So I thought to myself,“ The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“ The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”

我就心里说：“愚昧人所遇见的，我也必遇见，我为何更有智慧呢？”我心里说，这也是虚空。

我心里就说：“愚昧人所遇见的，我也一样遇见，那么我何必更有智慧呢？”我心里说：“这也是虚空。”

我心里就说：“愚昧人所遇见的，我也一样遇见，那么我何必更有智慧呢？”我心里说：“这也是虚空。”

于是，我想：“既然愚人的命运也将是我的命运，我有智慧又怎么样呢？我只能说，‘这也是虚空。’”

我自己心里说：“临到愚昧人身上的，也必临到我身上；那么，我为什么要更有智慧呢？”于是我心里说：“这也是虚空。”

于是我心里说：“既然愚昧人的命运也照样会临到我，那么我为什么要更有智慧呢？”我心里就说：“这也是虚空！”

我就心裏說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也必遇見，我為何更有智慧呢？」我心裏說，這也是虛空。

我心裏就說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也一樣遇見，那麼我何必更有智慧呢？」我心裏說：「這也是虛空。」

我心裏就說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也一樣遇見，那麼我何必更有智慧呢？」我心裏說：「這也是虛空。」

於是，我想：「既然愚人的命運也將是我的命運，我有智慧又怎麼樣呢？我只能說，『這也是虛空。』」

我自己心裡說：“臨到愚昧人身上的，也必臨到我身上；那麼，我為甚麼要更有智慧呢？”於是我心裡說：“這也是虛空。”

於是我心裏說：『愚頑人所遭遇的、我也會遭遇着，我為甚麼要有智慧呢？那我有甚麼長處呢？我就心裏說：這也是虛空。

於是我心裡說：「既然愚昧人的命運也照樣會臨到我，那麼我為什麼要更有智慧呢？」我心裡就說：「這也是虛空！」

我心自謂、愚者所遭、我亦將遭之、我雖多智、有何益哉、我心自謂、斯亦虛空、

竊思愚者死、智者亦死、雖智何益、豈非虛哉。

我自思曰、我自思曰原文作我心中曰下同我之所遇、既無異於愚者所遇、何必智愈他人哉、我自思曰、此亦屬於虛、

Then I said to myself,“ The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself,“ This too is meaningless.”

Then I said to myself,“ What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too. So what do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself,“ That doesn’t have any meaning either.”

Then I said in my heart,“ What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

Both will die. So I said to myself,“ Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”

So I said to myself,“ What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

Then I said to myself,“ As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself,“ This too is futility.”

So I said in my heart,“ As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart,“ This also is vanity.”

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

So I said to myself,“ What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also[ is] vanity.

Then I said in my heart,“ As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

I thought to myself,“ I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!

I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.

“ Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“ Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”

For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.I thought to myself,“ Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is futile.

For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies– just like the fool!