Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Custodi pedem tuum ingrediens domum Dei, et appropinqua ut audias. Multo enim melior est obedientia, quam stultorum victimae, qui nesciunt quid faciunt mali.
2 Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
Ne temere quid loquaris, neque cor tuum sit velox ad proferendum sermonem coram Deo. Deus enim in caelo, et tu super terram: idcirco sint pauci sermones tui.
3 As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
Multas curas sequuntur somnia, et in multis sermonibus invenietur stultitia.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
Si quid vovisti Deo, ne moreris reddere: displicet enim ei infidelis et stulta promissio. sed quodcumque voveris, redde:
5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
multoque melius est non vovere, quam post votum promissa non reddere.
6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
Ne dederis os tuum ut peccare facias carnem tuam: neque dicas coram angelo: Non est providentia: ne forte iratus Deus contra sermones tuos, dissipet cuncta opera manuum tuarum.
7 For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
Ubi multa sunt somnia, plurimae sunt vanitates, et sermones innumeri: tu vero Deum time.
8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
Si videris calumnias egenorum, et violenta iudicia, et subverti iustitiam in provincia, non mireris super hoc negotio: quia excelso excelsior est alius, et super hos quoque eminentiores sunt alii,
9 The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
et insuper universae terrae rex imperat servienti.
10 He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
Avarus non implebitur pecunia: et qui amat divitias, fructum non capiet ex eis: et hoc ergo vanitas.
11 When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
Ubi multae sunt opes, multi et qui comedunt eas. Et quid prodest possessori, nisi quod cernit divitias oculis suis?
12 The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
Dulcis est somnus operanti, sive parum, sive multum comedat: saturitas autem divitis non sinit eum dormire.
13 There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
Est et alia infirmitas pessima, quam vidi sub sole: divitiae conservatae in malum domini sui.
14 or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
Pereunt enim in afflictione pessima: generavit filium, qui in summa egestate erit.
15 As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
Sicut egressus est nudus de utero matris suae, sic revertetur, et nihil auferet secum de labore suo.
16 This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
Miserabilis prorsus infirmitas: quo modo venit, sic revertetur. Quid ergo prodest ei quod laboravit in ventum?
17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
Cunctis diebus vitae suae comedit in tenebris et in curis multis, et in aerumna atque tristitia.
18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.
Hoc itaque visum est mihi bonum ut comedat quis, et bibat, et fruatur laetitia ex labore suo, quo laboravit ipse sub sole numero dierum vitae suae, quos dedit ei Deus, et haec est pars illius.
19 Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.
Et omni homini, cui dedit Deus divitias, atque substantiam, potestatemque ei tribuit ut comedat ex eis, et fruatur parte sua, et laetetur de labore suo: hoc est donum Dei.
20 For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.
Non enim satis recordabitur dierum vitae suae, eo quod Deus occupet deliciis cor eius.
