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！

   

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!

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    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.

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    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.

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    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！