ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΑΛΩΜΩΝ - Sapienza - Wisdom 2

GREEK BIBLE	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 εἶπον γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λογισάμενοι οὐκ ὀρθῶς ὀλίγος ἐστὶν καὶ λυπηρὸς ὁ βίος ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις ἐν τελευτῇ ἀνθρώπου καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώσθη ὁ ἀναλύσας ἐξ ᾅδου	1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one has been known to return from Hades.
2 ὅτι αὐτοσχεδίως ἐγενήθημεν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐσόμεθα ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρξαντες ὅτι καπνὸς ἡ πνοὴ ἐν ῥισὶν ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ λόγος σπινθὴρ ἐν κινήσει καρδίας ἡμῶν	2 Because we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been; because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts.
3 οὗ σβεσθέντος τέφρα ἀποβήσεται τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα διαχυθήσεται ὡς χαῦνος ἀήρ	3 When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air.
4 καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἡμῶν ἐπιλησθήσεται ἐν χρόνῳ καὶ οὐθεὶς μνημονεύσει τῶν ἔργων ἡμῶν καὶ παρελεύσεται ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ὡς ἴχνη νεφέλης καὶ ὡς ὁμίχλη διασκεδασθήσεται διωχθεῖσα ὑπὸ ἀκτίνων ἡλίου καὶ ὑπὸ θερμότητος αὐτοῦ βαρυνθεῖσα	4 Our name will be forgotten in time and no one will remember our works; our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat.
5 σκιᾶς γὰρ πάροδος ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναποδισμὸς τῆς τελευτῆς ἡμῶν ὅτι κατεσφραγίσθη καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναστρέφει	5 For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back.
6 δεῦτε οὖν καὶ ἀπολαύσωμεν τῶν ὄντων ἀγαθῶν καὶ χρησώμεθα τῇ κτίσει ὡς ἐν νεότητι σπουδαίως 7οἴνου πολυτελοῦς καὶ μύρων πλησθῶμεν καὶ μὴ παροδευσάτω ἡμᾶς ἄνθος ἔαρος	6 "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.
7 οι φοβουμενοι τον κυριον αναμεινατε το ελεος αυτου και μη εκκλινητε ινα μη πεσητε	7 Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass by us.
8 στεψώμεθα ῥόδων κάλυξιν πρὶν ἢ μαρανθῆναι	8 Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
9 μηδεὶς ἡμῶν ἄμοιρος ἔστω τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀγερωχίας πανταχῇ καταλίπωμεν σύμβολα τῆς εὐφροσύνης ὅτι αὕτη ἡ μερὶς ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ κλῆρος οὗτος	9 Let none of us fail to share in our revelry, everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot.
10 καταδυναστεύσωμεν πένητα δίκαιον μὴ φεισώμεθα χήρας μηδὲ πρεσβύτου ἐντραπῶμεν πολιὰς πολυχρονίους	10 Let us oppress the righteous poor man; let us not spare the widow nor regard the gray hairs of the aged.
11 ἔστω δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ ἰσχὺς νόμος τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸ γὰρ ἀσθενὲς ἄχρηστον ἐλέγχεται	11 But let our might be our law of right, for what is weak proves itself to be useless.
12 ἐνεδρεύσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν καὶ ἐναντιοῦται τοῖς ἔργοις ἡμῶν καὶ ὀνειδίζει ἡμῖν ἁμαρτήματα νόμου καὶ ἐπιφημίζει ἡμῖν ἁμαρτήματα παιδείας ἡμῶν	12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
13 ἐπαγγέλλεται γνῶσιν ἔχειν θεοῦ καὶ παῖδα κυρίου ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει	13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 ἐγένετο ἡμῖν εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν βαρύς ἐστιν ἡμῖν καὶ βλεπόμενος	14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 ὅτι ἀνόμοιος τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξηλλαγμέναι αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ	15 the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
16 εἰς κίβδηλον ἐλογίσθημεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπέχεται τῶν ὁδῶν ἡμῶν ὡς ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσιῶν μακαρίζει ἔσχατα δικαίων καὶ ἀλαζονεύεται πατέρα θεόν	16 We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.
17 ἴδωμεν εἰ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ ἀληθεῖς καὶ πειράσωμεν τὰ ἐν ἐκβάσει αὐτοῦ	17 Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 εἰ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ δίκαιος υἱὸς θεοῦ ἀντιλήμψεται αὐτοῦ καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀνθεστηκότων	18 for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 ὕβρει καὶ βασάνῳ ἐτάσωμεν αὐτόν ἵνα γνῶμεν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ δοκιμάσωμεν τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν αὐτοῦ	19 Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.
20 θανάτῳ ἀσχήμονι καταδικάσωμεν αὐτόν ἔσται γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐπισκοπὴ ἐκ λόγων αὐτοῦ	20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
21 ταῦτα ἐλογίσαντο καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν ἀπετύφλωσεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἡ κακία αὐτῶν	21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them,
22 καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια θεοῦ οὐδὲ μισθὸν ἤλπισαν ὁσιότητος οὐδὲ ἔκριναν γέρας ψυχῶν ἀμώμων	22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls;
23 ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπ’ ἀφθαρσίᾳ καὶ εἰκόνα τῆς ἰδίας ἀϊδιότητος ἐποίησεν αὐτόν	23 for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity,
24 φθόνῳ δὲ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον πειράζουσιν δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου μερίδος ὄντες	24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.