傳道書2:17-26

2:17 我所以恨惡生命；因為在日光之下所行的事我都以為煩惱，都是虛空，都是捕風。
2:18 我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。
2:19 那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。這也是虛空。
2:20 故此，我轉想我在日光之下所勞碌的一切工作，心便絕望。
2:21 因為有人用智慧、知識、靈巧所勞碌得來的，卻要留給未曾勞碌的人為分。這也是虛空，也是大患。
2:22 人在日光之下勞碌累心，在他一切的勞碌上得著甚麼呢？
2:23 因為他日日憂慮，他的勞苦成為愁煩，連夜間心也不安。這也是虛空。
2:24 人莫強如吃喝，且在勞碌中享福，我看這也是出於上帝的手。
2:25 論到吃用、享福，誰能勝過我呢？
2:26 上帝喜悅誰，就給誰智慧、知識，和喜樂；惟有罪人，上帝使他勞苦，叫他將所收聚的、所堆積的歸給上帝所喜悅的人。這也是虛空，也是捕風。

 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. 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. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? 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? ²³ All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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    傳道者說到了一個現實社會的問題，就是勞碌人的努力所得並不完全屬於自己的，常常會被別人奪去，不管是自己的後代或是聘雇他的人，甚至於是強盜、小偷或流氓，更嚴重的事被有權有勢的人霸佔。

    所以他感嘆的說：「我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。」

    也因此傳道者強調：「人莫強如吃喝，且在勞碌中享福，我看這也是出於上帝的手。」也就是說，能夠吃喝自己勞碌所得的，就是上帝給人的福氣！也因此，人當求這樣的福份！

    所以，傳道者說：「上帝喜悅誰，就給誰智慧、知識，和喜樂；惟有罪人，上帝使他勞苦，叫他將所收聚的、所堆積的歸給上帝所喜悅的人。」

    我們要得著「智慧、知識，和喜樂」，就需要成為上帝所喜悅的人。人生才可以脫離虛空，享受自己勞碌所得的！