Ecclesiastes 9
Thomson 1808
Brenton 1851
Greek · Brenton
1
ThomsonAS the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God, man indeed knoweth not what to love or what to hate:
BrentonI saw that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: yea, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, though all are before their face.
GreekὩς οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ καὶ αἱ ἐργασίαι αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί γε ἀγάπην καί γε μῖσος οὐκ ἔστιν εἰδὼς ὁ ἄνθρωπος· τὰ πάντα πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν.
2
Thomsonwith regard to all things before him there is vanity in them all. The same event happeneth to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; to the clean and to the unclean; to him who sacrificeth and to him who sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; as is he who sweareth, so is he who feareth the oath.
BrentonVanity is in all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; both to the pure, and to the impure; both to him that sacrifices, and to him that sacrifices not: as is the good, so is the sinner: as is the swearer, even so is he that fears an oath.
GreekΜαταιότης ἐν τοῖς πᾶσι· συνάντημα ἓν τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ τῷ ἀσεβεῖ, τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ, καὶ τῷ καθαρῷ καὶ τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ, καὶ τῷ θυσιάζοντι καὶ τῷ μὴ θυσιάζοντι· ὡς ὁ ἀγαθὸς ὡς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων, ὡς ὁ ὀμνύων καθὼς ὁ τὸν ὅρκον φοβούμενος.
3
ThomsonThere is this evil in everything done under the sun, that one event happeneth to them all, so that the heart of the children of men being filled with evil there is an instability in their heart during their life, and it followeth them to the dead.
BrentonThere is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yea, the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after that they go to the dead.
GreekΤοῦτο πονηρὸν ἐν παντὶ πεποιημένῳ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσι· καί γε καρδια υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπληρώθη πονηροῦ, καὶ περιφέρεια ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς νεκρούς.
4
ThomsonBecause whoever is in society with all the living hath hope—because the dog which is alive is better than the lion which is dead—
BrentonFor who is he that has fellowship with all the living? there is hope of him: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
GreekὍτι τίς ὃς κοινωνεῖ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ζῶντας; ἔστιν ἐλπὶς, ὅτι ὁ κύων ὁ ζῶν αὐτὸς ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τὸν λέοντα τὸν νεκρόν·
5
Thomsonbecause they who are alive must know that they shall die; but the dead are not sensible of any thing and there is no more a portion for them—because the remembrance of these is forgotten,
BrentonFor the living will know that they shall die: but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them; for their memory is lost.
GreekὍτι οἱ ζῶντες γνώσονται ὅτι ἀποθανοῦνται, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ γινώσκοντες οὐδέν· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔτι μισθὸς, ὅτι ἐπελήσθη ἡ μνήμη αὐτῶν.
6
Thomsonand their love and their hatred and their envy are already perished and they have no more forever a portion in any thing done under the sun.
BrentonAlso their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished; yea, there is no portion for them any more for ever in all that is done under the sun.
GreekΚαί γε ἀγάπη αὐτῶν, καί γε μῖσος αὐτῶν, καί γε ζῆλος αὐτῶν ἤδη ἀπώλετο· καί γε μερὶς οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐν παντὶ τῷ πεποιημένῳ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
7
ThomsonCome eat thy bread with cheerfulness, and drink thy wine with a good heart: because God hath approved of thy works,
BrentonGo, eat thy bread with mirth, and drink thy wine with a joyful heart; for now God has favourably accepted thy works.
GreekΔεῦρο φάγε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ τὸν ἄρτον σου, καὶ πίε ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀγαθῇ οἶνόν σου, ὅτι ἤδη εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ποιήματά σου.
8
Thomsonlet thy garments be always white; and let not oil be wanting on thy head:
BrentonLet thy garments be always white; and let not oil be wanting on thine head.
GreekἘν παντὶ καιρῷ ἔστωσαν ἱμάτιά σου λευκὰ, καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς σου μὴ ὑστερησάτω.
9
Thomsonenjoy life also with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity, which are given thee under the sun: for this is thy portion in this life of thine, and this thy labour with which thou toilest under the sun.
BrentonAnd see life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which are given thee under the sun: for that is thy portion in thy life, and in thy labour wherein thou labourest under the sun.
GreekΚαὶ ἴδε ζωὴν μετὰ γυναικὸς ἧς ἠγάπησας πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ζωῆς ματαιότητός σου, τὰς δοθείσας σοι ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερίς σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου, καὶ ἐν τῷ μόχθῳ σου ᾧ σὺ μοχθεῖς ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.
10
ThomsonWhatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might; since there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the mansion of the dead to which thou must go.
BrentonWhatsoever thine hand shall find to do, do with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades whither thou goest.
GreekΠάντα ὅσα ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ ποιῆσαι, ὡς ἡ δύναμίς σου ποίησον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι ποίημα καὶ λογισμὸς καὶ γνῶσις καὶ σοφία ἐν ᾅδῃ, ὅπου σὺ πορεύῃ ἐκεῖ.
11
ThomsonHaving turned about, I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty; nay not even bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding; nor favour to men of knowledge—that time and chance will happen to them all as forming one whole.
BrentonI returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet wealth to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of knowledge; for time and chance will happen to them all.
GreekἘπέστρεψα καὶ εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι οὐ τοῖς κούφοις ὁ δρόμος, καὶ οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ὁ πόλεμος, καί γε οὐ τῷ σοφῷ ἄρτος, καί γε οὐ τοῖς συνετοῖς πλοῦτος, καί γε οὐ τοῖς γινώσκουσι χάρις, ὅτι καιρὸς καὶ ἀπάντημα συνατήσεται σύμπασιν αὐτοῖς.
12
ThomsonThat man indeed no more knoweth his time than the fishes which are enclosed in an evil dredge, or than birds which are caught in a net. Like them the sons of men are drawn into an evil time when it cometh upon them suddenly.
BrentonFor surely man also knows not his time: as fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in a snare; even thus the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.
GreekὍτι καί γε καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῦ, ὡς οἱ ἰχθύες οἱ θηρευόμενοι ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ κακῷ, καὶ ὡς ὄρνεα τὰ θηρευόμενα ἐν παγίδι· ὡς αὐτὰ παγιδεύονται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰς καιρὸν πονηρὸν, ὅταν ἐπιπέσῃ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἄφνω.
13
ThomsonThis also I saw under the sun in regard to wisdom which with me is in high estimation.
BrentonThis I also saw to be wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me:
GreekΚαί γε τοῦτο εἶδον σοφίαν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ μεγάλη ἐστι πρὸς μέ·
14
ThomsonThere was a small city and few men in it. And there came against it a mighty king who besieged it and built great ramparts against it;
Brentonsuppose there were a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;
GreekΠόλις μικρὰ καὶ ἄνδρες ἐν αὐτῇ ὀλίγοι, καὶ ἔλθῃ ἐπʼ αὐτὴν βασιλεὺς μέγας καὶ κυκλώσῃ αὐτὴν, καὶ οἰκοδομήσῃ ἐπʼ αὐτὴν χάρακας μεγάλους·
15
Thomsonbut he happened to find in it a poor wise beggar, and this man by his wisdom saved the city; yet no man remembered the class of this poor beggar.
Brentonand should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.
Greekκαὶ εὕρῃ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄνδρα πένητα σοφὸν, καὶ διασώσῃ αὐτὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἐμνήσθη σὺν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ πένητος ἐκείνου.
16
ThomsonNow I have said, Wisdom is better than power, yet the wisdom of this poor man is despised and his words are not regarded.
BrentonAnd I said, Wisdom is better than power: yet the wisdom of the poor man is set at nought, and his words not listened to.
GreekΚαὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ, ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν· καὶ σοφία τοῦ πένητος ἐξουδενωμένη, καὶ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσακουόμενοι.
17
ThomsonThe words of wise men in a time of rest are more minded than the shout of men exercising authority in the bustles of folly. Wisdom is better than implements of war. One sinner indeed will destroy much good.
BrentonThe words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of them that rule in folly.
GreekΛόγοι σοφῶν ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἀκούονται ὑπὲρ κραυγὴν ἐξουσιάζόντων ἐν ἀφροσύναις.
18
Thomson—
BrentonWisdom is better than weapons of war: and one sinner will destroy much good.
GreekἈγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ σκεύη πολέμου· καὶ ἁμαρτάνων εἷς ἀπολέσει ἀγαθωσύνην πολλήν.