Qoelet 8

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Quis talis, ut sapiens est? Et quis cognovit solutionem re rum? Sapientia hominis illuminat vultum eius, et durities faciei illius commutatur.	1 Who compares with the sage? Who else knows how to explain things? Wisdom lights up the face,enlivening a grim expression.
2 Os regis observa et propter iuramenta Dei	2 Obey the king's command and, because of the divine promise,
3 ne festines recedere a facie eiusneque permaneas in re mala, quia omne, quod voluerit, faciet.	3 be in no hurry to depart from it; do not be obstinate in a bad cause, since the king wil do as he likes inany case.
4 Quia sermoillius potestate plenus est, nec dicere ei quisquam potest: “ Quare ita facis?”.	4 Since the word of a king is sovereign, what is the point of saying, 'Why do that?'
5 Qui custodit praeceptum, non experietur quidquam mali; tempus et iudiciumcor sapientis intellegit.	5 One who obeys the command will come to no harm; the heart of the sage knows the right moment andverdict,
6 Omni enim negotio tempus est et iudicium, et multahominis afflictio;	6 for there is a right moment and verdict for everything; but misfortune lies heavy upon anyone
7 ignorat enim quid futurum sit, nam quomodo sit futurum,quis nuntiabit ei?	7 who does not know what the outcome wil be, no one is going to say how things wil turn out.
8 Non est in hominis potestate dominari super spiritum neccohibere spiritum, nec habet potestatem supra diem mortis, nec ulla remissio estingruente bello, neque salvabit impietas impium.	8 No one can control the wind and stop it from blowing, no one can control the day of death. From warthere is no escape, no more can wickedness save the person who commits it.
9 Omnia haec consideravi et dedi cor meum cunctis operibus, quae fiunt sub sole,quo tempore dominatur homo homini in malum suum.	9 I have seen al this to be so, having careful y studied everything taking place under the sun, while oneperson tyrannises over another to the former's detriment.
10 Et ita vidi impios sepultos,discedentes de loco sancto; in oblivionem cadere in civitate, quod ita egerunt:sed et hoc vanitas est.	10 And again, I have observed the wicked carried to their graves, and people leaving the holy place and,once out in the city, forgetting how the wicked used to behave; how futile this is too!
11 Etenim, quia non profertur cito sententia contraopera mala, ideo cor filiorum hominum repletur, ut perpetrent mala.	11 Because the sentence on the evil-doer is not carried out on the instant, people's hearts are ful ofdesire to do wrong.
12 Nampeccator centies facit malum et prolongat sibi dies; verumtamen novi quod eritbonum timentibus Deum, qui verentur faciem eius.	12 The sinner who does wrong a hundred times lives on. But this too I know, that there is good in store forpeople who fear God, because they fear him,
13 Non sit bonum impio, necprolongabit dies suos quasi umbram, qui non timet faciem Domini.	13 but there is no good in store for the wicked because he does not fear God, and so, like a shadow, hewil not prolong his days.
14 Est vanitas,quae fit super terram: sunt iusti, quibus mala proveniunt, quasi opera egerintimpiorum, et sunt impii, quibus bona proveniunt, quasi iustorum facta habeant;sed et hoc vanissimum iudico.	14 Another futile thing that happens on earth: upright people being treated as though they were wickedand wicked people being treated as though they were upright. To me this is one more example of futility.
15 Laudavi igitur laetitiam quod non esset hominibonum sub sole, nisi quod comederet et biberet atque gauderet et hoc solum secumauferret de labore suo in diebus vitae suae, quos dedit ei Deus sub sole.	15 And therefore I praise joy, since human happiness lies only in eating and drinking and in takingpleasure; this comes from what someone achieves during the days of life that God gives under the sun.
16 Cumapposui cor meum, ut scirem sapientiam et intellegerem occupationem, quaeversatur in terra, quod diebus et noctibus somnum non capit oculis,	16 Having applied myself to acquiring wisdom and to observing the activity taking place in the world -- forday and night our eyes enjoy no rest-
17 ecceintellexi quod omnium operum Dei nullam possit homo invenire rationem eorum,quae fiunt sub sole; et quanto plus laboraverit homo ad quaerendum, tanto minusinveniet; etiamsi dixerit sapiens se nosse, non poterit reperire.	17 I have scrutinised God's whole creation: you cannot get to the bottom of everything taking place underthe sun; you may wear yourself out in the search, but you wil never find it. Not even a sage can get to thebottom of it, even if he says that he has done so.