Ecclesiastes 12
Thomson 1808
Brenton 1851
Greek · Brenton
1
ThomsonBECAUSE youth and thoughtlessness is vanity, therefore remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth;
BrentonAnd remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the days of evil come, and the years overtake thee in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
GreekΚαὶ μνήσθητι τοῦ κτίσαντός σε ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου, ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἔλθωσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς κακίας, καὶ φθάσουσιν ἔτη ἐν οἷς ἐρεῖς, οὐκ ἔστι μοι ἐν αὐτοῖς θέλημα.
2
Thomsonbefore the evil days come and the years draw nigh in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. So long as the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are not involved in darkness, the clouds will return after rain.
BrentonWhile the sun and light are not darkened, nor the moon and the stars; nor the clouds return after the rain:
GreekἝως οὗ μὴ σκοτισθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες, καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσι τὰ νέφη ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ.
3
ThomsonWhen once the guards of the house are shaken, and the men of valour put to flight, and the grinding maids are idle, because reduced to a few, then shall the maids who look out at the windows be darkened,
Brentonin the day wherein the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the mighty men shall become bent, and the grinding women cease because they have become few, and the women looking out at the windows be dark;
GreekἘν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐὰν σαλευθῶσι φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν, καὶ σκοτάσουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς·
4
Thomsonand the doors of the market place will be shut at the feebleness of the voice of the grinding maid, which will be raised to the plaintive tone of the young ostrich; and all the daughters of the song will be brought low;
Brentonand they shall shut the doors in the market-place, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds at the mill; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;
GreekΚαὶ κλείσουσι θύρας ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης· καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος·
5
Thomsonand they will look up to the height and there are terrors in the way. Though the almond tree shall have bloomed and the locust hath been fattened and the caper-bush is shed, because the man is gone to his long [distant] home, therefore the mourners have made a circuit in the market place.
Brentonand they shall look up, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered: because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market:
GreekΚαὶ εἰς τὸ ὕψος ὄψονται, καὶ θάμβοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καὶ ἀνθήσῃ τὸ ἀμύγδαλον, καὶ παχυνθῇ ἡ ἀκρὶς, καὶ διασκεδασθῇ ἡ κάππαρις, ὅτι ἐπορεύθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς οἶκον αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι.
6
ThomsonUntil the silver cord can be wound up no more, and the golden bowl be broken, and the bucket broken at the well, and the wheel on the well shall run down with it,
Brentonbefore the silver cord be let go, or the choice gold be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel run down to the cistern;
GreekἝως ὅτου μὴ ἀνατραπῇ τὸ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου, καὶ συντριβῇ τὸ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου, καὶ συντριβῇ ὑδρία ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, καὶ συντροχάσῃ ὁ τροχὸς ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον·
7
Thomsonand dust return to dust as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it—
Brentonbefore the dust also return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it.
GreekΚαὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ χοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὡς ἦν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό.
8
ThomsonVanity of vanities, said the preacher: All things are vanity.
BrentonVanity of vanities, said the Preacher; all is vanity.
GreekΜαταιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης.
9
ThomsonAnd moreover, because the preacher was wise, because he taught mankind wisdom; that the ear might find what is comely from parables,
BrentonAnd because the Preacher was wise above others, so it was that he taught man excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.
GreekΚαὶ περισσὸν ὅτι ἐγένετο Ἐκκλησιαστὴς σοφὸς, ὅτι ἐδίδαξε γνῶσιν σὺν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὖς ἐξιχνιάσεται κόσμιον παραβολῶν.
10
Thomsonthe preacher made diligent search to find pleasing words and a writing of rectitude—words of truth.
BrentonThe Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, even words of truth.
GreekΠολλὰ ἐζήτησεν Ἐκκλησιαστὴς τοῦ εὑρεῖν λόγους θελήματος, καὶ γεγραμμένον εὐθύτητος, λόγους ἀληθείας.
11
ThomsonThe words of the wise are like goads and nails ready made, which have been laid up in repositories from one shepherd to another. What remaineth of them, my son, keep thou. There is no end of making many books. And much study is a weariness to the flesh.
BrentonThe words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.
GreekΛόγοι σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα, καὶ ὡς ἧλοι πεφυτευμένοι, οἳ παρὰ τῶν συνθεμάτων ἐδόθησαν ἐκ ποιμένος ἑνός.
12
Thomson—
BrentonAnd moreover, my son, guard thyself by means of them: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
GreekΚαὶ περισσὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν υἱέ μου φύλαξαι· τοῦ ποιῆσαι βιβλία πολλὰ οὐκ ἔστι περασμὸς, καὶ μελέτη πολλὴ κόπωσις σαρκός.
13
ThomsonAs a conclusion of the discourse, hear thou the whole sum and substance.—Fear God and keep His commandments: for this conclusion every man should draw, That God will bring the whole work into judgment in every case not taken notice of, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
BrentonHear the end of the matter, the sum: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole man.
GreekΤέλος λόγου, τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε· τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε· ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
14
Thomson—
BrentonFor God will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
GreekὍτι σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ὁ Θεὸς ἄξει ἐν κρίσει, ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν.