美好的名聲勝過珍貴的膏油,
人死之日勝過出生之時。
探望喪家勝過參加宴席,
因為死亡是每個人的結局,
活著的人要把這事銘記在心。
哀傷勝過歡笑,
因為哀傷磨煉人的心靈。
智者的心思考生死大事,
愚人的心只顧作樂。
聽智者的責備,
勝過聽愚人的頌歌。
愚人的笑聲像鍋底下燒荊棘的噼啪聲。
這也是虛空。
欺壓使智者變愚昧,
賄賂敗壞人心。
事情的結局勝過事情的開端;
恆久忍耐勝過心驕氣傲。
不要輕易發怒,
因為愚人心懷怒氣。
10 不要問為什麼過去比現在好,
因為這樣問不明智。
11 智慧如同產業一樣美好,
有益於得見日光的世人。
12 智慧如同金錢,
是一種保障,
能保全智者的生命。
這就是知識的好處。
13 你應當思想上帝的作為,
因為上帝弄彎的,
誰能使它變直呢?
14 順境時要快樂,
逆境時要思想:
兩者都是上帝的安排,
好叫人不能預知將來。

15 在我虛空的一生中,我見過義人行義,反而滅亡;惡人行惡,卻享長壽。 16 為人不要過分正直,也不要過於聰明,何必自取毀滅呢? 17 不要過分邪惡,也不要做愚人,何必時候未到就死呢? 18 最好是持守這個教訓也不放鬆那個教訓,因為敬畏上帝的人必避免兩個極端。 19 智慧使一個智者比城裡十個官長更有能力。 20 誠然,在地上無法找到一個一生行善、從未犯罪的義人。 21 你不要斤斤計較別人所說的每一句話,免得聽見你的僕人咒詛你, 22 因為你心裡知道自己也曾多次咒詛別人。 23 我用智慧試驗過這一切。我說:「我要做智者」,誰知智慧卻離我甚遠。 24 智慧如此遙不可及、深不可測,誰能找得到呢? 25 我用心去認識、探究、追尋智慧和事物的原委,並去認識邪惡帶來的愚昧和無知帶來的狂妄。 26 我發現有的婦人比死亡更苦毒,她是個陷阱,心如網羅,手像鎖鏈。敬畏上帝的人避開她,罪人卻被她俘虜。 27-28 傳道者說:「看啊,我事事反復探索,要查明萬事之理,卻沒有尋獲。但我發現在一千個男子中還可以找到一位正直人,在眾女子中卻未找到一位。 29 我只發現一件事,上帝造的人本來正直,人卻找出各種詭計。」

Wisdom

A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(C) is the destiny(D) of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(I) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
    and a bribe(J) corrupts the heart.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience(K) is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked(L) in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.(M)

10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(N) better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing(O)
    and benefits those who see the sun.(P)
12 Wisdom is a shelter
    as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
    Wisdom preserves those who have it.

13 Consider what God has done:(Q)

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?(R)
14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(S)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

15 In this meaningless life(T) of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.(U)
16 Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time?(V)
18 It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God(W) will avoid all extremes.[a]

19 Wisdom(X) makes one wise person more powerful(Y)
    than ten rulers in a city.

20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,(Z)
    no one who does what is right and never sins.(AA)

21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you(AB) may hear your servant cursing you—
22 for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

“I am determined to be wise”(AC)
    but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
    who can discover it?(AD)
25 So I turned my mind to understand,
    to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things(AE)
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
    and the madness of folly.(AF)

26 I find more bitter than death
    the woman who is a snare,(AG)
whose heart is a trap
    and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
    but the sinner she will ensnare.(AH)

27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[b](AI) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
28     while I was still searching
    but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
    but not one upright woman(AJ) among them all.
29 This only have I found:
    God created mankind upright,
    but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly