¹在你壮年的日子，当记念你的创造主。不要等到衰败的日子，就是你所说：“我毫无喜乐”的那些年日临到，

¹Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.`

²日头、光明、月亮、星宿变暗，雨后乌云再现的时候。

²While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.

³那时，看守房子的发抖，强壮的弯腰，推磨的稀少，都停了工，往窗外看的都昏暗了，

³In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,

⁴当街的门口关闭，推磨的声音微弱。雀鸟一叫，人就起来。唱歌的歌声（“歌声”原文作“女子”）都低微。

⁴And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.

⁵人怕高处，怕路上有惊吓。杏树开花，蚱蜢蹒跚而行，催情果失效。因为人归他永远的家，哭丧的在街上游行。

⁵Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.

⁶银链断掉，金碗破裂，瓶子在泉旁破碎，打水的轮子在井边破烂。

⁶While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

⁷尘土要归回原来之地，灵要归回赐灵的　神。

⁷And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.

⁸传道者说：“虚空的虚空，一切都是虚空。”

⁸Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.

⁹结论：敬畏　神，谨守诫命传道者不但有智慧，还将知识教训众人；他既揣摩，又查考，也编撰了许多箴言。

⁹And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out — he made right many similes.

¹⁰传道者搜寻可喜悦的话，正确地写下真理。

¹⁰The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written [by] the upright, words of truth.

¹¹智慧人的言语像刺棒，他们所汇集的箴言像钉牢的钉子，都是一位牧者所赐的。

¹¹Words of the wise [are] as goads, and as fences planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

¹²我儿，还有，你当受劝勉：著书多，没有穷尽；读书多，身体疲倦。

¹²And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.

¹³你们一切都听见了，总而言之，应当敬畏　神，谨守他的诫命，因为这是每一个人的本分。

¹³The end of the whole matter let us hear: — `Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.

¹⁴人所作的每一件事，连一切隐藏的事，无论是善是恶，　神都必审问。

¹⁴For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.`