Ecclesiastes 3
1 Omnia tempus habent, et suis spatiis transeunt universa sub caelo.
For everything there is a fixed time, and a time for every business under the sun.
2 Tempus nascendi, et tempus moriendi. Tempus plantandi, et tempus evellendi quod plantatum est.
A time for birth and a time for death; a time for planting and a time for uprooting;
3 Tempus occidendi, et tempus sanandi: Tempus destruendi, et tempus aedificandi.
A time to put to death and a time to make well; a time for pulling down and a time for building up;
4 Tempus flendi, et tempus ridendi. Tempus plangendi, et tempus saltandi.
A time for weeping and a time for laughing; a time for sorrow and a time for dancing;
5 Tempus spargendi lapides, et tempus colligendi. Tempus amplexandi, et tempus longe fieri ab amplexibus.
A time to take stones away and a time to get stones together; a time for kissing and a time to keep from kissing;
6 Tempus acquirendi, et tempus perdendi. Tempus custodiendi, et tempus abiiciendi.
A time for search and a time for loss; a time to keep and a time to give away;
7 Tempus scindendi, et tempus consuendi. Tempus tacendi, et tempus loquendi.
A time for undoing and a time for stitching; a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk;
8 Tempus dilectionis, et tempus odii. Tempus belli, et tempus pacis.
A time for love and a time for hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
9 Quid habet amplius homo de labore suo?
What profit has the worker in the work which he does?
10 Vidi afflictionem, quam dedit Deus filiis hominum, ut distendantur in ea.
I saw the work which God has put on the sons of man.
11 Cuncta fecit bona in tempore suo, et mundum tradidit disputationi eorum, ut non inveniat homo opus, quod operatus est Deus ab initio usque ad finem.
He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last.
12 Et cognovi quod non esset melius nisi laetari, et facere bene in vita sua.
I am certain that there is nothing better for a man than to be glad, and to do good while life is in him.
13 Omnis enim homo, qui comedit et bibit, et videt bonum de labore suo, hoc donum Dei est.
And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God.
14 Didici quod omnia opera, quae fecit Deus, perseverent in perpetuum: non possumus eis quidquam addere, nec auferre, quae fecit Deus ut timeatur.
I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him.
15 Quod factum est, ipsum permanet: quae futura sunt, iam fuerunt: et Deus instaurat quod abiit.
Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past.
16 Vidi sub sole in loco iudicii impietatem, et in loco iustitiae iniquitatem.
And again, I saw under the sun, in the place of the judges, that evil was there; and in the place of righteousness, that evil was there.
17 Et dixi in corde meo: Iustum, et impium iudicabit Deus, et tempus omnis rei tunc erit.
I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him.
18 Dixi in corde meo de filiis hominum, ut probaret eos Deus, et ostenderet similes esse bestiis.
I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, so that God may put them to the test and that they may see themselves as beasts.
19 Idcirco unus interitus est hominis, et iumentorum, et aequa utriusque conditio: sicut moritur homo, sic et illa moriuntur: similiter spirant omnia, et nihil habet homo iumento amplius: cuncta subiacent vanitati,
Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose.
20 et omnia pergunt ad unum locum: de terra facta sunt, et in terram pariter revertuntur.
All go to one place, all are of the dust, and all will be turned to dust again.
21 Quis novit si spiritus filiorum Adam ascendat sursum, et si spiritus iumentorum descendat deorsum?
Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth?
22 Et deprehendi nihil esse melius quam laetari hominem in opere suo, et hanc esse partem illius. Quis enim eum adducet, ut post se futura cognoscat?
So I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to have joy in his work — because that is his reward. Who will make him see what will come after him?
