8 — Ecclesiastes

1The wisdom of a man shineth in his countenance, and the most mighty will change his face.La sapienza dell'uomo sulla faccia di lui risplende: e colui che può il tutto gli cangia il volto.THE wisdom of a man shineth in his countenance, and the most mightie wil change his face,Sapientia hominis lucet in vultu ejus, / et potentissimus faciem illius commutabit. 2I observe the mouth of the king, and the commandments of the oath of God.Io sto intento alle parole, e ai precetti del Re Iddio, confermati con giuramento.I obserue the mouth of the king, and the precepts of the oath of God.Ego os regis observo, / et præcepta juramenti Dei. 3Be not hasty to depart from his face, and do not continue in an evil work: for he will do all that pleaseth him:Non ti allontanar di leggeri dalla sua faccia, e non perseverare nella mala opera: perocché egli fa tutto quello che vuole:Hasten not to depart from his face, nor continew thou in an euil worke: because al that he pleaseth, he wil doe,Ne festines recedere a facie ejus, / neque permaneas in opere malo: / quia omne quod voluerit faciet. 4And his word is full of power: neither can any man say to him: Why dost thou so?E la sua parola è sommamente potente, e, nessuno può dire a lui: Perché fai tu così?and his word is ful of powre: neither can anie man say to him. Why dost thou so?Et sermo illius potestate plenus est, / nec dicere ei quisquam potest: Quare ita facis ? 5He that keepeth the commandment, shall find no evil. The heart of a wise man understandeth time and answer.Chi osserva i precetti non sentirà verun male: il cuore del saggio conosce il tempo, e la maniera di rispondere.He that kepeth the precept, shal finde no euil. The hart of a wiseman vnderstandeth time and answer.Qui custodit præceptum non experietur quidquam mali. / Tempus et responsionem cor sapientis intelligit. 6There is a time and opportunity for every business, and great affliction for man:Per ogni cosa v'ha il suo tempo opportuno: ma è di grande afflizione per l'uomo.There is a time for al busines, and opportunitie, and much affliction of man:Omni negotio tempus est, et opportunitas: / et multa hominis afflictio, 7Because he is ignorant of things past, and things to come he cannot know by any messenger.Il non sapere il passato, e il non potere aver novella del futuro.because he is ignorant of thinges past, and thinges to come he can know by no messenger.quia ignorat præterita, / et futura nullo scire potest nuntio. 8It is not in man’s power to stop the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, neither is he suffered to rest when war is at hand, neither shall wickedness save the wicked.Non è in potere dell'uomo il rattenere lo spirito, né egli ha autorità sopra il giorno di sua morte, né gli è permesso di starsi in pace, venuta che è la guerra; e l'empietà non salverà l'empio.It is not in mans powre to prohibite the spirite, neither hath he powre in the day of death, neither is he suffered to rest when warre is at hand, neither shal impietie saue the impious.Non est in hominis potestate prohibere spiritum, / nec habet potestatem in die mortis: / nec sinitur quiescere ingruente bello, / neque salvabit impietas impium.

9All these things I have considered, and applied my heart to all the works that are done under the sun. Sometimes one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.Io considerai tutte queste cose, e applicai il mio cuore a tutte le cose, che si fanno sotto del sole. Talora un uomo ha impero sopra un altro uomo per sua sciagura.Al these thinges I haue considered, and gaue my hart on al the workes, that are done vnder the sunne. Sometime man ruleth ouer man to his owne hurt.Omnia hæc consideravi, / et dedi cor meum in cunctis operibus quæ fiunt sub sole. / Interdum dominatur homo homini in malum suum. 10I saw the wicked buried: who also when they were yet living were in the holy place, and were praised in the city as men of just works: but this also is vanity.Vidi degli empj portati alla sepoltura, i quali mentre tuttor viveano, stavano nel luogo santo, ed erano celebrati nella città, come persone date al bene: ma questo pure è vanità;I saw the impious buried: who also when they yet liued, were in holie place, and were praised in the citie as men of iust workes. But this also is vanitie.Vidi impios sepultos, / qui etiam cum adhuc viverent / in loco sancto erant, / et laudabantur in civitate / quasi justorum operum. / Sed et hoc vanitas est. 11For because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the children of men commit evils without any fear.Perocché a motivo, che non così subito è proferita la sentenza contro i cattivi, per questo i figliuoli degli uomini fanno il male senza paura.Because sentence is not speedely pronounced against the euil, the children of men committe euils without anie feare.Etenim quia non profertur cito contra malos sententia, / absque timore ullo / filii hominum perpetrant mala. 12But though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and by patience be borne withal, I know from thence that it shall be well with them that fear God, who dread his face.Ma dall'essere tollerato con pazienza il peccatore quando cento volte ha peccato, io ho compreso, che saran felici quelli che temono Dio, e stanno con timore dinanzi a lui.But yet a sinner by this that he doth euil an hundred times, & by patience is borne withal, I know that it shal be good to them that feare God, which dread 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. 13But let it not be well with the wicked, neither let his days be prolonged, but as a shadow let them pass away that fear not the face of the Lord.Non abbia bene l'empio, e non siano lunghi i suoi giorni, ma passino com'ombra quelli, che non temono la faccia del Signore.Let there be no good to the impious, neither let his dayes be prolonged, but as a shadow let them passe, that feare not the face of our Lord.Non sit bonum impio, / nec prolongentur dies ejus, / sed quasi umbra transeant qui non timent faciem Domini.

14There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are just men to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the wicked: and there are wicked men, who are as secure as though they had the deeds of the just: but this also I judge most vain.V'ha pure un'altra vanità, che avviene sopra la terra: Vi sono de' giusti, che soffrono calamità come se avessero operato da empi, e vi sono degli empj tanto tranquilli, come se avessero operato da giusti: ma questa pure io la credo cosa vanissima.There is also an other vanitie, which is done vpon the earth. There are iust men, to whom euils happen, as though they had done the workes of the impious: and there are impious men, which are so secure, as though they had the dedes of the iust. But this also I iudge most vaine.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. 15Therefore I commended mirth, because there was no good for a man under the sun, but to eat, and drink, and be merry, and that he should take nothing else with him of his labour in the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.Quindi io lodai il viver lieto, perché altro bene non abbia l'uomo sotto del sole, se non mangiare, e bere e questo solo egli ritragga dalle sue fatiche nel tempo, di vita conceduto a lui quaggiù da Dio.I therfore haue praised mirth that there was no good thing for a man vnder the sunne, but that he should eate, and drinke, and be glad: and this only he should take away with him of his labour in the dayes of his life, which God hath geuen him vnder the sunne.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. 16And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to understand the distraction that is upon earth: for there are some that day and night take no sleep with their eyes.Or io applicai il mio cuore ad apprendere la sapienza, e ad osservare le distrazioni, che occupano la terra: V'ha taluno, che non chiude occhio per dormire né di giorno né di notte.And I haue set my hart to know wisdom, and to vnderstand the distraction that is in the earth: There is a man that dayes and nightes taketh no slepe with his eyes.Et apposui cor meum ut scirem sapientiam, / et intelligerem distentionem quæ versatur in terra. / Est homo qui diebus et noctibus somnum non capit oculis. 17And I understood that man can find no reason of all those works of God that are done under the sun: and the more he shall labour to seek, so much the less shall he find: yea, though the wise man shall say, that he knoweth it, he shall not be able to find it.E conobbi come di tutte le opere di Dio di quelle, che si fanno sotto del sole, nessun uomo trovar può la ragione; e quanto più si affatica in tal ricerca, tanto meno troverà: e quand'anche il saggio dicesse di saperla, non potrà rintracciarla.And I vnderstood that man can sinde no reason of al those workes of God, that are done vnder the sunne: and the more he shal labour to seke, so much the lesse he can finde: yea if the wisman shal say, that he knoweth, he is not able to finde 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.