Ecclesiastes 7
1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
Melius est nomen bonum quam unguenta pretiosa, et dies mortis die nativitatis.
2 Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
Melius est ire ad domum luctus quam ad domum convivii; in illa enim finis cunctorum admonetur hominum, et vivens cogitat quid futurum sit.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
Melior est ira risu, quia per tristitiam vultus corrigitur animus delinquentis.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
Cor sapientium ubi tristitia est, et cor stultorum ubi lætitia.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
Melius est a sapiente corripi, quam stultorum adulatione decipi;
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
quia sicut sonitus spinarum ardentium sub olla, sic risus stulti. Sed et hoc vanitas.
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
Calumnia conturbat sapientem, et perdet robur cordis illius.
8 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
Melior est finis orationis quam principium. Melior est patiens arrogante.
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
Ne sis velox ad irascendum, quia ira in sinu stulti requiescit.
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
Ne dicas: Quid putas causæ est quod priora tempora meliora fuere quam nunc sunt? stulta enim est hujuscemodi interrogatio.
11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
Utilior est sapientia cum divitiis, et magis prodest videntibus solem.
12 For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
Sicut enim protegit sapientia, sic protegit pecunia; hoc autem plus habet eruditio et sapientia, quod vitam tribuunt possessori suo.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Considera opera Dei, quod nemo possit corrigere quem ille despexerit.
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
In die bona fruere bonis, et malam diem præcave; sicut enim hanc, sic et illam fecit Deus, ut non inveniat homo contra eum justas querimonias.
15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
Hæc quoque vidi in diebus vanitatis meæ: justus perit in justitia sua, et impius multo vivit tempore in malitia sua.
16 Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
Noli esse justus multum, neque plus sapias quam necesse est, ne obstupescas.
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
Ne impie agas multum, et noli esse stultus, ne moriaris in tempore non tuo.
18 [It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
Bonum est te sustentare justum: sed et ab illo ne subtrahas manum tuam; quia qui timet Deum nihil negligit.
19 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Sapientia confortavit sapientem super decem principes civitatis;
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
non est enim homo justus in terra qui faciat bonum et non peccet.
21 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
Sed et cunctis sermonibus qui dicuntur ne accomodes cor tuum, ne forte audias servum tuum maledicentem tibi;
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
scit enim conscientia tua quia et tu crebro maledixisti aliis.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
Cuncta tentavi in sapientia. Dixi: Sapiens efficiar: et ipsa longius recessit a me,
24 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
multo magis quam erat. Et alta profunditas, quis inveniet eam?]
25 I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
[Lustravi universa animo meo, ut scirem et considerarem, et quærerem sapientiam, et rationem, et ut cognoscerem impietatem stulti, et errorem imprudentium:
26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
et inveni amariorem morte mulierem, quæ laqueus venatorum est, et sagena cor ejus; vincula sunt manus illius. Qui placet Deo effugiet illam; qui autem peccator est capietur ab illa.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
Ecce hoc inveni, dixit Ecclesiastes, unum et alterum ut invenirem rationem,
28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
quam adhuc quærit anima mea, et non inveni. Virum de mille unum reperi; mulierem ex omnibus non inveni.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
Solummodo hoc inveni, quod fecerit Deus hominem rectum, et ipse se infinitis miscuerit quæstionibus. Quis talis ut sapiens est? et quis cognovit solutionem verbi?]
