The Reasoning of the Ungodly
Wisdom of Solomon 2
The ungodly reason among themselves that life is short and meaningless, so they resolve to indulge every pleasure and to oppress the poor and a righteous man, testing him with insult and a shameful death because he claims God as his father. The chapter closes noting that they were deceived, for God made man for immortality, and death entered the world through the envy of the devil.
About these editions
The Septuagint (LXX) in Greek, with Charles Thomson’s 1808 and Sir Lancelot Brenton’s 1851 English translations, set beside the King James Version and the Jewish Masoretic text (JPS 1917) where they align, so you can compare the Greek and the Hebrew. All public domain; choose which to show with the controls above.
Brenton 1851Septuagint
Greek · BrentonSeptuagint
1
BrentonFor the ungodly said, reasoning with themselves, but not aright, Our life is short and tedious, and in the death of a man there is no remedy: neither was there any man known to have returned from the grave.
GreekΕἶπον γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς λογισάμενοι οὐκ ὀρθῶς, ὀλίγος ἐστὶ καὶ λυπηρὸς ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις ἐν τελευτῇ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώσθη ὁ ἀναλύσας ἐξ ᾅδου.
2
BrentonFor we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart:
GreekὍτι αὐτοσχεδίως ἐγεννήθημεν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐσόμεθα ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρξαντες, ὅτι καπνὸς ἡ πνοὴ ἐν ῥισὶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ λόγος σπινθὴρ ἐν κινήσει καρδίας ἡμῶν,
3
Brentonwhich being extinguished, our body shall be turned to ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air,
Greekοὗ σβεσθέντος τέφρα ἀποβήσεται τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα διαχυθήσεται ὡς χαῦνος ἀήρ.
4
Brentonand our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof.
GreekΚαὶ 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.
5
BrentonFor our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again.
GreekΣκιᾶς γὰρ πάροδος ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναποδισμὸς τῆς τελευτῆς ἡμῶν, ὅτι κατεσφραγίσθη, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναστρέφει.
6
BrentonCome on therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are present: and let us speedily use the creatures like as in youth.
GreekΔεῦτε οὖν καὶ ἀπολαύσωμεν τῶν ὄντων ἀγαθῶν, καὶ χρησώμεθα τῇ κτίσει ὡς νεότητι σπουδαίως.
7
BrentonLet us fill ourselves with costly wine and ointments: and let no flower of the spring pass by us.
GreekΟἴνου πολυτελοῦς καὶ μύρων πλησθῶμεν, καὶ μὴ παροδευσάτω ἡμᾶς ἄνθος ἀέρος.
8
BrentonLet us crown ourselves with rosebuds, before they be withered:
GreekΣτεψώμεθα ῥόδων κάλυξι πρινὴ μαρανθῆναι.
9
Brentonlet none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness: let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place: for this is our portion, and our lot is this.
GreekΜηδεὶς ἡμῶν ἄμοιρος ἔστω τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀγερωχίας, πανταχῆ καταλίπωμεν σύμβολα τῆς εὐφροσύνης, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ μερὶς ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ κλῆρος οὗτος.
10
BrentonLet us oppress the poor righteous man, let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the ancient grey hairs of the aged.
GreekΚαταδυναστεύσωμεν πένητα δίκαιον, μὴ φεισώμεθα χήρας, μηδὲ πρεσβύτου ἐντραπῶμεν πολιὰς πολυχρονίους.
11
BrentonLet our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth.
GreekἜστω δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ ἰσχὺς νόμος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὸ γὰρ ἀσθενὲς ἄχρηστον ἐλέγχεται.
12
BrentonTherefore let us lie in wait for the righteous; because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to our doings: he upbraideth us with our offending the law, and objecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education.
GreekἘνεδρεύσωμεν δὲ τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστι καὶ ἐναντιοῦται τοῖς ἔργοις ἡμῶν, καὶ ὀνειδίζει ἡμῖν ἁμαρτήματα νόμου, καὶ ἐπιφημίζει ἡμῖν ἁμαρτήματα παιδείας ἡμῶν.
13
BrentonHe professeth to have the knowledge of God: and he calleth himself the child of the Lord.
GreekἘπαγγέλλεται γνῶσιν ἔχειν Θεοῦ, καὶ παῖδα Κυρίου ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει.
14
BrentonHe was made to reprove our thoughts.
GreekἘγένετο ἡμῖν εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν.
15
BrentonHe is grievous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion.
GreekΒαρύς ἐστιν ἡμῖν καὶ βλεπόμενος, ὅτι ἀνόμοιος τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξηλλαγμέναι αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ.
16
BrentonWe are esteemed of him as counterfeits: he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness: he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed, and maketh his boast that God is his father.
GreekΕἰς κίβδηλον ἐλογίσθημεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀπέχεται τῶν ὁδῶν ἡμῶν ὡς ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσιῶν· μακαρίζει ἔσχατα δικαίων, καὶ ἀλαζονεύεται πατέρα Θεόν.
17
BrentonLet us see if his words be true: and let us prove what shall happen in the end of him.
GreekἼδωμεν εἰ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ ἀληθεῖς, καὶ πειράσωμεν τὰ ἐν ἐκβάσει αὐτοῦ.
18
BrentonFor if the just man be the son of God, he will help him, and deliver him from the hand of his enemies.
GreekΕἰ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ δίκαιος υἱὸς Θεοῦ, ἀντιλήμψεται αὐτοῦ, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀνθεστηκότων.
19
BrentonLet us examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness, and prove his patience.
GreekὝβρει καὶ βασάνῳ ἐτάσωμεν αὐτόν, ἵνα γνῶμεν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ δοκιμάσωμεν τὴν ἀνεξικακίαν αὐτοῦ.
20
BrentonLet us condemn him with a shameful death: for by his own saying he shall be respected.
GreekΘανάτῳ ἀσχήμονι καταδικάσωμεν αὐτόν· ἔσται γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐπισκοπὴ ἐκ λόγων αὐτοῦ.
21
BrentonSuch things they did imagine, and were deceived: for their own wickedness hath blinded them.
GreekΤαῦτα ἐλογίσαντο, καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν· ἀπετύφλωσε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἡ κακία αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια
22
BrentonAs for the mysteries of God, they knew them not: neither hoped they for the wages of righteousness, nor discerned a reward for blameless souls.
GreekΘεοῦ, οὐδὲ μισθὸν ἤλπισαν ὁσιότητος, οὐδὲ ἔκριναν γέρας ψυχῶν ἀμώμων.
23
BrentonFor God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity.
GreekὍτι ὁ Θεὸς ἔκτισε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπ ἀφθαρσίᾳ, καὶ εἰκόνα τῆς ἰδίας ἰδιότητος ἐποίησεν ἀτόν.
24
BrentonNevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that are of his side do find it.
GreekΦθόνῳ δὲ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον· πειράζουσι δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου μερίδος ὄντες.