Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile.
εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου δεῦρο δὴ πειράσω σε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ ἰδὲ ἐν ἀγαθῷ καὶ ἰδοὺ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης
2 I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
τῷ γέλωτι εἶπα περιφορὰν καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς
3 I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
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
4 I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
ἐμεγάλυνα ποίημά μου ᾠκοδόμησά μοι οἴκους ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνας
5 I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
ἐποίησά μοι κήπους καὶ παραδείσους καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς ξύλον πᾶν καρποῦ
6 I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπ’ αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα
7 I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,
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
8 and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.
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
9 So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.
καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα παρὰ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καί γε σοφία μου ἐστάθη μοι
10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
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
11 Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
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
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?
καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν καὶ περιφορὰν καὶ ἀφροσύνην ὅτι τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς τὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτήν
13 And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἔστιν περισσεία τῇ σοφίᾳ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφροσύνην ὡς περισσεία τοῦ φωτὸς ὑπὲρ τὸ σκότος
14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.
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
15 So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.
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
16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!
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
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπ’ ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅτι τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος
18 I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
καὶ ἐμίσησα ἐγὼ σὺν πάντα μόχθον μου ὃν ἐγὼ μοχθῶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὅτι ἀφίω αὐτὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ γινομένῳ μετ’ ἐμέ
19 And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
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
20 So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.
καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ μόχθῳ ᾧ ἐμόχθησα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον
21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.
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
22 For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?
ὅτι τί γίνεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προαιρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον
23 Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἀλγημάτων καὶ θυμοῦ περισπασμὸς αὐτοῦ καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης ἐστίν
24 Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.
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
25 For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment?
ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ τίς φείσεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ
26 To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
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
