¹世上福樂不能滿足人心我看見日光之下有一件憾事，重壓在世人身上。

¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

²蒙　神賜予財富、資產和榮譽的人，心裡所願的，都一無所缺，可是　神使他無力享用，反而有外人來享用。這是虛空，也是禍患。

²a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³人如果生下百子，活了許多歲數，年日長久，但是心裡不因美物滿足，又得不到安葬，我以為流產的胎比他還好。

³If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial; I say, that a stillborn child is better than he:

⁴因為這胎虛虛而來，暗暗而去，黑暗把他的名字遮蔽了。

⁴for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵這胎既看不見天日，又一無所知，就比那人更得安息。

⁵Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

⁶那人即使活了一千年，再活一千年，也享受不到甚麼；他們兩者不是都歸一個地方嗎？

⁶Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

⁷人的一切勞碌都為口腹，他的心卻還是填不滿。

⁷All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸智慧人比愚昧人有甚麼長處呢？窮人在眾人面前知道怎樣行事為人，又有甚麼長處呢？

⁸For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

⁹眼睛看見的，勝過心中想望的。這也是虛空，也是捕風。

⁹Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁰已經存在的，早已有了名稱；大家都知道人是怎樣的；人絕對無法與比自己強的抗辯。

¹⁰Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier than he.

¹¹因為話語增多，虛空也增多，這對人有甚麼益處呢？

¹¹For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?

¹²在虛空、消逝如影的人生，短暫的日子裡，有誰知道甚麼是對人有益處呢？誰能告訴人他死後在日光之下會發生甚麼事呢？

¹²For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?