< Ecclesiastes 3 >
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
τοῖς πᾶσιν χρόνος καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτῖλαι πεφυτευμένον
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθους καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήμψεως
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι καιρὸς τοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
καιρὸς τοῦ ῥῆξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ῥάψαι καιρὸς τοῦ σιγᾶν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλεῖν
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
καιρὸς τοῦ φιλῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μισῆσαι καιρὸς πολέμου καὶ καιρὸς εἰρήνης
9 What profit has he who works in that in which he labors?
τίς περισσεία τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ
10 I have seen the burden which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
εἶδον σὺν τὸν περισπασμόν ὃν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.
σὺν τὰ πάντα ἐποίησεν καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ καί γε σὺν τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and to do good as long as they live.
ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ
13 Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.
καί γε πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν
14 I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God has done it, that men should fear before him.
ἔγνων ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός αὐτὰ ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν προσθεῖναι καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν ἵνα φοβηθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ
15 That which is has been long ago, and that which is to be has been long ago. God seeks again that which is passed away.
τὸ γενόμενον ἤδη ἐστίν καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι ἤδη γέγονεν καὶ ὁ θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον
16 Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
καὶ ἔτι εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τόπον τῆς κρίσεως ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής καὶ τόπον τοῦ δικαίου ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής
17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ θεός ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιήματι
18 I said in my heart, “As for the sons of men, God tests them, so that they may see that they themselves are like animals.
ἐκεῖ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ θεός καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσὶν καί γε αὐτοῖς
19 For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals, for all is vanity.
ὅτι συνάντημα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ συνάντημα τοῦ κτήνους συνάντημα ἓν αὐτοῖς ὡς ὁ θάνατος τούτου οὕτως ὁ θάνατος τούτου καὶ πνεῦμα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσιν καὶ τί ἐπερίσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τὸ κτῆνος οὐδέν ὅτι τὰ πάντα ματαιότης
20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.
τὰ πάντα πορεύεται εἰς τόπον ἕνα τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοός καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέφει εἰς τὸν χοῦν
21 Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?”
καὶ τίς οἶδεν πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ εἰς ἄνω καὶ πνεῦμα τοῦ κτήνους εἰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸ κάτω εἰς γῆν
22 Therefore I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what will be after him?
καὶ εἶδον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἰ μὴ ὃ εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐν ποιήμασιν αὐτοῦ ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ ὅτι τίς ἄξει αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται μετ’ αὐτόν