Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: and, behold, this is also vanity.
dixi ego in corde meo vadam et affluam deliciis et fruar bonis et vidi quod hoc quoque esset vanitas
2 I said to laughter, Madness: and to mirth, Why doest thou this:
risum reputavi errorem et gaudio dixi quid frustra deciperis
3 And I examined whether my heart would excite my flesh as [with] wine, (though my heart guided [me] in wisdom, ) and [I desired] to lay hold of mirth, until I should see of what kind is the good to the sons of men, which they should do under the sun all the days of their life.
cogitavi in corde meo abstrahere a vino carnem meam ut animum meum transferrem ad sapientiam devitaremque stultitiam donec viderem quid esset utile filiis hominum quod facto opus est sub sole numero dierum vitae suae
4 I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
magnificavi opera mea aedificavi mihi domos plantavi vineas
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit-tree.
feci hortos et pomeria et consevi ea cuncti generis arboribus
6 I made me pools of water, to water from them the timber-bearing wood.
extruxi mihi piscinas aquarum ut inrigarem silvam lignorum germinantium
7 I got servants and maidens, and servants were born to me in the house: also I had abundant possession of flocks and herds, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.
possedi servos et ancillas multamque familiam habui armenta quoque et magnos ovium greges ultra omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Hierusalem
8 Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold also, and the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces: I procured me singing men and singing women, and delights of the sons of men, a butler and female cupbearers.
coacervavi mihi argentum et aurum et substantias regum ac provinciarum feci mihi cantores et cantrices et delicias filiorum hominum scyphos et urceos in ministerio ad vina fundenda
9 So I became great, and advanced beyond all that were before in Jerusalem: also my wisdom was established to me.
et supergressus sum opibus omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Hierusalem sapientia quoque perseveravit mecum
10 And whatever mine eyes desired, I withheld not from them, I withheld not my heart from all my mirth: for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour.
et omnia quae desideraverunt oculi mei non negavi eis nec prohibui cor quin omni voluptate frueretur et oblectaret se in his quae paraveram et hanc ratus sum partem meam si uterer labore meo
11 And I looked on all my works which my hands had wrought, and on my labour which I laboured to perform: and behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun.
cumque me convertissem ad universa opera quae fecerant manus meae et ad labores in quibus frustra sudaveram vidi in omnibus vanitatem et adflictionem animi et nihil permanere sub sole
12 Then I looked on to see wisdom, and madness, and folly: for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things where in he employs it?
transivi ad contemplandam sapientiam erroresque et stultitiam quid est inquam homo ut sequi possit regem factorem suum
13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly, as much as light excels darkness.
et vidi quia tantum praecederet sapientia stultitiam quantum differt lux tenebris
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness: and I perceived, even I, that one event shall happen to them all.
sapientis oculi in capite eius stultus in tenebris ambulat et didici quod unus utriusque esset interitus
15 And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me: and to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.
et dixi in corde meo si unus et stulti et meus occasus erit quid mihi prodest quod maiorem sapientiae dedi operam locutusque cum mente mea animadverti quod hoc quoque esset vanitas
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool for ever; forasmuch as now [in] the coming days all things are forgotten: and how shall the wise man die with the fool?
non enim erit memoria sapientis similiter ut stulti in perpetuum et futura tempora oblivione cuncta pariter obruent moritur doctus similiter et indoctus
17 So I hated life; because the work that was wrought under the sun was evil before me: for all is vanity and waywardness of spirit.
et idcirco taeduit me vitae meae videntem mala esse universa sub sole et cuncta vanitatem atque adflictionem spiritus
18 And I hated the whole of my labour which I took under the sun; because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
rursum detestatus sum omnem industriam meam quae sub sole studiosissime laboravi habiturus heredem post me
19 And who knows whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labour in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.
quem ignoro utrum sapiens an stultus futurus sit et dominabitur in laboribus meis quibus desudavi et sollicitus fui et est quicquam tam vanum
20 so I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.
unde cessavi renuntiavitque cor meum ultra laborare sub sole
21 For there is [such] a man that his labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; [yet] this man shall give his portion to one who has not laboured therein. This is also vanity and great evil.
nam cum alius laboret in sapientia et doctrina et sollicitudine homini otioso quaesita dimittit et hoc ergo vanitas et magnum malum
22 For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labours under the sun.
quid enim proderit homini de universo labore suo et adflictione spiritus qua sub sole cruciatus est
23 For all his days [are days] of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his; in the night also his heart rests not. This is also vanity.
cuncti dies eius doloribus et aerumnis pleni sunt nec per noctem mente requiescit et haec non vanitas est
24 A man has nothing [really] good to eat, and to drink, and to shew his soul [as] good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
nonne melius est comedere et bibere et ostendere animae suae bona de laboribus suis et hoc de manu Dei est
25 For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him?
quis ita vorabit et deliciis affluet ut ego
26 For [God] has given to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but he has given to the sinner trouble, to add and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God; for this is also vanity and waywardness of spirit.
homini bono in conspectu suo dedit Deus sapientiam et scientiam et laetitiam peccatori autem dedit adflictionem et curam superfluam ut addat et congreget et tradat ei qui placuit Deo sed et hoc vanitas et cassa sollicitudo mentis
