Ecclesiastes 9
World English BibleTranslation
World English Bible
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), second edition
1For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.
1ΟΤΙ σύμπαν τοῦτο ἔδωκα εἰς καρδίαν μου, καὶ καρδία μου σὺν πᾶν εἶδε τοῦτο, ὡς οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ αἱ ἐργασίαι αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί γε ἀγάπην καί γε μῖσος οὐκ ἔστιν εἰδὼς ὁ ἄνθρωπος· τὰ πάντα πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, ματαιότης ἐν τοῖς πᾶσι.
2All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.
2συνάντημα ἓν τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ τῷ ἀσεβεῖ, τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ καὶ τῷ καθαρῷ καὶ τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ τῷ θυσιάζοντι καὶ τῷ μὴ θυσιάζοντι· ὡς ὁ ἀγαθός, ὡς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων· ὡς ὁ ὀμνύων, καθὼς ὁ τὸν ὅρκον φοβούμενος.
3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
3τοῦτο πονηρὸν ἐν παντὶ πεποιημένῳ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσι· καί γε καρδία υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπληρώθη πονηροῦ, καὶ περιφέρεια ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς νεκρούς.
4For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
4ὅτι τίς ὃς κοινωνεῖ πρός πάντας τοὺς ζῶντας; ἔστιν ἐλπίς, ὅτι ὁ κύων ὁ ζῶν, αὐτὸς ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τὸν λέοντα τὸν νεκρόν.
5For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
5ὅτι οἱ ζῶντες γνώσονται ὅτι ἀποθανοῦνται, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ γινώσκοντες οὐδέν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔτι μισθός, ὅτι ἐπελήσθη ἡ μνήμη αὐτῶν·
6Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither do they any longer have a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
6καί γε ἀγάπη αὐτῶν καί γε μῖσος αὐτῶν καί γε ζῆλος αὐτῶν ἤδη ἀπώλετο, καί γε μερὶς οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐν παντὶ τῷ πεποιημένῳ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
7Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
7Δεῦρο φάγε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ τὸν ἄρτον σου καὶ πίε ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀγαθῇ οἶνόν σου, ὅτι ἤδη εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ποιήματά σου.
8Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil.
8ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἔστωσαν ἱμάτιά σου λευκά, καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς σου μὴ ὑστερησάτω.
9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.
9καὶ ἰδὲ ζωὴν μετὰ γυναικός, ἧς ἠγάπησας, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ζωῆς ματαιότητός σου τὰς δοθείσας σοι ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερίς σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου καὶ ἐν τῷ μόχθῳ σου, ᾧ σὺ μοχθεῖς ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.
10πάντα, ὅσα ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ ποιῆσαι, ὡς ἡ δύναμίς σου ποίησον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι ποίημα καὶ λογισμὸς καὶ γνῶσις καὶ σοφία ἐν ᾅδῃ, ὅπου σὺ πορεύῃ ἐκεῖ.
11I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
11Ἐπέστρεψα καὶ εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅτι οὐ τοῖς κούφοις ὁ δρόμος καὶ οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ὁ πόλεμος καί γε οὐ τῷ σοφῷ ἄρτος καί γε οὐ τοῖς συνετοῖς πλοῦτος καί γε οὐ τοῖς γινώσκουσι χάρις, ὅτι καιρὸς καὶ ἀπάντημα συναντήσεται τοῖς πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς.
12For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.
12ὅτι καί γε οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῦ· ὡς οἱ ἰχθύες οἱ θηρευόμενοι ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ κακῷ καὶ ὡς ὄρνεα τὰ θηρευόμενα ἐν παγίδι, ὡς αὐτὰ παγιδεύονται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς καιρὸν πονηρόν, ὅταν ἐπιπέσῃ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἄφνω.
13I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.
13Καί γε τοῦτο εἶδον σοφίαν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ μεγάλη ἐστὶ πρός με·
14There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.
14πόλις μικρὰ καὶ ἄνδρες ἐν αὐτῇ ὀλίγοι, καὶ ἔλθῃ ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν βασιλεὺς μέγας καὶ κυκλώσῃ αὐτὴν καὶ οἰκοδομήσῃ ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν χάρακας μεγάλους·
15Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
15καὶ εὕρῃ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄνδρα πένητα σοφόν, καὶ διασώσει αὐτὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἐμνήσθη σὺν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ πένητος ἐκείνου.
16Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
16καὶ εἶπα ἐγώ· ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, καὶ σοφία τοῦ πένητος ἐξουδενωμένη, καὶ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀκουόμενοι.
17The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.
17λόγοι σοφῶν ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἀκούονται ὑπὲρ κραυγὴν ἐξουσιαζόντων ἐν ἀφροσύναις.
18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.
18ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ σκεύη πολέμου, καὶ ἁμαρτάνων εἷς ἀπολέσει ἀγαθωσύνην πολλήν.
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