Chapter 3

¹ O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish, the troubled spirit, crieth unto thee. ² Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for thou art merciful: and have pity upon us, because we have sinned before thee. ³ For thou endurest forever, and we perish utterly.

ΚΥΡΙΕ παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ψυχὴ ἐν στενοῖς καὶ πνεῦμα ἀκηδιῶν κέκραγε πρός σε. ἄκουσον, Κύριε, καὶ ἐλέησον, ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν ἐναντίον σου, ὅτι σὺ καθήμενος τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπολλύμενοι τὸν αἰῶνα.

⁴ O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, hear now the prayers of the dead Israelites, and of their children, which have sinned before thee, and not hearkened unto the voice of thee their God: for the which cause these plagues cleave unto us. ⁵ Remember not the iniquities of our forefathers: but think upon thy power and thy name now at this time. ⁶ For thou art the Lord our God, and thee, O Lord, will we praise.

Κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ἄκουσον δὴ τῆς προσευχῆς τῶν τεθνηκότων Ἰσραὴλ καὶ υἱῶν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐναντίον σου, οἳ οὐκ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου Θεοῦ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκολλήθη ἡμῖν τὰ κακά. μὴ μνησθῇς ἀδικιῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ μνήσθητι χειρός σου καὶ ὀνόματός σου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ· ὅτι σὺ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ αἰνέσομέν σε, Κύριε.

⁷ And for this cause thou hast put thy fear in our hearts, to the intent that we should call upon thy name, and praise thee in our captivity: for we have called to mind all the iniquity of our forefathers, that sinned before thee.

ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἔδωκας τὸν φόβον σου ἐπί καρδίαν ἡμῶν τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομά σου. καὶ αἰνέσομέν σε ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἀπεστρέψαμεν ἀπὸ καρδίας ἡμῶν πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν πατέρων ἡμῶν τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐναντίον σου.

⁸ Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity, where thou hast scattered us, for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to payments, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, which departed from the Lord our God.

ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ ἡμῶν, οὗ διέσπειρας ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν καὶ εἰς ἀρὰν καὶ εἰς ὄφλησιν κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἀδικίας πατέρων ἡμῶν, οἳ ἀπέστησαν ἀπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.

⁹ Hear, Israel, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom. ¹⁰ How happeneth it, Israel, that thou art in thine enemies’ land, that thou art waxen old in a strange country, that thou art defiled with the dead, ¹¹ that thou art counted with them that go down into the grave? ¹² Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom. ¹³ For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelt in peace forever.

Ἄκουε Ἰσραὴλ ἐντολὰς ζωῆς, ἐνωτίσασθε γνῶναι φρόνησιν. τί ἐστιν Ἰσραήλ; τί ὅτι ἐν γῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἶ; ἐπαλαιώθης ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ, συνεμιάνθης τοῖς νεκροῖς, προσελογίσθης μετὰ τῶν εἰς ᾅδου; ἐγκατέλιπες τὴν πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας. τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰ ἐπορεύθης, κατῴκεις ἂν ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὸν αἰῶνα.

¹⁴ Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding; that thou mayest know also where is length of days, and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace. ¹⁵ Who hath found out her place? or who hath come into her treasures?

μάθε ποῦ ἐστι φρόνησις, ποῦ ἐστιν ἰσχύς, ποῦ ἐστι σύνεσις τοῦ γνῶναι ἅμα ποῦ ἐστι μακροβίωσις καὶ ζωή, ποῦ ἐστι φῶς ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ εἰρήνη. Τίς εὗρε τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς καὶ τίς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῆς;

¹⁶ Where are the princes of the heathen, and such as ruled the beasts upon the earth; ¹⁷ they that had their pastime with the fowls of the air, and they that hoarded up silver and gold, wherein men trust, and made no end of their getting? ¹⁸ For they that wrought in silver, and were so careful, and whose works are unsearchable, ¹⁹ they are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others are come up in their stead.

ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ οἱ κυριεύοντες τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οἱ ἐν τοῖς ὀρνέοις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐμπαίζοντες καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον θησαυρίζοντες καὶ τὸ χρυσίον, ᾧ ἐπεποίθεισαν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τέλος τῆς κτήσεως αὐτῶν, οἱ τὸ ἀργύριον τεκταίνοντες καὶ μεριμνῶντες, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν; ἠφανίσθησαν καὶ εἰς ᾅδου κατέβησαν, καὶ ἄλλοι ἀντανέστησαν ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν.

²⁰ Young men have seen light, and dwelt upon the earth; but the way of knowledge have they not known, ²¹ nor understood the paths thereof, nor laid hold of it: their children were far off from that way. ²² It hath not been heard of in Canaan, neither hath it been seen in Teman.

νεώτεροι εἶδον φῶς καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὁδὸν δὲ ἐπιστήμης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐδὲ συνῆκαν τρίβους αὐτῆς, οὐδὲ ἀντελάβοντο αὐτῆς· οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτῶν πόρρω ἐγενήθησαν, οὐδὲ ἠκούσθη ἐν Χαναάν, οὐδὲ ὤφθη ἐν Θαιμάν,

²³ The Hagarites that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Merran and of Teman, the authors of fables, and searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remembered her paths.

οὔτε υἱοὶ Ἄγαρ, οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες τὴν σύνεσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οἱ ἔμποροι τῆς Μερρὰν καὶ Θαιμάν, οἱ μυθολόγοι καὶ οἱ ἐκζητηταὶ τῆς συνέσεως, ὁδὸν τῆς σοφίας οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐδὲ ἐμνήσθησαν τὰς τρίβους αὐτῆς.

²⁴ O Israel, how great is the house of God! and how large is the place of his possession! ²⁵ Great, and hath none end; high, and unmeasurable. ²⁶ There were the giants famous from the beginning, that were of so great stature, and so expert in war. ²⁷ Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them: ²⁸ but they were destroyed, because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness.

Ὦ Ἰσραήλ, ὡς μέγας ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐπιμήκης ὁ τόπος τῆς κτήσεως αὐτοῦ· μέγας καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τελευτήν, ὑψηλὸς καὶ ἀμέτρητος. ἐκεῖ ἐγεννήθησαν οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ὀνομαστοὶ οἱ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, γενόμενοι εὐμεγέθεις, ἐπιστάμενοι πόλεμον. οὐ τούτους ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς οὐδὲ ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἀπώλοντο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν φρόνησιν, ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀβουλίαν αὐτῶν.

²⁹ Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds? ³⁰ Who hath gone over the sea, and found her, and will bring her for pure gold? ³¹ No man knoweth her way, nor thinketh of her path.

Τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν καὶ κατεβίβασεν αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν νεφελῶν; τίς διέβη πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ εὗρεν αὐτὴν καὶ οἴσει αὐτὴν χρυσίου ἐκλεκτοῦ; οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ γινώσκων τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς οὐδὲ ὁ ἐνθυμούμενος τὴν τρίβον αὐτῆς·

³² But he that knoweth all things knoweth her, and hath found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore hath filled it with four-footed beasts: ³³ he that sendeth forth light, and it goeth, calleth it [again], and it obeyeth him with fear. ³⁴ The stars shined in their watches, and rejoiced: when he calleth them, they say, Here we be; and so with cheerfulness they showed light unto him that made them.

ἀλλ᾿ ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα γινώσκει αὐτήν, ἐξεῦρεν αὐτὴν τῇ συνέσει αὐτοῦ· ὁ κατασκευάσας τὴν γῆν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, ἐνέπλησεν αὐτὴν κτηνῶν τετραπόδων· ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸ φῶς, καὶ πορεύεται, ἐκάλεσεν αὐτό, καὶ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ τρόμῳ· οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες ἔλαμψαν ἐν ταῖς φυλακαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ εὐφράνθησαν.

³⁵ This is our God, and there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of him. ³⁶ He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved. ³⁷ Afterward did he show himself upon earth, and conversed with men.

ἐκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπον· πάρεσμεν, ἔλαμψαν μετ᾿ εὐφροσύνης τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτούς. οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐξεῦρε πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ἰακὼβ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ·