Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot, when thou goest unto the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than dullards to offer sacrifice, —for they make no acknowledgment of doing wrong.
custodi pedem tuum ingrediens domum Dei multo enim melior est oboedientia quam stultorum victimae qui nesciunt quid faciant mali
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and, with thy heart, be not in haste to bring forth a word, before God, —for, God, is in the heavens, and, thou, upon the earth, for this cause, let thy words be few.
ne temere quid loquaris neque cor tuum sit velox ad proferendum sermonem coram Deo Deus enim in caelo et tu super terram idcirco sint pauci sermones tui
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, —and, the voice of a dullard, is with a multitude of words.
multas curas sequuntur somnia et in multis sermonibus invenitur stultitia
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, do not defer to pay it, for there is no pleasure in dullards, —what thou vowest, pay!
si quid vovisti Deo ne moreris reddere displicet enim ei infidelis et stulta promissio sed quodcumque voveris redde
5 Better that thou shouldest not vow, —than vow, and not pay.
multoque melius est non vovere quam post votum promissa non conplere
6 Do not let thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin, —neither say thou, before the messenger, that it was, a mistake, —wherefore should God be indignant at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
ne dederis os tuum ut peccare faciat carnem tuam neque dicas coram angelo non est providentia ne forte iratus Deus super sermone tuo dissipet cuncta opera manuum tuarum
7 For [it was done] amidst a multitude of dreams, and vanities, and many words, —but, towards God, be thou reverent.
ubi multa sunt somnia plurimae vanitates et sermones innumeri tu vero Deum time
8 If, the oppression of the poor, and the wresting of justice and righteousness, thou see in the province, do not be astonished over the matter, —for, one high above the highest, is watching, yea, the Most High, is over them.
si videris calumnias egenorum et violenta iudicia et subverti iustitiam in provincia non mireris super hoc negotio quia excelso alius excelsior est et super hos quoque eminentiores sunt alii
9 And, the profit of the earth, is, for all, —a king, by the field, is served.
et insuper universae terrae rex imperat servienti
10 He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver nor, he that loveth abundance, with revenue, —even this, was vanity.
avarus non implebitur pecunia et qui amat divitias fructus non capiet ex eis et hoc ergo vanitas
11 When blessings are increased, increased are the eaters thereof, —what profit, then, to the owner of them saving the sight of his eyes?
ubi multae sunt opes multi et qui comedant eas et quid prodest possessori nisi quod cernit divitias oculis suis
12 Sweet the sleep of the labourer, whether, little or much, he eat, —but, the surfeit of the rich man, will not suffer him to sleep.
dulcis est somnus operanti sive parum sive multum comedat saturitas autem divitis non sinit dormire eum
13 Here was an incurable evil, I had seen under the sun, riches kept by the owner thereof, to his hurt;
est et alia infirmitas pessima quam vidi sub sole divitiae conservatae in malum domini sui
14 and those riches perish, by being ill employed, —and though he begetteth a son, yet is there in his hand nothing at all.
pereunt enim in adflictione pessima generavit filium qui in summa egestate erit
15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked, he again departeth, as he came, —and, nothing, can he take of his toil, which he can carry in his hand.
sicut egressus est nudus de utero matris suae sic revertetur et nihil auferet secum de labore suo
16 Even this, moreover, is an incurable evil, altogether as he came, so, shall he depart, —what profit then shall he have who toileth for the wind?
miserabilis prorsus infirmitas quomodo venit sic revertetur quid ergo prodest ei quod laboravit in ventum
17 Even all his days, [are spent] in darkness and mourning, —and he is very morose, and is sad and angry.
cunctis diebus vitae suae comedit in tenebris et in curis multis et in aerumna atque tristitia
18 Lo! what, I myself, have seen—Better that it should be excellent to eat and to drink and to see blessedness, in all one’s toil wherein one toileth under the sun, for the number of the days of his life, in that God hath given it him, for, that, is his portion:
hoc itaque mihi visum est bonum ut comedat quis et bibat et fruatur laetitia ex labore suo quod laboravit ipse sub sole numerum dierum vitae suae quos dedit ei Deus et haec est pars illius
19 yet, as regardeth every man, to whom God hath given wealth and goods, and granted him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to find gladness in his toil, this, is, the gift of God.
et omni homini cui dedit Deus divitias atque substantiam potestatemque ei tribuit ut comedat ex eis et fruatur parte sua et laetetur de labore suo hoc est donum Dei
20 Though it be not much, let him remember the days of his life, —for, God, beareth witness, by the gladness of his heart.
non enim satis recordabitur dierum vitae suae eo quod Deus occupet deliciis cor eius
