< Ecclesiastes 3 >
1 To 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 uproot,
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,
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 search and a time to count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard,
καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι καιρὸς τοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent 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 does the worker gain from his toil?
τίς περισσεία τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ
10 I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
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 the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to 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 do good while they live,
ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ
13 and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this 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 everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear 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 What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.
τὸ γενόμενον ἤδη ἐστίν καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι ἤδη γέγονεν καὶ ὁ θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον
16 Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
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, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
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 to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”
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 the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.
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 come from dust, and all return to dust.
τὰ πάντα πορεύεται εἰς τόπον ἕνα τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοός καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέφει εἰς τὸν χοῦν
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into 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 I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come 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