Liber Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, Vulgate and King James Version

Chapter 1 Vulgate

   1 Verba Ecclesiastes filii David regis Ierusalem."
   2 "Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes, vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas".
   3 Quid lucri est homini de universo labore suo, quo laborat sub sole?
   4 Generatio praeterit, et generatio advenit, terra autem in aeternum stat.
   5 Oritur sol, et occidit sol et ad locum suum anhelat ibique renascitur.
   6 Gyrat per meridiem et flectitur ad aquilonem, lustrans universa in circuitu pergit spiritus et in circulos suos revertitur.
   7 Omnia flumina pergunt ad mare, et mare non redundat; ad locum, unde exeunt, flumina illuc revertuntur in cursu suo.
   8 Cunctae res difficiles; non potest eas homo explicare sermone. Non saturatur oculus visu, nec auris auditu impletur.
   9 Quod fuit, ipsum est, quod futurum est. Quod factum est, ipsum est, quod faciendum est:
   10 nihil sub sole novum. Si de quadam re dicitur: "Ecce hoc novum est", iam enim praecessit in saeculis, quae fuerunt ante nos.
   11 Non est priorum memoria, sed nec eorum quidem, qui postea futuri sunt, erit recordatio apud eos, qui futuri sunt in novissimo.
   12 Ego Ecclesiastes fui rex Israel in Ierusalem
   13 et proposui in animo meo quaerere et investigare sapienter de omnibus, quae fiunt sub sole. Hanc occupationem pessimam dedit Deus filiis hominum, ut occuparentur in ea.
   14 Vidi cuncta, quae fiunt sub sole; et ecce universa vanitas et afflictio spiritus.
   15 Quod est curvum, rectum fieri non potest; et, quod deficiens est, numerari non potest.
   16 Locutus sum ego in corde meo dicens: "Ecce ego magnificavi et apposui sapientiam super omnes, qui fuerunt ante me in Ierusalem; et mens mea contemplata est multam sapientiam et scientiam".
   17 Dedique cor meum, ut scirem sapientiam et scientiam, insipientiam et stultitiam. Et agnovi quod in his quoque esset afflictio spiritus, eo quod
   18 in multa sapientia multus sit maeror; et, qui addit scientiam, addit et laborem.

Source: Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio, Sacrosanti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II, Ratione Habita, Iussu Pauli PP. VI Recognita, Auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II Promulgata, Editio Typica Altera

King James Version

   1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
   2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
   3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
   4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
   5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
   6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
   7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
   8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
   9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
   10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
   11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
   12 ¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
   13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
   14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
   15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
   16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
   17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
   18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.