1 And remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened,
4 and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;
5 they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets;)
6 -before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, {and} set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections {of them} as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.
12 And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
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，
2 日头、光明、月亮、星宿变暗， 雨后乌云再现的时候。
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，
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。
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。
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。
7 尘土要归回原来之地， 灵要归回赐灵的 神。
8 传道者说： "虚空的虚空， 一切都是虚空。"
9 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。
10 传道者搜寻可喜悦的话， 正确地写下真理。
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。
12 我儿， 还有， 你当受劝勉： 著书多， 没有穷尽； 读书多， 身体疲倦。
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。
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。