1 Καὶ 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 Ἕως οὗ μὴ σκοτισθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες, καὶ ἐπιστρέψουσι τὰ νέφη ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ. 3 Ἐν 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 Καὶ κλείσουσι θύρας ἐν ἀγορᾷ, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης· καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου, καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος· 5 Καὶ 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 Ἕως 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 Καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ χοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὡς ἦν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό. 8 Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. 9 Καὶ περισσὸν ὅτι ἐγένετο Ἐκκλησιαστὴς σοφὸς, ὅτι ἐδίδαξε γνῶσιν σὺν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, 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 συνθεμάτων ἐδόθησαν ἐκ ποιμένος ἑνός. 12 Καὶ περισσὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν υἱέ μου φύλαξαι· τοῦ ποιῆσαι βιβλία πολλὰ οὐκ ἔστι περασμὸς, καὶ μελέτη πολλὴ κόπωσις σαρκός. 13 Τέλος λόγου, τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε· τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε· ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος. 14 Ὅτι σύμπαν τὸ ποίημα ὁ Θεὸς ἄξει ἐν κρίσει, ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ, ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν.
Ecclesiastes · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Ecclesiastes 12 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
Cross references (14)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Lamentations 3:27; Ecclesiastes 11:8; Psalm 71:17–18; Proverbs 22:6; Luke 18:16
- 2 Isaiah 5:30; 1 Samuel 4:15; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Samuel 3:2; Ezekiel 32:7–8
- 3 Psalm 90:9–10; Psalm 102:23; Genesis 48:10; 1 Samuel 3:2; Zechariah 8:4
- 4 Jeremiah 25:10; 2 Samuel 19:35; Revelation 18:22
- 5 Job 17:13; Jeremiah 9:17–20; Job 30:23; Proverbs 16:31; Psalm 71:18
- 6 Zechariah 4:2–3
- 7 Daniel 12:2; Ecclesiastes 3:20–21; Psalm 146:4; Genesis 3:19; Job 34:14–15
- 8 Ecclesiastes 1:2; Ecclesiastes 8:8; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 4:4; Psalm 62:9
- 9 Proverbs 1:1; 1 Kings 4:32; Proverbs 25:1; 1 Kings 10:8; Proverbs 10:1
- 10 Colossians 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:15; Proverbs 16:21–24; Proverbs 1:1–6; Proverbs 8:6–10
- 11 Jeremiah 23:29; Acts 2:37; Hebrews 4:12; Ezekiel 34:23; John 3:10
- 12 Ecclesiastes 1:18; John 21:25; 2 Peter 1:19–21; John 5:39; 1 Kings 4:32
- 13 Deuteronomy 10:12; Micah 6:8; Deuteronomy 6:2; Psalms 111:10–112:1; Psalm 145:19
- 14 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:16; Matthew 12:36; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Matthew 10:26
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall grow heavy, and the caper-berry shall be scattered abroad.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)