Ecclesiastes 1
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
verba Ecclesiastes filii David regis Hierusalem
2 All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.
vanitas vanitatum dixit Ecclesiastes vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas
3 What is a man profited by all his work which he does under the sun?
quid habet amplius homo de universo labore suo quod laborat sub sole
4 One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.
generatio praeterit et generatio advenit terra vero in aeternum stat
5 The sun comes up and the sun goes down, and goes quickly back to the place where he came up.
oritur sol et occidit et ad locum suum revertitur ibique renascens
6 The wind goes to the south, turning back again to the north; circling round for ever.
gyrat per meridiem et flectitur ad aquilonem lustrans universa circuitu pergit spiritus et in circulos suos regreditur
7 All the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
omnia flumina intrant mare et mare non redundat ad locum unde exeunt flumina revertuntur ut iterum fluant
8 All things are full of weariness; man may not give their story: the eye has never enough of its seeing, or the ear of its hearing.
cunctae res difficiles non potest eas homo explicare sermone non saturatur oculus visu nec auris impletur auditu
9 That which has been, is that which is to be, and that which has been done, is that which will be done, and there is no new thing under the sun.
quid est quod fuit ipsum quod futurum est quid est quod factum est ipsum quod fiendum est
10 Is there anything of which men say, See, this is new? It has been in the old time which was before us.
nihil sub sole novum nec valet quisquam dicere ecce hoc recens est iam enim praecessit in saeculis quae fuerunt ante nos
11 There is no memory of those who have gone before, and of those who come after there will be no memory for those who are still to come after them.
non est priorum memoria sed nec eorum quidem quae postea futura sunt erit recordatio apud eos qui futuri sunt in novissimo
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Israhel in Hierusalem
13 And I gave my heart to searching out in wisdom all things which are done under heaven: it is a hard thing which God has put on the sons of men to do.
et proposui in animo meo quaerere et investigare sapienter de omnibus quae fiunt sub sole hanc occupationem pessimam dedit Deus filiis hominum ut occuparentur in ea
14 I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
vidi quae fiunt cuncta sub sole et ecce universa vanitas et adflictio spiritus
15 That which is bent may not be made straight, and that which is not there may not be numbered.
perversi difficile corriguntur et stultorum infinitus est numerus
16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem — yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.
locutus sum in corde meo dicens ecce magnus effectus sum et praecessi sapientia omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Hierusalem et mens mea contemplata est multa sapienter et didicit
17 And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.
dedique cor meum ut scirem prudentiam atque doctrinam erroresque et stultitiam et agnovi quod in his quoque esset labor et adflictio spiritus
18 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.
eo quod in multa sapientia multa sit indignatio et qui addit scientiam addat et laborem
