¹世上福乐不能满足人心

¹There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it [is] great on man:

²蒙　神赐予财富、资产和荣誉的人，心里所愿的，都一无所缺，可是　神使他无力享用，反而有外人来享用。这是虚空，也是祸患。

²A man to whom God giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it; this [is] vanity, and it [is] an evil disease.

³人如果生下百子，活了许多岁数，年日长久，但是心里不因美物满足，又得不到安葬，我以为流产的胎比他还好。

³If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, `Better than he [is] the untimely birth.`

⁴因为这胎虚虚而来，暗暗而去，黑暗把他的名字遮蔽了。

⁴For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goeth, and in darkness his name is covered,

⁵这胎既看不见天日，又一无所知，就比那人更得安息。

⁵Even the sun he hath not seen nor known, more rest hath this than that.

⁶那人即使活了一千年，再活一千年，也享受不到什么；他们两者不是都归一个地方吗？

⁶And though he had lived a thousand years twice over, yet good he hath not seen; to the same place doth not every one go?

⁷人的一切劳碌都为口腹，他的心却还是填不满。

⁷All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled.

⁸智慧人比愚昧人有什么长处呢？穷人在众人面前知道怎样行事为人，又有什么长处呢？

⁸For what advantage [is] to the wise above the fool? What to the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?

⁹眼睛看见的，胜过心中想望的。这也是虚空，也是捕风。

⁹Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul. This also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁰已经存在的，早已有了名称；大家都知道人是怎样的；人绝对无法与比自己强的抗辩。

¹⁰What [is] that which hath been? already is its name called, and it is known that it [is] man, and he is not able to contend with him who is stronger than he.

¹¹因为话语增多，虚空也增多，这对人有什么益处呢？

¹¹For there are many things multiplying vanity; what advantage [is] to man?

¹²在虚空、消逝如影的人生，短暂的日子里，有谁知道什么是对人有益处呢？谁能告诉人他死后在日光之下会发生什么事呢？

¹²For who knoweth what [is] good for a man in life, the number of the days of the life of his vanity, and he maketh them as a shadow? for who declareth to man what is after him under the sun?