Ecclesiastes 6
1 I have observed another evil here on earth, and it has a great impact on humanity.
Est et aliud malum, quod vidi sub sole, et quidem frequens apud homines:
2 God gives wealth, possessions, and honor to someone. They have everything they want. But God doesn't let them enjoy what they have. Instead somebody else does! This is hard to fathom, and is truly evil.
Vir, cui dedit Deus divitias, et substantiam, et honorem, et nihil deest animæ suæ ex omnibus, quæ desiderat: nec tribuit ei potestatem Deus ut comedat ex eo, sed homo extraneus vorabit illud. hoc vanitas, et miseria magna est.
3 A man could have one hundred children, and grow old, but it wouldn't matter how long his life was if he couldn't enjoy it and at the end receive a decent burial. I would say that a stillborn child would be better off than him.
Si genuerit quispiam centum liberos, et vixerit multos annos, et plures dies ætatis habuerit, et anima illius non utatur bonis substantiæ suæ, sepulturaque careat: de hoc ergo pronuncio quod melior illo sit abortivus.
4 The way a stillborn child comes into the world and then leaves is painfully hard to understand—arriving and departing in darkness—and who he would have been is never known.
Frustra enim venit, et pergit ad tenebras, et oblivione delebitur nomen eius.
5 He never saw the light of day or knew what it was like to live. Yet the child finds rest, and not this man.
Non vidit solem, neque cognovit distantiam boni et mali:
6 Even if this man were to live a thousand years twice over he still wouldn't be happy. Don't we all end up in the same place—the grave?
etiam si duobus millibus annis vixerit, et non fuerit perfruitus bonis: nonne ad unum locum properant omnia?
7 Everyone works so they can live, but they're never satisfied.
Omnis labor hominis in ore eius: sed anima eius non implebitur.
8 So then, what real advantage do wise people have over those who are fools? And do poor people really gain anything in knowing how to behave in front of others?
Quid habet amplius sapiens a stulto? et quid pauper nisi ut pergat illuc, ubi est vita?
9 Be happy with what you have instead of running after what you don't! But this is also hard to do, like running after the wind.
Melius est videre quod cupias, quam desiderare quod nescias. sed et hoc vanitas est, et præsumptio spiritus.
10 Everything that exists has already been described. Everyone knows what people are like, and that you can't win an argument with a superior.
Qui futurus est, iam vocatum est nomen eius: et scitur quod homo sit, et non possit contra fortiorem se in iudicio contendere.
11 For the more words you use, the harder it is to make sense. So what's the point?
Verba sunt plurima, multamque in disputando habentia vanitatem.
12 Who knows what's best for us and our lives? During our short lives that pass like shadows we have many unanswered questions. And who can tell us what will happen when we're gone?
Quid necesse est homini maiora se quærere, cum ignoret quid conducat sibi in vita sua numero dierum peregrinationis suæ, et tempore, quod velut umbra præterit? Aut quis ei poterit indicare quod post eum futurum sub sole sit?
