Ecclesiastes 9
1 But all this I have laid to my heart, so as to clear up the whole of this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God, neither love nor hatred does man know, the whole [is] before them.
Omnia hæc tractavi in corde meo, ut curiose intelligerem: Sunt iusti atque sapientes, et opera eorum in manu Dei: et tamen nescit homo utrum amore, an odio dignus sit:
2 The whole [is] as to the whole; one event is to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, and to him who is sacrificing, and to him who is not sacrificing; as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner, he who is swearing as he who is fearing an oath.
sed omnia in futurum servantur incerta, eo quod universa æque eveniant iusto et impio, bono et malo, mundo et immundo, immolanti victimas, et sacrificia contemnenti. Sicut bonus, sic et peccator: ut periurus, ita et ille qui verum deierat.
3 This [is] an evil among all that has been done under the sun, that one event [is] to all, and also the heart of the sons of man is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart during their life, and after it—to the dead.
Hoc est pessimum inter omnia, quæ sub sole fiunt, quia eadem cunctis eveniunt. Unde et corda filiorum hominum implentur malitia, et contemptu in vita sua, et post hæc ad inferos deducentur. (questioned)
4 But [to] him who is joined to all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it [is] better than to the dead lion.
Nemo est qui semper vivat, et qui huius rei habeat fiduciam: melior est canis vivus leone mortuo.
5 For the living know that they die, and the dead do not know anything, and there is no more reward to them, for their remembrance has been forgotten.
Viventes enim sciunt se esse morituros, mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius, nec habent ultra mercedem: quia oblivioni tradita est memoria eorum.
6 Their love also, their hatred also, their envy also, has already perished, and they have no more portion for all time in all that has been done under the sun.
Amor quoque, et odium, et invidiæ simul perierunt, nec habent partem in hoc sæculo, et in opere, quod sub sole geritur.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a glad heart, for already has God been pleased with your works.
Vade ergo et comede in lætitia panem tuum, et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum: quia Deo placent opera tua.
8 At all times let your garments be white, and do not let oil be lacking on your head.
Omni tempore sint vestimenta tua candida, et oleum de capite tuo non deficiat.
9 See life with the wife whom you have loved, all the days of the life of your vanity, that He has given to you under the sun, all the days of your vanity, for it [is] your portion in life, even of your labor that you are laboring at under the sun.
Perfruere vita cum uxore, quam diligis, cunctis diebus vitæ instabilitatis tuæ, qui dati sunt tibi sub sole omni tempore vanitatis tuæ: hæc est enim pars in vita, et in labore tuo, quo laboras sub sole.
10 All that your hand finds to do, with your power do, for there is no work, and plan, and knowledge, and wisdom in Sheol to where you are going. (Sheol h7585)
Quodcumque facere potest manus tua, instanter operare: quia nec opus, nec ratio, nec sapientia, nec scientia erunt apud inferos, quo tu properas. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have turned so as to see under the sun, that not to the swift [is] the race, nor to the mighty the battle, nor even to the wise bread, nor even to the intelligent wealth, nor even to the skillful grace, for time and chance happen with them all.
Verti me ad aliud, et vidi sub sole, nec velocium esse cursum, nec fortium bellum, nec sapientium panem, nec doctorum divitias, nec artificum gratiam: sed tempus, casumque in omnibus.
12 For even man does not know his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, the sons of man are snared like these at an evil time when it falls on them suddenly.
Nescit homo finem suum: sed sicut pisces capiuntur hamo, et sicut aves laqueo comprehenduntur, sic capiuntur homines in tempore malo, cum eis extemplo supervenerit.
13 This also I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me.
Hanc quoque sub sole vidi sapientiam, et probavi maximam:
14 A little city, and few men in it, and a great king has come to it, and has surrounded it, and has built against it great bulwarks;
Civitas parva, et pauci in ea viri: venit contra eam rex magnus, et vallavit eam, extruxitque munitiones per gyrum, et perfecta est obsidio.
15 and there has been found in it a poor wise man, and he has delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!
Inventusque est in ea vir pauper et sapiens, et liberavit urbem per sapientiam suam, et nullus deinceps recordatus est hominis illius pauperis.
16 And I said, “Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.”
Et dicebam ego, meliorem esse sapientiam fortitudine: quomodo ergo sapientia pauperis contempta est, et verba eius non sunt audita?
17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet, More than the cry of a ruler over fools.
Verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio plus quam clamor principis inter stultos.
18 Better [is] wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroys much good!
Melior est sapientia, quam arma bellica: et qui in uno peccaverit, multa bona perdet.
