Qoelet 2

NOVA VULGATA	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Dixi ego in corde meo: “ Veni, tentabo te gaudio: fruere bo nis ”; etecce hoc quoque vanitas.	1 I said to myself, "Come, now, let me try you with pleasure and the enjoyment of good things." But behold, this too was vanity.
2 De risu dixi: “ Insania ” et de gaudio: “ Quid prodest? ”.	2 Of laughter I said: "Mad!" and of mirth: "What good does this do?"
3 Tractavi in corde meo detinere in vino carnem meam, cum cor meum duceretur insapientia, et amplecti stultitiam, donec viderem quid esset utile filiishominum, ut faciant sub sole paucis diebus vitae suae.	3 I thought of beguiling my senses with wine, though my mind was concerned with wisdom, and of taking up folly, until I should understand what is best for men to do under the heavens during the limited days of their life.
4 Magnificavi opera mea:aedificavi mihi domos et plantavi vineas,	4 I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards;
5 feci hortos et pomaria et consevi eaarboribus cuncti generis fructuum	5 I made gardens and parks, and set out in them fruit trees of all sorts.
6 et exstruxi mihi piscinas aquarum, utirrigarem silvam lignorum germinantium.	6 And I constructed for myself reservoirs to water a flourishing woodland.
7 Possedi servos et ancillas et habuimultam familiam, habui armenta quoque et magnos ovium greges ultra omnes, quifuerunt ante me in Ierusalem.	7 I acquired male and female slaves, and slaves were born in my house. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem.
8 Coacervavi mihi etiam argentum et aurum etsubstantias regum ac provinciarum, feci mihi cantores et cantatrices et deliciasfiliorum hominum, scyphos et urceos in ministerio ad vina fundenda	8 I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and provinces. I got for myself male and female singers and all human luxuries.
9 et crevi,supergressus sum omnes, qui ante me fuerunt in Ierusalem; sapientia quoque meaperseveravit mecum.	9 I became great, and I stored up more than all others before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, stayed with me.
10 Et omnia, quae desideraverunt oculi mei, non negavi eisnec prohibui cor meum ab omni voluptate, et oblectatum est ex omnibus laboribus,et hanc ratus sum partem meam ab omnibus aerumnis meis.	10 Nothing that my eyes desired did I deny them, nor did I deprive myself of any joy, but my heart rejoiced in the fruit of all my toil. This was my share for all my toil.
11 Cumque meconvertissem ad universa opera, quae fecerant manus meae, et ad labores, inquibus sudaveram, et ecce in omnibus vanitas et afflictio spiritus, et nihillucri esse sub sole.	11 But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the toil at which I had taken such pains, behold! all was vanity and a chase after wind, with nothing gained under the sun.
12 Verti me ad contemplandam sapientiam et insipientiam et stultitiam: “ Quidfaciet, inquam, homo, qui veniet post regem? Id quod antea fecerunt ”.	12 For what will the man do who is to come after the king? What men have already done! I went on to the consideration of wisdom, madness and folly.
13 Etvidi quod tantum praecederet sapientia stultitiam, quantum lux praecedittenebras.	13 And I saw that wisdom has the advantage over folly as much as light has the advantage over darkness.
14 “ Sapientis oculi in capite eius, stultus in tenebris ambulat ”; et didici quod unus utriusque esset interitus.	14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.Yet I knew that one lot befalls both of them.
15 Et dixi in corde meo: “ Si unus et stulti et meus occasus erit, quid mihiprodest quod maiorem sapientiae dedi operam? ”. Locutusque cum mente mea,animadverti quod hoc quoque esset vanitas.	15 So I said to myself, if the fool's lot is to befall me also, why then should I be wise? Where is the profit for me? And I concluded in my heart that this too is vanity.
16 Non enim erit memoria sapientissimiliter ut stulti in perpetuum; siquidem futura tempora oblivione cunctapariter operient: moritur doctus similiter ut indoctus.	16 Neither of the wise man nor of the fool will there be an abiding remembrance, for in days to come both will have been forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies as well as the fool!
17 Et idcirco taeduit me vitae meae, quia malum mihi est, quod sub sole fit;cuncta enim vanitas et afflictio spiritus.	17 Therefore I loathed life, since for me the work that is done under the sun is evil; for all is vanity and a chase after wind.
18 Rursus detestatus sum omnemlaborem meum, quo sub sole laboravi, quem relicturus sum homini, qui erit postme;	18 And I detested all the fruits of my labor under the sun, because I must leave them to a man who is to come after me.
19 et quis scit utrum sapiens an stultus futurus sit? Et dominabitur inlaboribus meis, quibus desudavi et sollicitus fui sub sole. Hoc quoque vanitas.	19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruits of my wise labor under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 Verti me exasperans cor meum de omni labore, quo laboravi sub sole.	20 So my feelings turned to despair of all the fruits of my labor under the sun.
21 Namest qui laborat in sapientia et doctrina et sollicitudine, et homini, qui nonlaboraverit, dabit portionem suam; et hoc ergo vanitas et magnum malum.	21 For here is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and to another, who has not labored over it, he must leave his property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
22 Quid enim proderit homini de universo labore suo et afflictione cordis, quasub sole laboravit?	22 For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?
23 Cuncti dies eius dolores sunt, et aerumnae occupatioeius, nec per noctem cor eius requiescit; et hoc quoque vanitas est.	23 All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.
24 Nihilmelius est homini quam comedere et bibere et ostendere animae suae bona delaboribus suis. Et hoc vidi de manu Dei esse.	24 There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and provide himself with good things by his labors. Even this, I realized, is from the hand of God.
25 Quis enim comedet et deliciisaffluet sine eo?	25 For who can eat or drink apart from him?
26 Quia homini bono in conspectu suo dedit sapientiam et scientiam et laetitiam;peccatori autem dedit afflictionem colligendi et congregandi, ut tradat ei, quiplacuit Deo; sed et hoc vanitas est et afflictio spiritus.	26 For to whatever man he sees fit he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering possessions to be given to whatever man God sees fit. This also is vanity and a chase after wind.