傳道書2:12-16

2:12 我轉念觀看智慧、狂妄，和愚昧。在王以後而來的人還能做甚麼呢？也不過行早先所行的就是了。
2:13 我便看出智慧勝過愚昧，如同光明勝過黑暗。
2:14 智慧人的眼目光明（光明：原文是在他頭上），愚昧人在黑暗裡行。我卻看明有一件事，這兩等人都必遇見。
2:15 我就心裡說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也必遇見，我為何更有智慧呢？」我心裡說，這也是虛空。
2:16 智慧人和愚昧人一樣，永遠無人記念，因為日後都被忘記；可嘆智慧人死亡，與愚昧人無異。

 ¹² Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?
¹³ I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
    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.

¹⁵ Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
¹⁶ For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!

****************

    傳道者在此雖然說到智慧與愚昧沒有甚麼不同，境遇都相同，一樣會面對生死的問題。生的時候一樣，死的時候也相同。死亡經過一段時間之後，不管是智慧與愚昧的人都不被人記念！這如一般人所說的，死亡就如塵土隨風而去，不留一點痕跡！

    作者不斷的強調與說明「虛空」是每個人會面對的，不管是智慧或愚昧。然而作者在此明說：「智慧勝過愚昧，如同光明勝過黑暗。」

    雖然不是很明顯在延伸下去敘述，但是在此給了一個伏筆，要人去尋求智慧，來改變「虛空」的狀態！也求主幫助我們，從上帝的啟示和生命的經歷，得著真正的智慧，來突破「虛空」的狀態。

傳道書2章

               傳道書2:1-11   ,  傳道書2章1-11節 ,

               傳道書2:12-16  ,   傳道書2章12-17節  , 

               傳道書2:17-26  ,  傳道書2章18-26節  ,

               傳道書2:22-23 ,

傳道書2:1-11

2:1 我心裡說：「來吧，我以喜樂試試你，你好享福！」誰知，這也是虛空。
2:2 我指嬉笑說：「這是狂妄。」論喜樂說：「有何功效呢？」
2:3 我心裡察究，如何用酒使我肉體舒暢，我心卻仍以智慧引導我；又如何持住愚昧，等我看明世人，在天下一生當行何事為美。
2:4 我為自己動大工程，建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，
2:5 修造園囿，在其中栽種各樣果木樹；
2:6 挖造水池，用以澆灌嫩小的樹木。
2:7 我買了僕婢，也有生在家中的僕婢；又有許多牛群羊群，勝過以前在耶路撒冷眾人所有的。
2:8 我又為自己積蓄金銀和君王的財寶，並各省的財寶；又得唱歌的男女和世人所喜愛的物，並許多的妃嬪。
2:9 這樣，我就日見昌盛，勝過以前在耶路撒冷的眾人。我的智慧仍然存留。
2:10 凡我眼所求的，我沒有留下不給它的；我心所樂的，我沒有禁止不享受的；因我的心為我一切所勞碌的快樂，這就是我從勞碌中所得的分。
2:11 後來，我察看我手所經營的一切事和我勞碌所成的功。誰知都是虛空，都是捕風；在日光之下毫無益處。

 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. ² “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” ³ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—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.

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem^[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 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;
    nothing was gained under the sun.

****************

    傳道者想用最高的智慧與最高等級的享樂，想尋求人生最高的意義。可是最後，他仍然非常的失望，因為他仍然覺得這一切的努力是沒有意義的，所以仍然感嘆的說：「後來，我察看我手所經營的一切事和我勞碌所成的功。誰知都是虛空，都是捕風；在日光之下毫無益處。」

    從他的敘述中，財富、地位、享樂、權勢、成就感、…，等等的這一切大家看為美好的事，他都擁有了，而且還可以恣意的享受，但是心裡仍然不滿足，仍然虛空，仍然覺得一切都沒有意義了！

    其實，有位神學家說得很好，他說道我們每個人心中都有一個空缺，這個空缺是任何事物都無法填滿的，只有上帝自己可以填滿！所以，人嘗試以別的事物來代替上帝，是無填法滿，一切都是無意義！

    傳道書的作者，正是要表達這樣的景況，勸勉人要接受上帝在心中作王，才有真正的滿足！

傳道書1:12-18

1:12 我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。
1:13 我專心用智慧尋求、查究天下所做的一切事，乃知上帝叫世人所經練的是極重的勞苦。
1:14 我見日光之下所做的一切事，都是虛空，都是捕風。
1:15 彎曲的，不能變直；缺少的，不能足數。
1:16 我心裡議論說：我得了大智慧，勝過我以前在耶路撒冷的眾人，而且我心中多經歷智慧和知識的事。
1:17 我又專心察明智慧、狂妄，和愚昧，乃知這也是捕風。
1:18 因為多有智慧，就多有愁煩；加增知識的，就加增憂傷。

¹² I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! ¹⁴ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be straightened;
    what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
    the more knowledge, the more grief.

****************

    傳道者在此否定了智慧的用處，還用特別的筆法來敘述，說到：「我得了大智慧，勝過我以前在耶路撒冷的眾人，而且我心中多經歷智慧和知識的事。我又專心察明智慧、狂妄，和愚昧，乃知這也是捕風。因為多有智慧，就多有愁煩；加增知識的，就加增憂傷。」

    很明確的說到智慧並不能改變現實狀況，反倒是造成更大的困難！因為他越有智慧就越察覺「天下所做的一切事，乃知上帝叫世人所經練的是極重的勞苦。日光之下所做的一切事，都是虛空，都是捕風。彎曲的，不能變直；缺少的，不能足數。」

    人遇到現實的問題就是這樣無奈，更多的智慧與能力，是要遇到更大更無法解決的事情！這是人非常無可奈何的事啊！所以，人只有敬畏上帝，要以倚靠上帝，讓上帝在我們前面引導，才能與現實有搏鬥的勇氣與信心，不是靠自己的智慧，而是要倚靠上帝在我們心裡加添力量！

傳道書1章

    傳道書1:1-11    ,  傳道書1章1-11節  ,

    傳道書1:12-18    ,

傳道書1:1-11

1:1 在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子、傳道者的言語。
1:2 傳道者說：虛空的虛空，虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空。
1:3 人一切的勞碌，就是他在日光之下的勞碌，有甚麼益處呢？
1:4 一代過去，一代又來，地卻永遠長存。
1:5 日頭出來，日頭落下，急歸所出之地。
1:6 風往南颳，又向北轉，不住地旋轉，而且返回轉行原道。
1:7 江河都往海裡流，海卻不滿；江河從何處流，仍歸還何處。
1:8 萬事令人厭煩（或譯：萬物滿有睏乏），人不能說盡。眼看，看不飽；耳聽，聽不足。
1:9 已有的事後必再有；已行的事後必再行。日光之下並無新事。
1:10 豈有一件事人能指著說這是新的？哪知，在我們以前的世代早已有了。
1:11 已過的世代，無人記念；將來的世代，後來的人也不記念。

The words of the Teacher,^[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
    Everything is meaningless.”

³ What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?
⁴ Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.
⁶ The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.
⁸ All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
⁹ What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
¹¹ No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.

****************

    傳道者一開始以「虛空的虛空，虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空」來開場白，目的就是要否定人的作為，好讓人覺得自己所做的一切都是無意義，沒有價值的，不需要拿來誇口！

    這樣的否定是要人認清楚，若沒有敬畏上帝的心，只是求自己的表現和滿足自我的成就感，是毫無意義的，因為這一些努力只有自己覺得好，別人不一定會欣賞，更不要期盼存到永恆！因為，這一切都是千篇一律，正如大自然的事物一般，一直循環有循環，沒有甚麼特別的，所以傳道者感嘆：「已有的事後必再有；已行的事後必再行。日光之下並無新事。」

    更諷刺的事情，就是當人們覺得甚麼是新奇的，是很特別的，竟然是「哪知，在我們以前的世代早已有了」。表示，沒甚麼好炫耀的，再怎樣的特殊，也只不過是這樣而已吧！

    說難聽一點，任何事都是照著原理原則在進行，沒有甚麼稀奇的事啊！你認為呢？也因此，若離了上帝的啟示，甚麼都不是！你不覺得嗎？