1谁像有智慧的人呢？
谁知道事情的原委呢？
智慧能使人容光焕发，
使冷酷的面孔柔和。
2我劝你遵守王的命令，因为你曾在上帝面前这样发誓。 3不要在王面前鲁莽行事，也不要参与恶行，因为王可以随意行事。 4况且，王的命令至高无上，谁敢质问他呢？ 5遵从王命的必免遭祸患，因为智者心里懂得做事的时机和方法。 6尽管人面临重重困难，但做任何事都有时机和方法。 7无人知道未来的事，谁能告诉人将来的事呢？ 8无人能掌管生命8:8 “生命”也可译作“风”或“气息”。，留住生命，也无人能掌管死期。无人能免于这场争战，邪恶也救不了作恶者。 9这一切我都见过了，我用心思考日光之下的一切事。有时人欺压人、伤害人。 10我看见恶人生前出入圣所，死后安葬，还在他们作恶的城中受到称赞，这也是虚空。 11对犯罪者的刑罚不迅速执行，世人便尽情作恶。 12虽然罪人作恶多端仍得长寿，我却认为敬畏上帝的人必亨通。 13然而，恶人得不到祝福，他们必像幻影一样不能长久，因为他们不敬畏上帝。 14世上有一件虚空的事，就是义人遭受了恶人当受的报应，恶人却享受了义人该享的福乐。我认为这也是虚空。 15因此，我便赞赏享乐，因为在日光之下没有什么比吃喝快乐更好。这是人在上帝所赐的年日里，从劳碌中当得的享受。 16我全心去寻求智慧，观察世上所发生的事，甚至昼夜不眠， 17思想上帝所做的一切，便知道人无法理解日光之下所发生的事。尽管人努力不懈地去寻找，也不能明白；即使智者自以为明白，他其实仍不能参透。
1Who is like a wise person?
Who knows how to explain things?
A person’s wisdom makes their face bright.
It softens the look on their face.
Obey the King
2I’m telling you to obey the king’s command. You promised to serve him. You made a promise to God. 3Don’t be in a hurry to quit your job in the palace. Don’t stand up for something the king doesn’t like. He’ll do anything he wants to. 4The king has the final word. So who can ask him, “What are you doing?”
5No one who obeys his command will be harmed.
Those who are wise will know the proper time and way to approach him.
6There’s a proper time and way for people to do everything.
That’s true even though a person might be suffering greatly.
7No one knows what lies ahead.
So who can tell someone else what’s going to happen?
8No one can stop the wind from blowing.
And no one has the power to decide when they will die.
No one is let out of the army in times of war.
And evil won’t let go of those who practice it.
9I understood all these things. I used my mind to study everything that’s done on earth. A man sometimes makes life hard for others. But he ends up hurting himself. 10I also saw sinful people being buried. They used to come and go from the place of worship. And others praised them in the city where they worshiped. That doesn’t have any meaning either.
11Sometimes the sentence for a crime isn’t carried out quickly. So people make plans to commit even more crimes. 12An evil person may be guilty of a hundred crimes. Yet they may still live a long time. But I know that things will go better with those who have great respect for God. 13Sinful people don’t respect God. So things won’t go well with them. Like a shadow, they won’t be around very long.
14Here’s something else on this earth that doesn’t have any meaning. Sometimes godly people get what sinful people should receive. And sinful people get what godly people should receive. Here’s what I’m telling you. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 15So I advise everyone to enjoy life. A person on this earth can’t do anything better than eat and drink and be glad. Then they will enjoy their work. They’ll be happy all the days of the life God has given them on earth.
16I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. I wanted to observe the hard work people do on earth. They don’t close their eyes and go to sleep day or night. 17I saw everything God has done. No one can understand what happens on earth. People might try very hard to figure it out. But they still can’t discover what it all means. Wise people might claim they know. But they can’t really understand it either.
