Chapter 3

¹ But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

ΔΙΚΑΙΩΝ δὲ ψυχαὶ ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἅψηται αὐτῶν βάσανος.

² In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die:

ἔδοξαν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀφρόνων τεθνάναι, καὶ ἐλογίσθη κάκωσις ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτῶν

³ And their going from us to be utter destruction:

καί ἡ ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν πορεία σύντριμμα, οἱ δέ εἰσιν ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

⁴ For though they be punished in the sight of men,

καὶ γὰρ ἐν ὄψει ἀνθρώπων ἐὰν καλασθῶσιν, ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν ἀθανασίας πλήρης·

⁵ And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded:

καὶ ὀλίγα παιδευθέντες μεγάλα εὐεργετηθήσονται, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐπείρασεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εὗρεν αὐτοὺς ἀξίους ἑαυτοῦ·

⁶ As gold in the furnace hath he tried them,

ὡς χρυσὸν ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ ἐδοκίμασεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ὡς ὁλοκάρπωμα θυσίας προσεδέξατο αὐτούς.

⁷ And in the time of their visitation they shall shine,

καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτῶν ἀναλάμψουσι καὶ ὡς σπινθῆρες ἐν καλάμῃ διαδραμοῦνται·

⁸ They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people,

κρινοῦσιν ἔθνη καὶ κρατήσουσι λαῶν, καὶ βασιλεύσει αὐτῶν Κύριος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.

⁹ They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth:

οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ συνήσουσιν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οἱ πιστοὶ ἐν ἀγάπῃ προσμενοῦσιν αὐτῷ, ὅτι χάρις καὶ ἔλεος ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπισκοπὴ ἐν τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ.

¹⁰ But the ungodly shall be punished according to their own imaginations,

Οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς καθὰ ἐλογίσαντο ἕξουσιν ἐπιτιμίαν, οἱ ἀμελήσαντες τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀποστάντες.

¹¹ For whoso despiseth wisdom and nurture, he is miserable,

σοφίαν γὰρ καὶ παιδείαν ὁ ἐξουθενῶν ταλαίπωρος, καὶ κενὴ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ κόποι ἀνόνητοι καὶ ἄχρηστα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν·

¹² Their wives are foolish,

αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν ἄφρονες, καί πονηρὰ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν, ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γένεσις αὐτῶν.

¹³ Their offspring is cursed.

ὅτι μακαρία στεῖρα ἡ ἀμίαντος, ἥτις οὐκ ἔγνω κοίτην ἐν παραπτώματι, ἕξει καρπόν ἐν ἐπισκοπῇ ψυχῶν,

¹⁴ And [blessed is] the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity,

καὶ εὐνοῦχος ὁ μὴ ἐργασάμενος ἐν χειρὶ ἀνόμημα, μηδὲ ἐνθυμηθεὶς κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου πονηρά, δοθήσεται γὰρ αὐτῷ τῆς πίστεως χάρις ἐκλεκτὴ καὶ κλῆρος ἐν ναῷ Κυρίου θυμηρέστερος.

¹⁵ For glorious is the fruit of good labors:

ἀγαθῶν γὰρ πόνων καρπὸς εὐκλεής, καὶ ἀδιάπτωτος ἡ ρίζα τῆς φρονήσεως.

¹⁶ As for the children of adulterers, they shall not come to their perfection,

τέκνα δὲ μοιχῶν ἀτέλεστα ἔσται, καὶ ἐκ παρανόμου κοίτης σπέρμα ἀφανισθήσεται.

¹⁷ For though they live long, yet shall they be nothing regarded:

ἐάν τε γὰρ μακρόβιοι γένωνται, εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθήσονται, καὶ ἄτιμον ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων τὸ γῆρας αὐτῶν·

¹⁸ Or, if they die quickly, they have no hope,

ἐάν τε ὀξέως τελευτήσωσιν, οὐχ ἕξουσιν ἐλπίδα, οὐδὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διαγνώσεως παραμύθιον·

¹⁹ For horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation.

γενεᾶς γὰρ ἀδίκου χαλεπὰ τὰ τέλη.