Chapter 13

¹ Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God,

ΜΑΤΑΙΟΙ μὲν γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι φύσει, οἷς παρῆν Θεοῦ ἀγνωσία καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι τὸν ὄντα οὔτε τοῖς ἔργοις προσχόντες ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν τεχνίτην·

² But deemed either fire, or wind, or the swift air,

ἀλλ᾿ ἢ πῦρ ἢ πνεῦμα ἢ ταχινὸν ἀέρα ἢ κύκλον ἄστρων ἢ βίαιον ὕδωρ ἢ φωστῆρας οὐρανοῦ πρυτάνεις κόσμου θεοὺς ἐνόμισαν.

³ With whose beauty if they being delighted took them to be gods;

ὧν εἰ μὲν τῇ καλλονῇ τερπόμενοι ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπελάμβανον, γνώτωσαν πόσῳ τούτων ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶ βελτίων, ὁ γὰρ τοῦ κάλλους γενεσιάρχης ἔκτισεν αὐτά·

⁴ But if they were astonished at their power and virtue,

εἰ δὲ δύναμιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἐκπλαγέντες νοησάτωσαν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν πόσῳ ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτὰ δυνατώτερός ἐστιν·

⁵ For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures

ἐκ γὰρ μεγέθους καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται.

⁶ But yet for this they are the less to be blamed:

ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως ἐπὶ τούτοις ἔστι μέμψις ὀλίγη, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τάχα πλανῶνται Θεὸν ζητοῦντες καὶ θέλοντες εὑρεῖν·

⁷ For being conversant in his works they search [him] diligently,

ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ ἀναστρεφόμενοι διερευνῶσι καὶ πείθονται τῇ ὄψει, ὅτι καλὰ τὰ βλεπόμενα.

⁸ Howbeit neither are they to be pardoned.

πάλιν δὲ οὐδ᾿ αὐτοὶ συγγνωστοί·

⁹ For if they were able to know so much,

εἰ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσαν εἰδέναι, ἵνα δύνωνται στοχάσασθαι τὸν αἰῶνα, τὸν τούτων δεσπότην πῶς τάχιον οὐχ εὗρον;

¹⁰ But miserable are they, and in dead things is their hope,

Ταλαίπωροι δὲ καὶ ἐν νεκροῖς αἱ ἐλπίδες αὐτῶν, οἵτινες ἐκάλεσαν θεοὺς ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον τέχνης ἐμμελέτημα καὶ ἀπεικάσματα ζῴων ἢ λίθον ἄχρηστον χειρὸς ἔργον ἀρχαίας.

¹¹ Now a carpenter that felleth timber, after he hath sawn down a tree meet for the purpose,

εἰ δὲ καί τις ὑλοτόμος τέκνων εὐκίνητον φυτὸν ἐκπρίσας περιέξυσεν εὐμαθῶς πάντα τὸν φλοιὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τεχνησάμενος εὐπρεπῶς κατεσκεύασε χρήσιμον σκεῦος εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ζωῆς,

¹² And after spending the refuse of his work to dress his meat, hath filled himself;

τὰ δὲ ἀποβλήματα τῆς ἐργασίας εἰς ἑτοιμασίαν τροφῆς ἀναλώσας ἐνεπλήσθη·

¹³ And taking the very refuse among those which served to no use,

τὸ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπόβλημα εἰς οὐθὲν εὔχρηστον, ξύλον σκολιὸν καὶ ὄζοις συμπεφηκός, λαβὼν ἔγλυψεν ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ἀργίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ συνέσεως ἐτύπωσεν αὐτό, ἀπείκασεν αὐτὸ εἰκόνι ἀνθρώπου

¹⁴ Or made it like some vile beast,

ἢ ζῴῳ τινὶ εὐτελεῖ ὡμοίωσεν αὐτό, καταχρίσας μίλτῳ καὶ φύκει ἐρυθήνας χρόαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαν κηλῖδα τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ καταχρίσας

¹⁵ And when he had made a convenient room for it,

καὶ ποιήσας αὐτῷ αὐτοῦ ἄξιον οἴκημα, ἐν τοίχῳ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἀσφαλισάμενος σιδήρῳ.

¹⁶ For he provided for it that it might not fall,

ἵνα μὲν οὖν μὴ καταπέσῃ, προενόησεν αὐτοῦ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἀδυνατεῖ ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι· καὶ γάρ ἐστιν εἰκὼν καὶ χρείαν ἔχει βοηθείας.

¹⁷ Then maketh he prayer for his goods, for his wife and children,

περὶ δὲ κτημάτων καὶ γάμων αὐτοῦ καὶ τέκνων προσευχόμενος, οὐκ αἰσχύνεται τῷ ἀψύχῳ προσλαλῶν καὶ περὶ μὲν ὑγιείας τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἐπικαλεῖται,

¹⁸ For health he calleth upon that which is weak:

περὶ δὲ ζωῆς τὸν νεκρὸν ἀξιοῖ, περὶ δὲ ἐπικουρίας τὸ ἀπειρότατον ἱκετεύει, περὶ δὲ ὁδοιπορίας τὸ μηδὲ βάσει χρῆσθαι δυνάμενον,

¹⁹ And for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands,

περὶ δὲ πορισμοῦ καὶ ἐργασίας καὶ χειρῶν ἐπιτυχίας τὸ ἀδρανέστατον ταῖς χερσὶν εὐδράνειαν αἰτεῖται.