16But ungodly men by their hands and their words called
death to them:
Deeming him a friend they
consumed away,
And they made a covenant with him,
Because they are worthy to be of his portion.
1For they said
within themselves, reasoning not aright,
Short and sorrowful is our life;
And there is no healing when a man comes to his end,
And none was ever known that
gave release from Hades.
2Because by mere chance were we born,
And hereafter we will be as though we had never been:
Because the breath in our nostrils is smoke,
And
while our heart beats reason is a spark,
3Which being extinguished, the body will be turned into ashes,
And the spirit will be dispersed as thin air;
4And our name will be forgotten in time,
And no man will remember our works;
And our life will pass away as the traces of a cloud,
And will be scattered as is a mist,
When it is chased by the beams of the sun,
And
overcome by the heat thereof.
5For our alloted time is the passing of a shadow,
And
our end retreats not;
Because it is fast sealed, and none
turns it back.
6Come therefore and let us enjoy the good things
that
now
are;
And let us use the creation
with all our soul
as youth’s
possession.
7Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and perfumes;
And let no flower of
spring pass us by:
8Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds, before they be withered:
9Let none of us go without his share in our proud revelry:
Everywhere let us leave tokens of
our
mirth:
Because this is our portion, and our lot is this.
10Let us oppress the righteous poor;
Let us not spare the widow,
Nor reverence the hairs of the old man gray for length of years.
11But let our strength be
to us
a law of righteousness;
For that which is weak is
found to be of no service.