Ecclesiastes 2
1 Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
Dixi ego in corde meo: Vadam, et affluam deliciis, et fruar bonis. Et vidi quod hoc quoque esset vanitas.
2 Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
Risum reputavi errorem: et gaudio dixi: Quid frustra deciperis?
3 I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.
Cogitavi in corde meo abstrahere a vino carnem meam, ut animam meam transferrem ad sapientiam, devitaremque stultitiam, donec viderem quid esset utile filiis hominum: quo facto opus est sub sole numero dierum vitæ suæ.
4 I enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
Magnificavi opera mea, ædificavi mihi domos, et plantavi vineas,
5 I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
feci hortos, et pomaria, et consevi ea cuncti generis arboribus,
6 I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:
et extruxi mihi piscinas aquarum, ut irrigarem silvam lignorum germinantium,
7 I acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been before me in Jerusalem;
possedi servos et ancillas, multamque familiam habui: armenta quoque, et magnos ovium greges ultra omnes qui fuerunt ante me in Ierusalem:
8 I heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
coacervavi mihi argentum, et aurum, et substantias regum, ac provinciarum: feci mihi cantores, et cantatrices, et delicias filiorum hominum, scyphos, et urceos in ministerio ad vina fundenda:
9 So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained with me;
et supergressus sum opibus omnes, qui ante me fuerunt in Ierusalem: sapientia quoque perseveravit mecum.
10 and, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
Et omnia, quæ desideraverunt oculi mei, non negavi eis: nec prohibui cor meum quin omni voluptate frueretur, et oblectaret se in his, quæ præparaveram: et hanc ratus sum partem meam, si uterer labore meo.
11 When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
Cumque me convertissem ad universa opera, quæ fecerant manus meæ, et ad labores, in quibus frustra sudaveram, vidi in omnibus vanitatem et afflictionem animi, et nihil permanere sub sole.
12 Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
Transivi ad contemplandam sapientiam, erroresque et stultitiam (quid est, inquam, homo, ut sequi possit regem Factorem suum?)
13 Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth darkness.
et vidi quod tantum præcederet sapientia stultitiam, quantum differt lux a tenebris.
14 As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
Sapientis oculi in capite eius: stultus in tenebris ambulat: et didici quod unus utriusque esset interitus.
15 Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
Et dixi in corde meo: Si unus et stulti et meus occasus erit, quid mihi prodest quod maiorem sapientiæ dedi operam? Locutusque cum mente mea, animadverti quod hoc quoque esset vanitas.
16 For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
Non enim erit memoria sapientis similiter ut stulti in perpetuum, et futura tempora oblivione cuncta pariter operient: moritur doctus similiter ut indoctus.
17 Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Et idcirco tæduit me vitæ meæ videntem mala universa esse sub sole, et cuncta vanitatem et afflictionem spiritus.
18 Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;
Rursus detestatus sum omnem industriam meam, qua sub sole studiosissime laboravi, habiturus heredem post me,
19 and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
quem ignoro, utrum sapiens an stultus futurus sit, et dominabitur in laboribus meis, quibus desudavi et solicitus fui. Et est quidquam tam vanum?
20 Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.
Unde cessavi, renunciavitque cor meum ultra laborare sub sole.
21 For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
Nam cum alius laboret in sapientia, et doctrina, et solicitudine, homini otioso quæsita dimittit: et hoc ergo, vanitas, et magnum malum.
22 For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
Quid enim proderit homini de universo labore suo, et afflictione spiritus, qua sub sole cruciatus est?
23 For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
Cuncti dies eius doloribus et ærumnis pleni sunt, nec per noctem mente requiescit: et hoc nonne vanitas est?
24 There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
Nonne melius est comedere et bibere, et ostendere animæ suæ bona de laboribus suis? Et hoc de manu Dei est.
25 For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
Quis ita devorabit, et deliciis affluet ut ego?
26 For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Homini bono in conspectu suo dedit Deus sapientiam, et scientiam, et lætitiam: peccatori autem dedit afflictionem, et curam superfluam, ut addat, et congreget, et tradat ei qui placuit Deo: sed et hoc vanitas est, et cassa solicitudo mentis.
