Ecclesiastes 8

Ecclesiastes 8, Catholic Public Domain Version

1. The wisdom of a man shines in his countenance, and even the expression of a most powerful man will change.

   Sapientia hominis lucet in vultu ejus, et potentissimus faciem illius commutabit.

2. 2

   I heed the mouth of the king, and the commandment of an oath to God.

   Ego os regis observo, et præcepta juramenti Dei.

3. 3

   You should not hastily withdraw from his presence, nor should you remain in an evil work. For all that pleases him, he will do.

   Ne festines recedere a facie ejus, neque permaneas in opere malo: quia omne quod voluerit faciet.

4. 4

   And his word is filled with authority. Neither is anyone able to say to him: “Why are you acting this way?”

   Et sermo illius potestate plenus est, nec dicere ei quisquam potest: Quare ita facis?

5. 5

   Whoever keeps the commandment will not experience evil. The heart of a wise man understands the time to respond.

   Qui custodit præceptum non experietur quidquam mali. Tempus et responsionem cor sapientis intelligit.

6. 6

   For every matter, there is a time and an opportunity, as well as many difficulties, for man.

   Omni negotio tempus est, et opportunitas: et multa hominis afflictio,

7. 7

   For he is ignorant of the past, and he is able to know nothing of the future by means of a messenger.

   quia ignorat præterita, et futura nullo scire potest nuntio.

8. 8

   It is not in the power of a man to prohibit the spirit, nor does he have authority over the day of death, nor is he permitted to rest when war breaks out, and neither will impiety save the impious.

   Non est in hominis potestate prohibere spiritum, nec habet potestatem in die mortis: nec sinitur quiescere ingruente bello, neque salvabit impietas impium.

9. 9

   I have considered all these things, and I have applied my heart to all the works which are being done under the sun. Sometimes one man rules over another to his own harm.

   Omnia hæc consideravi, et dedi cor meum in cunctis operibus quæ fiunt sub sole. Interdum dominatur homo homini in malum suum.

10. 10

    I have seen the impious buried. These same, while they were still living, were in the holy place, and they were praised in the city as workers of justice. But this, too, is emptiness.

    Vidi impios sepultos, qui etiam cum adhuc viverent in loco sancto erant, et laudabantur in civitate quasi justorum operum. Sed et hoc vanitas est.

11. 11

    For the sons of men perpetrate evils without any fear, because judgment is not pronounced quickly against the evil.

    Etenim quia non profertur cito contra malos sententia, absque timore ullo filii hominum perpetrant mala.

12. 12

    But although a sinner may do evil of himself one hundred times, and by patience still endure, I realize that it will be well with those who fear God, who revere his face.

    Attamen peccator ex eo quod centies facit malum, et per patientiam sustentatur; ego cognovi quod erit bonum timentibus Deum, qui verentur faciem ejus.

13. 13

    So, may it not go well with the impious, and may his days not be prolonged. And let those who do not fear the face of the Lord pass away like a shadow.

    Non sit bonum impio, nec prolongentur dies ejus, sed quasi umbra transeant qui non timent faciem Domini.

14. 14

    There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are the just, to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the impious. And there are the impious, who are very secure, as though they possess the deeds of the just. But this, too, I judge to be a very great vanity.

    Est et alia vanitas quæ fit super terram: sunt justi quibus mala proveniunt quasi opera egerint impiorum: et sunt impii qui ita securi sunt quasi justorum facta habeant. Sed et hoc vanissimum judico.

15. 15

    And so, I praised rejoicing, because there was no good for a man under the sun, except to eat and drink, and to be cheerful, and because he may take nothing with him from his labor in the days of his life, which God has given to him under the sun.†

    Laudavi igitur lætitiam; quod non esset homini bonum sub sole, nisi quod comederet, et biberet, atque gauderet, et hoc solum secum auferret de labore suo, in diebus vitæ suæ quos dedit ei Deus sub sole.

16. 16

    And I applied my heart, so that I might know wisdom, and so that I might understand a disturbance that turns upon the earth: it is a man, who takes no sleep with his eyes, day and night.

    Et apposui cor meum ut scirem sapientiam, et intelligerem distentionem quæ versatur in terra. Est homo qui diebus et noctibus somnum non capit oculis.

17. 17

    And I understood that man is able to find no explanation for all those works of God which are done under the sun. And so, the more that he labors to seek, so much the less does he find. Yes, even if a wise man were to claim that he knows, he would not be able to discover it.

    Et intellexi quod omnium operum Dei nullam possit homo invenire rationem eorum quæ fiunt sub sole; et quanto plus laboraverit ad quærendum, tanto minus inveniat: etiam si dixerit sapiens se nosse, non poterit reperire.

Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain · Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592)