971 英翻中 (671) The Ecclesiastes (十九) 傳道書(十九) 01/29/2025

971 英翻中 (671)           The Ecclesiastes (十九)                    傳道書(十九)               01/29/2025

Discernment (vv. 5b-6).                                                                                                                            辨別力（5b-6 節）。 The wise servant understands that “time and judgment [procedure, nasb]” must be considered in everything we do, because it takes discernment to know the right procedure for the right time. The impulsive person who overreacts and storms out of the room (v. 3) is probably only making the problem worse. Wisdom helps us understand people and situations and to figure out the right thing to do at the right time. “The wise heart will know the proper time and procedure” (v. 5b niv).                                  聰明的僕人明白，我們所做的每一件事都必須考慮“時間和判斷力”，因為需要有洞察力才能在正確的時間知道採取正確的行動。一個衝動的人如果反應過度並憤然走出房間（第 3 節），可能會使問題變得更糟。智慧幫助我們了解人和情況，並知道在正確的時間做正確的事。 「智慧的心知道何時、何時做正確的事」（第 5b 節）。                         This is illustrated beautifully in the lives of several Old Testament believers. Joseph didn’t impulsively reveal to his brothers who he was, because he wanted to be sure their hearts were right with their father and their God. Once he heard them confess their sins, Joseph knew it was the right time to identify himself. His handling of this delicate matter was a masterpiece of wisdom (see Gen. 43—45).              許多舊約信徒的生活完美地體現了這一點。約瑟沒有輕易地向他的兄弟們透露自己的身份，因為他想確保他們的心在他們的父親和上帝的面前是正確的。當約瑟聽到他們懺悔自己的罪過時，他知道是時候介紹自己了。他對這個微妙問題的處理堪稱智慧的傑作（見《創世記》43-45）。                                                                                                            Nehemiah was burdened to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but he was not sure the king would release him for the task (Neh. 1—2). He waited and watched and prayed, knowing that God would one day open the way for him. When the opportune hour came, Nehemiah was ready and the king granted him his request. Nehemiah knew how to discern “time and procedure.”                                                                尼希米肩負著重建耶路撒冷城牆的重任，但他不確定國王是否會允許他去做這項工作（尼希米記 1-2）。他等待、觀察、祈禱，知道有一天上帝會為他開闢道路。時間到了，尼希米準備好了，國王同意了他的請求。尼希米知道如何辨別「時間和程序」。                                                                                                                                                                   A prisoner of war in a Gentile land, Daniel refused to eat the unclean food set before him, but he didn’t make a big scene about it. Instead, he exercised gentleness and wisdom by suggesting that the guards permit the Jews to experiment with a different diet. The plan worked, and Daniel and his friends not only kept themselves ceremonially clean, but they were promoted in the king’s court (see Dan. 1).             但以理(Daniel)是異教國家的戰俘，他拒絕吃擺在他面前的不潔食物，但他並沒有對此大驚小怪。相反，他表現出仁慈和智慧，建議衛兵允許猶太人嘗試不同的飲食。這個計劃成功了，但以理和他的朋友不僅保持了儀式上的純潔，而且在國王的宮廷中得到了提升（見 但 1）。                  The apostles exercised spiritual discernment when they were arrested and persecuted (Acts 4—5). They showed respect toward those in authority even though the religious leaders were prejudiced and acted illegally. The apostles were even willing to suffer for their faith, and the Lord honored them.                   當使徒們被捕和迫害時，他們也運用了屬靈的辨別能力（使徒行傳 4-5）。即使宗教領袖有偏見並採取非法行為，他們仍然對當權者表示尊重。宗徒們願意為信仰受苦，主也尊重他們。                                                                                                                                         We have the options of disobeying, running away, defying orders, and even fighting back. But before we act, we must first exercise wisdom and seek to discern the right “time and procedure.” It’s not easy to be a consistent Christian in this complicated evil world, but we can ask for the wisdom of God and receive it by faith (James 1:5; 3:17–18).                                                                                                         我們可以選擇不服從、逃跑、違抗命令，甚至反擊。但在採取行動之前，我們必須先運用智慧，設法辨別正確的「時間和程序」。在這個複雜邪惡的世界中，做一個始終如一的基督徒並不容易，但我們可以尋求上帝的智慧，並透過信仰獲得它（雅各書 1:5；3:17-18）

Inequity (8:10–14)                                                                                                                                        不公平（8：10-14）

Solomon summarized his concern in verse 14: “righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve” (niv). In spite of good laws and fine people who seek to enforce them, there is more injustice in this world than we care to admit. A Spanish proverb says, “Laws, like the spider’s web, catch the fly and let the hawks go free.” According to famous trial lawyer F. Lee Bailey, “In America, an acquittal doesn’t mean you’re innocent; it means you beat the rap.” His definition is a bit cynical, but poet Robert Frost defined a jury as “twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”                                                                                                                                所羅門在第 14 節中總結了他的擔憂：「義人得到惡人應得的懲罰，惡人得到義人應得的懲罰」（niv）。儘管我們有好的法律，也有優秀的人努力執行這些法律，但這個世界上的不公義比我們願意承認的還要多。西班牙有句諺語說：“法律就像蜘蛛網，捕獲蒼蠅，放走老鷹。”根據著名審判律師 (F. Lee Bailey) 所說，「在美國，無罪釋放並不意味著你是無辜的；這意味著你逃脫了懲罰。他的定義有點憤世嫉俗，但詩人羅伯特·弗羅斯特將陪審團定義為「選出的十二個人來決定誰的律師更優秀」。                   In verse 10, Solomon reported on a funeral he had attended. The deceased was a man who had frequented the temple (“the place of the holy”) and had received much praise from the people, but he had not lived a godly life. Yet he was given a magnificent funeral, with an eloquent eulogy, while the truly godly people of the city were ignored and forgotten.                                                                                     在第10節中，所羅門報道了他參加過的一場葬禮。死者曾經經常去聖殿（「聖地」），受到人們許多的讚揚，但他的生活並不虔誠。然而，他卻得到了隆重的葬禮和動人的悼詞，而這座城市真正虔誠的人們卻被忽視和遺忘。                                                       As he reflected on the matter, Solomon realized that the deceased man had continued in his sin because he thought he was getting away with it (v. 11). God is indeed longsuffering toward sinners and doesn’t always judge sin immediately (2 Peter 3:1–12). However, God’s mercy must not be used as an excuse for man’s rebellion.                                                                                                                                     當所羅門反思此事時，他意識到死者之所以繼續犯罪，是因為他以為自己可以逃脫懲罰（第 11 節）。上帝確實對罪人有耐心，並且並不總是立即審判罪惡（彼得後書 3：1-12）。然而，上帝的仁慈絕不能成為人類反叛的藉口。                                              The Preacher concluded that the wicked will eventually be judged and the righteous will be rewarded (vv. 12–13), so it is better to fear the Lord and live a godly life. The evil man may live longer than the godly man. He may appear to get away with sin after sin, but the day of judgment will come, and the wicked man will not escape. It is wisdom that points the way; for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10).                                                                                                                       傳道者的結論是，惡人最終會受到審判，而義人將得到獎賞（12-13節），因此，敬畏主、過敬虔的生活才是最好的。邪惡的人可能比善良的人活得長久。他可能看似逃脫了一次又一次的罪孽，但當審判日到來時，惡人將無法逃脫。智慧指引方向；因為「敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端」（箴 9:10）。                                                                         No matter how long or full the wicked man’s life may seem to be, it is only prolonged like a shadow and has no substance (v. 13). In fact, the shadows get longer as the sun is setting. Solomon may be suggesting that the long life of the wicked man is but a prelude to eternal darkness. What good is a long life if it is only a shadow going into the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13)?                                        無論惡人的生命看起來有多長或多充實，它都只是像影子一樣延續，沒有任何實質（第 13 節）。事實上，隨著太陽落山，陰影會變得更長。所羅門也許暗示惡人的長壽不過是永恆黑暗的前奏。如果長壽只不過是一道影子，永遠進入黑暗之中，那還有什麼好處呢（猶大書 13）？             How should the wise person respond to the inequities and injustices in this world? Certainly we should do all we can to encourage the passing of good laws and the enforcement of them by capable people, but even this will not completely solve the problem. Until Jesus Christ sets up His righteous kingdom, there will always be injustices in our world. It is one of the “vanities” of life, and we must accept it without becoming pessimistic or cynical.                                                                                                明智的人該如何應對這世上的不公平和不公義？當然，我們應該盡一切努力鼓勵制定好的法律，並由有能力的人來執行，但即使這樣也不能完全解決問題。直到耶穌基督建立祂的正義王國，我們的世界才會永遠存在不公義。這是人生的「虛榮」之一，我們必須接受它，但不能變得悲觀或憤世嫉俗。