Ecclesiastes 1
1 Verba Ecclesiastae, filii David, regis Ierusalem.
The words of the Proclaimer, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes: vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas.
Vanity of vanities! saith the Proclaimer, vanity of vanities! all, is vanity.
3 Quid habet amplius homo de universo labore suo, quo laborat sub sole?
What profit hath Man, in all his toil wherewith he toileth under the sun?
4 Generatio praeterit, et generatio advenit: terra autem in aeternum stat.
Generation, goeth and, generation, cometh, but, the earth, unto times age-abiding, remaineth.
5 Oritur sol, et occidit, et ad locum suum revertitur: ibique renascens,
And the sun, breaketh forth, and the sun, goeth in, —yea, unto his own place, he panteth, from whence he brake forth.
6 gyrat per Meridiem, et flectitur ad Aquilonem: lustrans universa in circuitu pergit spiritus, et in circulos suos revertitur.
Going unto the south, and circling unto the north, —circling, circling continually, is, the wind, and, over its own circuits, returneth the wind.
7 Omnia flumina intrant in mare, et mare non redundat: ad locum, unde exeunt flumina, revertuntur ut iterum fluant.
All the streams, flow into the sea, yet, the sea, is not full, —unto the place whither the streams flow, thither, do they again flow.
8 Cunctae res difficiles: non potest eas homo explicare sermone. Non saturatur oculus visu, nec auris auditu impletur.
All words, are weak, unable is any man to tell, —not satisfied is the eye by seeing, nor filled is the ear with hearing.
9 Quid est quod fuit? ipsum quod futurum est. Quid est quod factum est? ipsum quod faciendum est.
That which hath been, is the same that shall be, and, that which hath been done, is the same that shall be done, —and there is, nothing new, under the sun.
10 Nihil sub sole novum, nec valet quisquam dicere: Ecce hoc recens est: iam enim praecessit in saeculis, quae fuerunt ante nos.
Is there a thing, of which it can be said, See here, it is, new? Already, hath it been, for ages, [it is something] which was before us.
11 Non est priorum memoria: sed nec eorum quidem, quae postea futura sunt, erit recordatio apud eos, qui futuri sunt in novissimo.
There is, no remembrance, of the thing before, —nor, even of the things after, which shall be, will there be any remembrance, with them who shall come after.
12 Ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Israel in Ierusalem,
I, the Proclaimer, was king over Israel, in Jerusalem.
13 et proposui in animo meo quaerere et investigare sapienter de omnibus, quae fiunt sub sole. Hanc occupationem pessimam dedit Deus filiis hominum, ut occuparentur in ea.
And I gave my heart to seek and to search out, wisely, concerning all things which are done under the heavens, —the same, is the vexatious employment God hath given to the sons of men, to work toilsomely therein,
14 Vidi cuncta, quae fiunt sub sole, et ecce universa vanitas, et afflictio spiritus.
I saw all the works which were done under the sun, —and lo! all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
15 Perversi difficile corriguntur, et stultorum infinitus est numerus.
That which is crooked, cannot be straight, —and, that which is wanting, cannot be reckoned.
16 Locutus sum in corde meo, dicens: Ecce magnus effectus sum, et praecessi omnes sapientia, qui fuerunt ante me in Ierusalem: et mens mea contemplata est multa sapienter, et didici.
Spake, I, in my heart, saying, As for me, lo! I have become great, and have gathered wisdom, beyond any one who hath been before me over Jerusalem, —and, my heart, hath seen much wisdom and knowledge:
17 Dedique cor meum ut scirem prudentiam, atque doctrinam, erroresque et stultitiam: et agnovi quod in his quoque esset labor, et afflictio spiritus,
yea I have given my heart, to know wisdom, and to know madness, and folly, —I know that, even this, is a feeding on wind.
18 eo quod in multa sapientia multa sit indignatio: et qui addit scientiam, addit et laborem.
For, in much wisdom, is much vexation, —and, he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth pain.
