| 1:1 | 在耶路撒冷作王、大卫的儿子、传道者的言语。 | The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. |
| 1:2 | 传道者说、虚空的虚空、虚空的虚空.凡事都是虚空。 | Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. |
| 1:3 | 人一切的劳碌、就是他在日光之下的劳碌、有什么益处呢。 | What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? |
| 1:4 | 一代过去、一代又来.地却永远长存。 | One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. |
| 1:5 | 日头出来、日头落下、急归所出之地。 | The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. |
| 1:6 | 风往南刮、又向北转、不住的旋转、而且返回转行原道。 | 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 | 江河都往海里流、海却不满.江河从何处流、仍归还何处. | 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 | 万事令人厌烦〔或作万物满有困乏〕人不能说尽.眼看、看不饱、耳听、听不足。 | 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、后必再有.已行的事、后必再行.日光之下并无新事。 | 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 | 岂有一件事人能指着说、这是新的.那知、在我们以前的世代、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 | 已过的世代、无人记念、将来的世代、后来的人也不记念。 | 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 | 我传道者在耶路撒冷作过以色列的王。 | I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. |
| 1:13 | 我专心用智慧寻求查究天下所作的一切事、乃知 神叫世人所经练的、是极重的劳苦。 | 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 | 我见日光之下所作的一切事、都是虚空、都是捕风。 | I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. |
| 1:15 | 弯曲的不能变直.缺少的不能足数。 | That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. |
| 1:16 | 我心里议论、说、我得了大智慧、胜过我以前在耶路撒冷的众人.而且我心中多经历智慧、和知识的事。 | 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 | 我又专心察明智慧、狂妄、和愚昧.乃知这也是捕风。 | 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 | 因为多有智慧、就多有愁烦.加增知识的、就加增忧伤。 | For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. |