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Τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ χρόνος, καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. Καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτίλαι τὸ πεφυτευμένον· Καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι, καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν· Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι, καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι· Καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθους, καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως· Καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι, καιρὸς τοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν· Καιρὸς τοῦ ῥῆξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ῥάψαι, καιρὸς τοῦ σιγᾷν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλεῖν· Καιρὸς τοῦ φιλῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μισῆσαι, καιρὸς πολέμου καὶ καιρὸς εἰρήνης.
Τίς περίσσεια τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ;
10 Εἶδον σὺν πάντα τὸν περισπασμὸν, ὃν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ. 11 Τὰ σύμπαντα ἃ ἐποίησε καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ· καί γε σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὁ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους. 12 Ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ·
13 Καί γε πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται, καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, δόμα Θεοῦ ἐστιν. 14 Ἔγνων ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὰ ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστι προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ἵνα φοβηθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. 15 Τὸ γενόμενον ἤδη ἐστί, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι ἤδη γέγονε, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον.
16 Καὶ ἔτι εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τόπον τῆς κρίσεως, ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής· καὶ τόπον τοῦ δικαίου, ἐκεῖ ὁ εὐσεβής. 17 Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιήματι ἐκεῖ.
18 Εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσί. 19 Καί γε αὐτοῖς συνάντημα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ συνάντημα τοῦ κτήνους, συνάντημα ἓν αὐτοῖς· ὡς ὁ θάνατος τούτου, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τούτου· καὶ πνεῦμα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσι· καὶ τί ἐπερίσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τὸ κτῆνος; οὐδέν· ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης. 20 Τὰ πάντα εἰς τόπον ἕνα, τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοὸς, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὸν χοῦν. 21 Καὶ τίς εἶδε πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ ἄνω; καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κτήνους, εἰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸ κάτω εἰς γῆν; 22 Καὶ εἶδον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἰ μὴ ὃ εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ ἀνθρωπος ἐν ποιήμασιν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τίς ἄξει αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται μετʼ αὐτόν;