传道书 1
1 在耶路撒冷作王、大卫的儿子、传道者的言语。
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 传道者说：虚空的虚空， 虚空的虚空，凡事都是虚空。
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
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 does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 一代过去，一代又来， 地却永远长存。
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 日头出来，日头落下， 急归所出之地。
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 风往南刮，又向北转， 不住地旋转，而且返回转行原道。
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
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 flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 万事令人厌烦， 人不能说尽。 眼看，看不饱； 耳听，听不足。
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
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。
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 岂有一件事人能指着说这是新的？ 哪知，在我们以前的世代早已有了。
Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
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 those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 我传道者在耶路撒冷作过以色列的王。
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 我专心用智慧寻求、查究天下所做的一切事，乃知 神叫世人所经练的是极重的劳苦。
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 我见日光之下所做的一切事，都是虚空，都是捕风。
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 弯曲的，不能变直； 缺少的，不能足数。
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
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 said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 我又专心察明智慧、狂妄，和愚昧，乃知这也是捕风。
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 因为多有智慧，就多有愁烦； 加增知识的，就加增忧伤。
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
