1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. 2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 ¶ For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
7 ¶ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11 ¶ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 ¶ This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
1 omnia haec tractavi in corde meo ut curiose intellegerem
sunt iusti atque sapientes et opera eorum in manu Dei
et tamen nescit homo utrum amore an odio dignus sit
2 sed omnia in futuro servantur incerta
eo quod universa aeque eveniant
iusto et impio bono et malo mundo et inmundo
immolanti victimas et sacrificia contemnenti
sicut bonus sic et peccator
ut periurus ita et ille qui verum deierat
3 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
4 nemo est qui semper vivat et qui huius rei habeat fiduciam
melior est canis vivens leone mortuo
5 viventes enim sciunt se esse morituros
mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius
nec habent ultra mercedem
quia oblivioni tradita est memoria eorum
6 amor quoque et odium et invidia simul perierunt
nec habent partem in hoc saeculo et in opere quod sub sole geritur
7 vade ergo et comede in laetitia panem tuum
et bibe cum gaudio vinum tuum quia Deo placent opera tua
8 omni tempore sint vestimenta tua candida
et oleum de capite tuo non deficiat
9 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 quod laboras sub sole
10 quodcumque potest manus tua facere instanter operare
quia nec opus nec ratio nec scientia nec sapientia
erunt apud inferos quo tu properas
11 verti me alio
vidique sub sole nec velocium esse cursum
nec fortium bellum nec sapientium panem
nec doctorum divitias nec artificum gratiam
sed tempus casumque in omnibus
12 nescit homo finem suum
sed sicut pisces capiuntur hamo
et sicut aves conprehenduntur laqueo
sic capiuntur homines tempore malo
cum eis extemplo supervenerit
13 hanc quoque vidi sub sole sapientiam et probavi
maximam
14 civitas parva et pauci in ea viri
venit contra eam rex magnus et vallavit eam
extruxitque munitiones per gyrum et perfecta est obsidio
15 inventusque in ea vir pauper et sapiens
liberavit urbem per sapientiam suam
et nullus deinceps recordatus est hominis illius pauperis
16 et dicebam ego meliorem esse sapientiam fortitudine
quomodo ergo sapientia pauperis contempta est
et verba eius non sunt audita
17 verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio
plus quam clamor principis inter stultos
18 melior est sapientia quam arma bellica
et qui in uno peccaverit multa bona perdet