是他在日光之下所劳碌的,对自己有甚么益处呢? 23 其实终其一生,他的担子既痛苦又烦恼,在夜间也不能安心。这也是虚空。

人生享乐皆 神所赐

24 人最好是吃喝,在自己的劳碌中自得其乐;我看这也是出于 神的手。 25 离开了他(“离开了他”:《马索拉文本》作“除了我”;现参照《七十士译本》等古译本翻译),谁能有吃的呢?谁能享乐呢? 26  神把智慧、知识和喜乐赐给他所喜悦的人,却使罪人作收集和积聚的差事,把所得的归给 神所喜悦的人。这也是虚空,也是捕风。

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.