Ἐκκλησιαστής 5

1 φύλαξον πόδα σου ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν πορεύῃ εἰς οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἀκούειν ὑπὲρ δόμα τῶν ἀφρόνων θυσία σου ὅτι οὔκ εἰσιν εἰδότες τοῦ ποιῆσαι κακόν

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.

2 μὴ σπεῦδε ἐπὶ στόματί σου καὶ καρδία σου μὴ ταχυνάτω τοῦ ἐξενέγκαι λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι

Be not rash with thy month, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

3 ὅτι παραγίνεται ἐνύπνιον ἐν πλήθει περισπασμοῦ καὶ φωνὴ ἄφρονος ἐν πλήθει λόγων

For a dream cometh with a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice with a multitude of words.

4 καθὼς ἂν εὔξῃ εὐχὴν τῷ θεῷ μὴ χρονίσῃς τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι αὐτήν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημα ἐν ἄφροσιν σὺν ὅσα ἐὰν εὔξῃ ἀπόδος

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest.

5 ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαί σε καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

6 μὴ δῷς τὸ στόμα σου τοῦ ἐξαμαρτῆσαι τὴν σάρκα σου καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ἄγνοιά ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ ὀργισθῇ ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ φωνῇ σου καὶ διαφθείρῃ τὰ ποιήματα χειρῶν σου

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

7 ὅτι ἐν πλήθει ἐνυπνίων καὶ ματαιότητες καὶ λόγοι πολλοί ὅτι σὺν τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦ

For [thus it cometh to pass] through the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words: but fear thou God.

8 ἐὰν συκοφαντίαν πένητος καὶ ἁρπαγὴν κρίματος καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἴδῃς ἐν χώρᾳ μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι ὅτι ὑψηλὸς ἐπάνω ὑψηλοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ ὑψηλοὶ ἐπ’ αὐτούς

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there be higher than they.

9 καὶ περισσεία γῆς ἐν παντί ἐστι βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἰργασμένου

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

10 ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου καὶ τίς ἠγάπησεν ἐν πλήθει αὐτῶν γένημα καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this also is vanity.

11 ἐν πλήθει τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης ἐπληθύνθησαν ἔσθοντες αὐτήν καὶ τί ἀνδρεία τῷ παρ’ αὐτῆς ὅτι ἀλλ’ ἢ τοῦ ὁρᾶν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with his eyes?

12 γλυκὺς ὕπνος τοῦ δούλου εἰ ὀλίγον καὶ εἰ πολὺ φάγεται καὶ τῷ ἐμπλησθέντι τοῦ πλουτῆσαι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφίων αὐτὸν τοῦ ὑπνῶσαι

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

13 ἔστιν ἀρρωστία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον πλοῦτον φυλασσόμενον τῷ παρ’ αὐτοῦ εἰς κακίαν αὐτοῦ

There is a grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:

14 καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκεῖνος ἐν περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱόν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ οὐδέν

and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15 καθὼς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ γυμνός ἐπιστρέψει τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὡς ἥκει καὶ οὐδὲν οὐ λήμψεται ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ ἵνα πορευθῇ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

16 καί γε τοῦτο πονηρὰ ἀρρωστία ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεγένετο οὕτως καὶ ἀπελεύσεται καὶ τίς περισσεία αὐτῷ ᾗ μοχθεῖ εἰς ἄνεμον

And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboureth for the wind?

17 καί γε πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἐν σκότει καὶ πένθει καὶ θυμῷ πολλῷ καὶ ἀρρωστίᾳ καὶ χόλῳ

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed and hath sickness and wrath.

18 ἰδοὺ ὃ εἶδον ἐγὼ ἀγαθόν ὅ ἐστιν καλόν τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ τοῦ πιεῖν καὶ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀγαθωσύνην ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ ᾧ ἐὰν μοχθῇ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτοῦ ὧν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour, wherein he laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.

19 καί γε πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ᾧ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ ἐξουσίασεν αὐτὸν τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ λαβεῖν τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ τοῦτο δόμα θεοῦ ἐστιν

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

20 ὅτι οὐ πολλὰ μνησθήσεται τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς περισπᾷ αὐτὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καρδίας αὐτοῦ

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.