< Ecclesiastes 11 >
1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
ἀπόστειλον τὸν ἄρτον σου ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ ὕδατος ὅτι ἐν πλήθει τῶν ἡμερῶν εὑρήσεις αὐτόν
2 Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.
δὸς μερίδα τοῖς ἑπτὰ καί γε τοῖς ὀκτώ ὅτι οὐ γινώσκεις τί ἔσται πονηρὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν
3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν τὰ νέφη ὑετοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκχέουσιν καὶ ἐὰν πέσῃ ξύλον ἐν τῷ νότῳ καὶ ἐὰν ἐν τῷ βορρᾷ τόπῳ οὗ πεσεῖται τὸ ξύλον ἐκεῖ ἔσται
4 He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
τηρῶν ἄνεμον οὐ σπερεῖ καὶ βλέπων ἐν ταῖς νεφέλαις οὐ θερίσει
5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν γινώσκων τίς ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ πνεύματος ὡς ὀστᾶ ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς κυοφορούσης οὕτως οὐ γνώσῃ τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ὅσα ποιήσει σὺν τὰ πάντα
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
ἐν πρωίᾳ σπεῖρον τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ εἰς ἑσπέραν μὴ ἀφέτω ἡ χείρ σου ὅτι οὐ γινώσκεις ποῖον στοιχήσει ἢ τοῦτο ἢ τοῦτο καὶ ἐὰν τὰ δύο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀγαθά
7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
καὶ γλυκὺ τὸ φῶς καὶ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ βλέπειν σὺν τὸν ἥλιον
8 So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.
ὅτι καὶ ἐὰν ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς εὐφρανθήσεται καὶ μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ σκότους ὅτι πολλαὶ ἔσονται πᾶν τὸ ἐρχόμενον ματαιότης
9 Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
εὐφραίνου νεανίσκε ἐν νεότητί σου καὶ ἀγαθυνάτω σε ἡ καρδία σου ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου καὶ περιπάτει ἐν ὁδοῖς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐν ὁράσει ὀφθαλμῶν σου καὶ γνῶθι ὅτι ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις ἄξει σε ὁ θεὸς ἐν κρίσει
10 So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.
καὶ ἀπόστησον θυμὸν ἀπὸ καρδίας σου καὶ παράγαγε πονηρίαν ἀπὸ σαρκός σου ὅτι ἡ νεότης καὶ ἡ ἄνοια ματαιότης