Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the explanation of things? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face is changed.
Sapientia hominis lucet in vultu ejus, et potentissimus faciem illius commutabit.
2 I [say], Keep the king's commandment, and [that] on account of the oath of God.
Ego os regis observo, et præcepta juramenti Dei.
3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight; persist not in an evil thing: for he doeth whatever pleaseth him,
Ne festines recedere a facie ejus, neque permaneas in opere malo: quia omne quod voluerit faciet.
4 because the word of a king is power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
Et sermo illius potestate plenus est, nec dicere ei quisquam potest: Quare ita facis?
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall know no evil thing; and a wise man's heart knoweth time and manner.
Qui custodit præceptum non experietur quidquam mali. Tempus et responsionem cor sapientis intelligit.
6 For to every purpose there is time and manner. For the misery of man is great upon him;
Omni negotio tempus est, et opportunitas: et multa hominis afflictio,
7 for he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him how it shall be?
quia ignorat præterita, et futura nullo scire potest nuntio.
8 There is no man who hath control over the spirit to retain the spirit; and no one hath control over the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Non est in hominis potestate prohibere spiritum, nec habet potestatem in die mortis: nec sinitur quiescere ingruente bello, neque salvabit impietas impium.
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time when man ruleth man to his hurt.
Omnia hæc consideravi, et dedi cor meum in cunctis operibus quæ fiunt sub sole. Interdum dominatur homo homini in malum suum.
10 And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from [the] holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.
Vidi impios sepultos, qui etiam cum adhuc viverent in loco sancto erant, et laudabantur in civitate quasi justorum operum. Sed et hoc vanitas est.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Etenim quia non profertur cito contra malos sententia, absque timore ullo filii hominum perpetrant mala.
12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his [days], yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;
Attamen peccator ex eo quod centies facit malum, et per patientiam sustentatur; ego cognovi quod erit bonum timentibus Deum, qui verentur faciem ejus.
13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.
Non sit bonum impio, nec prolongentur dies ejus, sed quasi umbra transeant qui non timent faciem Domini.
14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous [men] unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked [men] to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
Est et alia vanitas quæ fit super terram: sunt justi quibus mala proveniunt quasi opera egerint impiorum: et sunt impii qui ita securi sunt quasi justorum facta habeant. Sed et hoc vanissimum judico.
15 And I commended mirth, because there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.
Laudavi igitur lætitiam; quod non esset homini bonum sub sole, nisi quod comederet, et biberet, atque gauderet, et hoc solum secum auferret de labore suo, in diebus vitæ suæ quos dedit ei Deus sub sole.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),
Et apposui cor meum ut scirem sapientiam, et intelligerem distentionem quæ versatur in terra. Est homo qui diebus et noctibus somnum non capit oculis.
17 then I saw that all [is] the work of God, [and] that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however man may labour to seek [it] out, yet doth he not find [it]; and even, if a wise [man] think to know [it], he shall not be able to find [it] out.
Et intellexi quod omnium operum Dei nullam possit homo invenire rationem eorum quæ fiunt sub sole; et quanto plus laboraverit ad quærendum, tanto minus inveniat: etiam si dixerit sapiens se nosse, non poterit reperire.
