Ecclesiastes 2
Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899)Translation
Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899)
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), second edition
1I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity.
1ΕΙΠΟΝ ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου· δεῦρο δὴ πειράσω σε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ ἰδὲ ἐν ἀγαθῷ· καὶ ἰδοὺ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.
2Laughter I counted error: and to mirth I said: Why art thou vainly deceived?
2τῷ γέλωτι εἶπα περιφοράν, καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ· τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς;
3I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might turn my mind to wisdom, and might avoid folly, till I might see what was profitable for the children of men: and what they ought to do under the sun, all the days of their life.
3καὶ κατεσκεψάμην εἰ ἡ καρδία μου ἑλκύσει ὡς οἶνον τὴν σάρκα μου καὶ καρδία μου ὡδήγησεν ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ τοῦ κρατῆσαι ἐπ᾿ εὐφροσύνην, ἕως οὗ ἴδω ποῖον τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὃ ποιήσουσιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτῶν.
4I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,
4ἐμεγάλυνα ποίημά μου, ᾠκοδόμησά μοι οἴκους. ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνας,
5I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,
5ἐποίησά μοι κήπους καὶ παραδείσους καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς ξύλον πᾶν καρποῦ·
6And I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood of the young trees,
6ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα·
7I got me menservants, and maidservants, and had a great family: and herds of oxen, and great flocks of sheep, above all that were before me in Jerusalem:
7ἐκτησάμην δούλους καὶ παιδίσκας, καὶ οἰκογενεῖς ἐγένοντό μοι, καί γε κτῆσις βουκολίου καὶ ποιμνίου πολλὴ ἐγένετό μοι ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ·
8I heaped together for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings, and provinces: I made me singing men, and singing women, and the delights of the sons of men, cups and vessels to serve to pour out wine:
8συνήγαγόν μοι καί γε ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ περιουσιασμοὺς βασιλέων καὶ τῶν χωρῶν· ἐποίησά μοι ᾄδοντας καὶ ᾀδούσας καὶ ἐντρυφήματα υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἰνοχόον καὶ οἰνοχόας·
9And I surpassed in riches all that were before me in Jerusalem: my wisdom also remained with me.
9καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα παρὰ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καί γε σοφία μου ἐστάθη μοι.
10And whatsoever my eyes desired, I refused them not: and I withheld not my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and delighting itself in the things which I had prepared: and esteemed this my portion, to make use of my own labour.
10καὶ πᾶν, ὃ ᾔτησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, οὐκ ἀφεῖλον 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.
11And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun.
11καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ ἐν πᾶσι ποιήμασί μου, οἷς ἐποίησαν αἱ χεῖρές μου, καὶ ἐν μόχθῳ, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα τοῦ ποιεῖν, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι περισσεία ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
12I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I, that he can follow the King his maker?)
12καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν καὶ περιφορὰν καί ἀφροσύνην· ὅτι τίς ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς τὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτήν;
13And I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as much as light differeth from darkness.
13καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἐστὶ περισσεία τῇ σοφίᾳ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ὡς περισσεία τοῦ φωτὸς ὑπὲρ τὸ σκότος.
14The eyes of a wise man are in his head: the fool walketh in darkness: and I learned that they were to die both alike.
14τοῦ 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.
15And I said in my heart: If the death of the fool and mine shall be one, what doth it avail me, that I have applied myself more to the study of wisdom? And speaking with my own mind, I perceived that this also was vanity.
15καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου· ὡς συνάντημα τοῦ ἄφρονος καί γε ἐμοὶ συναντήσεταί μοι, καὶ ἱνατί ἐσοφισάμην ἐγώ; τότε περισσὸν ἐλάλησα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, διότι ὁ ἄφρων ἐκ περισσεύματος λαλεῖ, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.
16For there shall be no remembrance of the wise no more than of the fool for ever, and the times to come shall cover all things together with oblivion: the learned dieth in like manner as the unlearned.
16ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ μνήμη τοῦ σοφοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καθότι ἤδη αἱ ἡμέραι ἐρχόμεναι τὰ πάντα ἐπελήσθη· καὶ πῶς ἀποθανεῖται ὁ σοφὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος;
17And therefore I was weary of my life, when I saw that all things under the sun are evil, and all vanity and vexation of spirit.
17καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.
18Again I hated all my application wherewith I had earnestly laboured under the sun, being like to have an heir after me,
18καὶ ἐμίσησα ἐγὼ σὺν πάντα μόχθον μου, ὃν ἐγὼ κοπιῶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι ἀφίω αὐτὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ γινομένῳ μετ᾿ ἐμέ·
19Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?
19καὶ τίς οἶδεν εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων; καὶ εἰ ἐξουσιάζεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ᾧ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.
20Wherefore I left off and my heart renounced labouring any more under the sun.
20καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τὴν καρδίαν μου ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον,
21For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.
21ὅτι ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι 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·
22For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he bath been tormented under the sun?
22ὅτι γίνεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προαιρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
23All his days axe full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he doth not rest in mind: and is not this vanity?
23ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἀλγημάτων καὶ θυμοῦ περισπασμὸς αὐτοῦ, καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης ἐστίν.
24Is it not better to eat and drink, and to shew his soul good things of his labours? and this is from the hand of God.
24οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν 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·
25Who shall so feast and abound with delights as I?
25ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ τίς πίεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ;
26God hath given to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he hath given vexation, and superfluous care, to heap up and to gather together, and to give it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanity, and a fruitless solicitude of the mind.
26ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἔδωκε σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην· καί τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἔδωκε περισπασμὸν τοῦ προσθεῖναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν, τοῦ δοῦναι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.
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