Ἐκκλησιαστής 2
1 εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου δεῦρο δὴ πειράσω σε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ ἰδὲ ἐν ἀγαθῷ καὶ ἰδοὺ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης
I said in my heart: “I will go forth and overflow with delights, and I will enjoy good things.” And I saw that this, too, is emptiness.
2 τῷ γέλωτι εἶπα περιφορὰν καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς
Laughter, I considered an error. And to rejoicing, I said: “Why are you being deceived, to no purpose?”
3 κατεσκεψάμην ἐν καρδίᾳ μου τοῦ ἑλκύσαι εἰς οἶνον τὴν σάρκα μου καὶ καρδία μου ὡδήγησεν ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ τοῦ κρατῆσαι ἐπ’ ἀφροσύνῃ ἕως οὗ ἴδω ποῖον τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὃ ποιήσουσιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτῶν
I decided in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, so that I might bring my mind to wisdom, and turn away from foolishness, until I see what is useful for the sons of men, and what they ought to do under the sun, during the number of the days of their life.
4 ἐμεγάλυνα ποίημά μου ᾠκοδόμησά μοι οἴκους ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνας
I magnified my works. I built houses for myself, and I planted vineyards.
5 ἐποίησά μοι κήπους καὶ παραδείσους καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς ξύλον πᾶν καρποῦ
I made gardens and orchards. And I planted them with trees of every kind.
6 ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπ’ αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα
And I dug out fishponds of water, so that I might irrigate the forest of growing trees.
7 ἐκτησάμην δούλους καὶ παιδίσκας καὶ οἰκογενεῖς ἐγένοντό μοι καί γε κτῆσις βουκολίου καὶ ποιμνίου πολλὴ ἐγένετό μοι ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ιερουσαλημ
I obtained men and women servants, and I had a great family, as well as herds of cattle and great flocks of sheep, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 συνήγαγόν μοι καί γε ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ περιουσιασμοὺς βασιλέων καὶ τῶν χωρῶν ἐποίησά μοι ᾄδοντας καὶ ᾀδούσας καὶ ἐντρυφήματα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἰνοχόον καὶ οἰνοχόας
I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and governors. I chose men and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, bowls and pitchers for the purpose of pouring wine.
9 καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα παρὰ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καί γε σοφία μου ἐστάθη μοι
And I surpassed in opulence all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also persevered with me.
10 καὶ πᾶν ὃ ᾔτησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου οὐχ ὑφεῖλον ἀπ’ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσα τὴν καρδίαν μου ἀπὸ πάσης εὐφροσύνης ὅτι καρδία μου εὐφράνθη ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου καὶ τοῦτο ἐγένετο μερίς μου ἀπὸ παντὸς μόχθου μου
And all that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. Neither did I prohibit my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and from amusing itself in the things that I had prepared. And I regarded this as my share, as if I were making use of my own labors.
11 καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ ἐν πᾶσιν ποιήμασίν μου οἷς ἐποίησαν αἱ χεῖρές μου καὶ ἐν μόχθῳ ᾧ ἐμόχθησα τοῦ ποιεῖν καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν περισσεία ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον
But when I turned myself toward all the works that my hands had made, and to the labors in which I had perspired to no purpose, I saw emptiness and affliction of the soul in all things, and that nothing is permanent under the sun.
12 καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν καὶ περιφορὰν καὶ ἀφροσύνην ὅτι τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς τὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτήν
I continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. “What is man,” I said, “that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?”
13 καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἔστιν περισσεία τῇ σοφίᾳ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφροσύνην ὡς περισσεία τοῦ φωτὸς ὑπὲρ τὸ σκότος
And I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness, so much so that they differ as much as light from darkness.
14 τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ ἄφρων ἐν σκότει πορεύεται καὶ ἔγνων καί γε ἐγὼ ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν συναντήσεται τοῖς πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς
The eyes of a wise man are in his head. A foolish man walks in darkness. Yet I learned that one would pass away like the other.
15 καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ὡς συνάντημα τοῦ ἄφρονος καί γε ἐμοὶ συναντήσεταί μοι καὶ ἵνα τί ἐσοφισάμην ἐγὼ τότε περισσὸν ἐλάλησα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου διότι ἄφρων ἐκ περισσεύματος λαλεῖ ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης
And I said in my heart: “If the death of both the foolish and myself will be one, how does it benefit me, if I have given myself more thoroughly to the work of wisdom?” And as I was speaking within my own mind, I perceived that this, too, is emptiness.
16 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν μνήμη τοῦ σοφοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος εἰς αἰῶνα καθότι ἤδη αἱ ἡμέραι αἱ ἐρχόμεναι τὰ πάντα ἐπελήσθη καὶ πῶς ἀποθανεῖται ὁ σοφὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος
For there will not be a remembrance in perpetuity of the wise, nor of the foolish. And the future times will cover everything together, with oblivion. The learned die in a manner similar to the unlearned.
17 καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπ’ ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅτι τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος
And, because of this, my life wearied me, since I saw that everything under the sun is evil, and everything is empty and an affliction of the spirit.
18 καὶ ἐμίσησα ἐγὼ σὺν πάντα μόχθον μου ὃν ἐγὼ μοχθῶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅτι ἀφίω αὐτὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ γινομένῳ μετ’ ἐμέ
Again, I detested all my efforts, by which I had earnestly labored under the sun, to be taken up by an heir after me,
19 καὶ τίς οἶδεν εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων καὶ ἐξουσιάζεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ᾧ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης
though I know not whether he will be wise or foolish. And yet he will have power over my labors, in which I have toiled and been anxious. And is there anything else so empty?
20 καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ μόχθῳ ᾧ ἐμόχθησα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον
Therefore, I ceased, and my heart renounced further laboring under the sun.
21 ὅτι ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος οὗ μόχθος αὐτοῦ ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐν γνώσει καὶ ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς οὐκ ἐμόχθησεν ἐν αὐτῷ δώσει αὐτῷ μερίδα αὐτοῦ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ πονηρία μεγάλη
For when someone labors in wisdom, and doctrine, and prudence, he leaves behind what he has obtained to one who is idle. So this, too, is emptiness and a great burden.
22 ὅτι τί γίνεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προαιρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον
For how can a man benefit from all his labor and affliction of spirit, by which he has been tormented under the sun?
23 ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἀλγημάτων καὶ θυμοῦ περισπασμὸς αὐτοῦ καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης ἐστίν
All his days have been filled with sorrows and hardships; neither does he rest his mind, even in the night. And is this not emptiness?
24 οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ ὃ φάγεται καὶ ὃ πίεται καὶ ὃ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καί γε τοῦτο εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἀπὸ χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν
Is it not better to eat and drink, and to show his soul the good things of his labors? And this is from the hand of God.
25 ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ τίς φείσεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ
So who will feast and overflow with delights as much as I have?
26 ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἔδωκεν περισπασμὸν τοῦ προσθεῖναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν τοῦ δοῦναι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος
God has given, to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and rejoicing. But to the sinner, he has given affliction and needless worrying, so as to add, and to gather, and to deliver, to him who has pleased God. But this, too, is emptiness and a hollow worrying of the mind.
