Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
Omnia haec tractavi in corde meo, ut curiose intelligerem: Sunt iusti atque sapientes, et opera eorum in manu Dei: et tamen nescit homo utrum amore, an odio dignus sit:
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
sed omnia in futurum servantur incerta, eo quod universa aeque eveniant iusto et impio, bono et malo, mundo et immundo, immolanti victimas, et sacrificia contemnenti. sicut bonus, sic et peccator: ut periurus, ita et ille qui verum deierat.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
Hoc est pessimum inter omnia, quae sub sole fiunt, quia eadem cunctis eveniunt. unde et corda filiorum hominum implentur malitia, et contemptu in vita sua, et post haec ad inferos deducentur. (questioned)
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
Nemo est qui semper vivat, et qui huius rei habeat fiduciam: melior est canis vivus leone mortuo.
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
Viventes enim sciunt se esse morituros, mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius, nec habent ultra mercedem: quia oblivioni tradita est memoria eorum.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
Amor quoque, et odium, et invidiae simul perierunt, nec habent partem in hoc saeculo, et in opere, quod sub sole geritur.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
Vade ergo et comede in laetitia panem tuum, et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum: quia Deo placent opera tua.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Omni tempore sint vestimenta tua candida, et oleum de capite tuo non deficiat.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
Perfruere vita cum uxore, quam diligis, cunctis diebus vitae instabilitatis tuae, qui dati sunt tibi sub sole omni tempore vanitatis tuae: haec est enim pars in vita, et in labore tuo, quo laboras sub sole.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
Quodcumque facere potest manus tua, instanter operare: quia nec opus, nec ratio, nec sapientia, nec scientia erunt apud inferos, quo tu properas. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Verti me ad aliud, et vidi sub sole, nec velocium esse cursum, nec fortium bellum, nec sapientium panem, nec doctorum divitias, nec artificum gratiam: sed tempus, casumque in omnibus.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
Nescit homo finem suum: sed sicut pisces capiuntur hamo, et sicut aves laqueo comprehenduntur, sic capiuntur homines in tempore malo, cum eis extemplo supervenerit.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Hanc quoque sub sole vidi sapientiam, et probavi maximam:
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Civitas parva, et pauci in ea viri: venit contra eam rex magnus, et vallavit eam, extruxitque munitiones per gyrum, et perfecta est obsidio.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
Inventusque est in ea vir pauper et sapiens, et liberavit urbem per sapientiam suam, et nullus deinceps recordatus est hominis illius pauperis.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
Et dicebam ego, meliorem esse sapientiam fortitudine: quomodo ergo sapientia pauperis contempta est, et verba eius non sunt audita?
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio plus quam clamor principis inter stultos.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Melior est sapientia, quam arma bellica: et qui in uno peccaverit, multa bona perdet.
