The Holy Scripture
Chapter III
O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish, the troubled spirit, crieth unto thee.
κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ψυχὴ ἐν στενοῖς καὶ πνεῦμα ἀκηδιῶν κέκραγεν πρὸς σέ
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for thou art merciful: and have pity upon us, because we have sinned before thee.
ἄκουσον κύριε καὶ ἐλέησον ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν ἐναντίον σου
For thou endurest for ever, and we perish utterly.
ὅτι σὺ καθήμενος τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπολλύμενοι τὸν αἰῶνα
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.
κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἄκουσον δὴ τῆς προσευχῆς τῶν τεθνηκότων Ισραηλ καὶ υἱῶν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐναντίον σου οἳ οὐκ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου θεοῦ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκολλήθη ἡμῖν τὰ κακά
Remember not the iniquities of our forefathers: but think upon thy power and thy name now at this time.
μὴ μνησθῇς ἀδικιῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ μνήσθητι χειρός σου καὶ ὀνόματός σου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ
For thou art the Lord our God, and thee, O Lord, will we praise.
ὅτι σὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ αἰνέσομέν σε κύριε
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 ἐπὶ 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
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
Hear, Israel, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom.
ἄκουε Ισραηλ ἐντολὰς ζωῆς ἐνωτίσασθε γνῶναι φρόνησιν
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,
τί ἐστιν Ισραηλ τί ὅτι ἐν γῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἶ ἐπαλαιώθης ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ
that thou art counted with them that go down into the grave?
συνεμιάνθης τοῖς νεκροῖς προσελογίσθης μετὰ τῶν εἰς ᾅδου
Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
ἐγκατέλιπες τὴν πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας
For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever.
τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰ ἐπορεύθης κατῴκεις ἂν ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὸν αἰῶνα
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.
μάθε ποῦ ἐστιν φρόνησις ποῦ ἐστιν ἰσχύς ποῦ ἐστιν σύνεσις τοῦ γνῶναι ἅμα ποῦ ἐστιν μακροβίωσις καὶ ζωή ποῦ ἐστιν φῶς ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ εἰρήνη
Who hath found out her place? or who hath come into her treasures?
τίς εὗρεν τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς καὶ τίς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῆς
Where are the princes of the heathen, and such as ruled the beasts upon the earth;
ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ οἱ κυριεύοντες τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
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?
οἱ ἐν τοῖς ὀρνέοις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐμπαίζοντες καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον θησαυρίζοντες καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ᾧ ἐπεποίθεισαν ἄνθρωποι καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν τέλος τῆς κτήσεως αὐτῶν
For they that wrought in silver, and were so careful, and whose works are unsearchable,
οἱ τὸ ἀργύριον τεκταίνοντες καὶ μεριμνῶντες καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν
they are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others are come up in their stead.
ἠφανίσθησαν καὶ εἰς ᾅδου κατέβησαν καὶ ἄλλοι ἀντανέστησαν ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν
Young men have seen light, and dwelt upon the earth; but the way of knowledge have they not known,
νεώτεροι εἶδον φῶς καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὁδὸν δὲ ἐπιστήμης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν
nor understood the paths thereof, nor laid hold of it: their children were far off from that way.
οὐδὲ συνῆκαν τρίβους αὐτῆς οὐδὲ ἀντελάβοντο αὐτῆς οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτῶν πόρρω ἐγενήθησαν
It hath not been heard of in Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman.
οὐδὲ ἠκούσθη ἐν Χανααν οὐδὲ ὤφθη ἐν Θαιμαν
The Agarenes that seek wisdom upon earth, the merchants of Meran and of Theman, the authors of fables, and searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remembered her paths.
οὔτε υἱοὶ Αγαρ οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες τὴν σύνεσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οἱ ἔμποροι τῆς Μερραν καὶ Θαιμαν οἱ μυθολόγοι καὶ οἱ ἐκζητηταὶ τῆς συνέσεως ὁδὸν τῆς σοφίας οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ ἐμνήσθησαν τὰς τρίβους αὐτῆς
O Israel, how great is the house of God! and how large is the place of his possession!
ὦ Ισραηλ ὡς μέγας ὁ οἶκος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐπιμήκης ὁ τόπος τῆς κτήσεως αὐτοῦ
Great, and hath none end; high, and unmeasurable.
μέγας καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τελευτήν ὑψηλὸς καὶ ἀμέτρητος
There were the giants famous from the beginning, that were of so great stature, and so expert in war.
ἐκεῖ ἐγεννήθησαν οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ὀνομαστοὶ οἱ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς γενόμενοι εὐμεγέθεις ἐπιστάμενοι πόλεμον
Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them:
οὐ τούτους ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεὸς οὐδὲ ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς
but they were destroyed, because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness.
καὶ ἀπώλοντο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν φρόνησιν ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀβουλίαν αὐτῶν
Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?
τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν καὶ κατεβίβασεν αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν νεφελῶν
Who hath gone over the sea, and found her, and will bring her for pure gold?
τίς διέβη πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ εὗρεν αὐτὴν καὶ οἴσει αὐτὴν χρυσίου ἐκλεκτοῦ
No man knoweth her way, nor thinketh of her path.
οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ γινώσκων τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς οὐδὲ ὁ ἐνθυμούμενος τὴν τρίβον αὐτῆς
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 fourfooted beasts:
ἀλλὰ ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα γινώσκει αὐτήν ἐξεῦρεν αὐτὴν τῇ συνέσει αὐτοῦ ὁ κατασκευάσας τὴν γῆν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον ἐνέπλησεν αὐτὴν κτηνῶν τετραπόδων
he that sendeth forth light, and it goeth, calleth it [again], and it obeyeth him with fear.
ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸ φῶς καὶ πορεύεται ἐκάλεσεν αὐτό καὶ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ τρόμῳ
The stars shined in their watches, and rejoiced: when he calleth them, they say, Here we be; and so with cheerfulness they shewed light unto him that made them.
οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες ἔλαμψαν ἐν ταῖς φυλακαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ εὐφράνθησαν
This is our God, and there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of him.
ἐκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπον πάρεσμεν ἔλαμψαν μετ᾿ εὐφροσύνης τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτούς
He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved.
οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν
Afterward did he shew himself upon earth, and conversed with men.
ἐξεῦρεν πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ιακωβ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ισραηλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ