| 1:1 | 在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子、傳道者的言語。 | The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 1:2 | 傳道者說、虛空的虛空、虛空的虛空.凡事都是虛空。 | Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. |
| 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。 | What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? |
| 1:4 | 一代過去、一代又來.地卻永遠長存。 | One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. |
| 1:5 | 日頭出來、日頭落下、急歸所出之地。 | The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. |
| 1:6 | 風往南颳、又向北轉、不住的旋轉、而且返回轉行原道。 | The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. |
| 1:7 | 江河都往海裏流、海卻不滿.江河從何處流、仍歸還何處. | All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. |
| 1:8 | 萬事令人厭煩〔或作萬物滿有困乏〕人不能說盡.眼看、看不飽、耳聽、聽不足。 | All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. |
| 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。 | The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. |
| 1:10 | 豈有一件事人能指着說、這是新的.那知、在我們以前的世代、早已有了。 | Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. |
| 1:11 | 已過的世代、無人記念、將來的世代、後來的人也不記念。 | There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. |
| 1:12 | 我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。 | I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 1:13 | 我專心用智慧尋求查究天下所作的一切事、乃知 神叫世人所經練的、是極重的勞苦。 | And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. |
| 1:14 | 我見日光之下所作的一切事、都是虛空、都是捕風。 | I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. |
| 1:15 | 彎曲的不能變直.缺少的不能足數。 | That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. |
| 1:16 | 我心裏議論、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。 | I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. |
| 1:17 | 我又專心察明智慧、狂妄、和愚昧.乃知這也是捕風。 | And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. |
| 1:18 | 因為多有智慧、就多有愁煩.加增知識的、就加增憂傷。 | For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. |