Ecclesiastes 1
1 verba Ecclesiastes filii David regis Hierusalem
These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 vanitas vanitatum dixit Ecclesiastes vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 quid habet amplius homo de universo labore suo quod laborat sub sole
What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 generatio praeterit et generatio advenit terra vero in aeternum stat
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5 oritur sol et occidit et ad locum suum revertitur ibique renascens
The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
6 gyrat per meridiem et flectitur ad aquilonem lustrans universa circuitu pergit spiritus et in circulos suos regreditur
The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
7 omnia flumina intrant mare et mare non redundat ad locum unde exeunt flumina revertuntur ut iterum fluant
All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
8 cunctae res difficiles non potest eas homo explicare sermone non saturatur oculus visu nec auris impletur auditu
All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
9 quid est quod fuit ipsum quod futurum est quid est quod factum est ipsum quod fiendum est
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; 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 case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages 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 those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
12 ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Israhel in Hierusalem
I, the Teacher, 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 set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 vidi quae fiunt cuncta sub sole et ecce universa vanitas et adflictio spiritus
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 perversi difficile corriguntur et stultorum infinitus est numerus
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 locutus sum in corde meo dicens ecce magnus effectus sum et praecessi sapientia omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Hierusalem et mens mea contemplata est multa sapienter et didicit
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 dedique cor meum ut scirem prudentiam atque doctrinam erroresque et stultitiam et agnovi quod in his quoque esset labor et adflictio spiritus
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 eo quod in multa sapientia multa sit indignatio et qui addit scientiam addat et laborem
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
