1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8 ¶ Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
1 καὶ μνήσθητι τοῦ κτίσαντός σε
ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου,
ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἔλθωσιν ἡμέραι τῆς κακίας
καὶ φθάσωσιν ἔτη, ἐν οἷς ἐρεῖς
Οὐκ ἔστιν μοι ἐν αὐτοῖς θέλημα·
2 ἕως οὗ μὴ σκοτισθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸ φῶς
καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες,
καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν τὰ νέφη ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ·
3 ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἐὰν σαλευθῶσιν φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας
καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως,
καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι, ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν,
καὶ σκοτάσουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς·
4 καὶ κλείσουσιν θύρας ἐν ἀγορᾷ
ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης,
καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου,
καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος·
5 καί γε ἀπὸ ὕψους ὄψονται, καὶ θάμβοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ·
καὶ ἀνθήσῃ τὸ ἀμύγδαλον,
καὶ παχυνθῇ ἡ ἀκρίς,
καὶ διασκεδασθῇ ἡ κάππαρις,
ὅτι ἐπορεύθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς οἶκον αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ,
καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι·
6 ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἀνατραπῇ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου,
καὶ συνθλιβῇ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου,
καὶ συντριβῇ ὑδρία ἐπὶ τὴν πηγήν,
καὶ συντροχάσῃ ὁ τροχὸς ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον,
7 καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ χοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὡς ἦν,
καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό.
8 ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής,
τὰ πάντα ματαιότης.
9 Καὶ περισσὸν ὅτι ἐγένετο Ἐκκλησιαστὴς σοφός,
ἔτι ἐδίδαξεν γνῶσιν σὺν τὸν λαόν,
καὶ οὖς ἐξιχνιάσεται κόσμιον παραβολῶν.
10 πολλὰ ἐζήτησεν Ἐκκλησιαστὴς
τοῦ εὑρεῖν λόγους θελήματος
καὶ γεγραμμένον εὐθύτητος, λόγους ἀληθείας.
11 Λόγοι σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα
καὶ ὡς ἧλοι πεφυτευμένοι,
οἳ παρὰ τῶν συναγμάτων ἐδόθησαν
ἐκ ποιμένος ἑνὸς καὶ περισσὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν.
12 υἱέ μου, φύλαξαι ποιῆσαι βιβλία πολλά·
οὐκ ἔστιν περασμός, καὶ μελέτη πολλὴ κόπωσις σαρκός.
13 Τέλος λόγου τὸ πᾶν ἀκούεται
Τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε,
ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
14 ὅτι σὺν πᾶν τὸ ποίημα ὁ θεὸς ἄξει ἐν κρίσει
ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ,
ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν.