Sirach · Brenton's English Septuagint
Sirach 12 Brenton's English Septuagint
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
1 When thou wilt do good, know to whom thou doest it; so shalt thou be thanked for thy benefits.
1 If you do good, know to whom you do it, and your good deeds will have thanks.
2 Do good to the godly man, and thou shalt find a recompence; and if not from him, yet from the most High.
2 Do good to a godly man, and you will find a reward— if not from him, then from the Most High.
3 There can no good come to him that is always occupied in evil, nor to him that giveth no alms.
3 No good will come to him who continues to do evil, nor to him who gives no alms.
4 Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner.
4 Give to the godly man, and don’t help the sinner.
5 Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly: hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him, lest he overmaster thee thereby: for [else] thou shalt receive twice as much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him.
5 Do good to one who is lowly. Don’t give to an ungodly man. Keep back his bread, and don’t give it to him, lest he subdue you with it; for you would receive twice as much evil for all the good you would have done to him.
6 For the most High hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance unto the ungodly, and keepeth them against the mighty day of their punishment.
6 For the Most High also hates sinners, and will repay vengeance to the ungodly.
7 Give unto the good, and help not the sinner.
7 Give to the good man, and don’t help the sinner.
8 A friend cannot be known in prosperity: and an enemy cannot be hidden in adversity.
8 A man’s friend won’t be fully tried in prosperity. His enemy won’t be hidden in adversity.
9 In the prosperity of a man enemies will be grieved: but in his adversity even a friend will depart.
9 In a man’s prosperity, his enemies are grieved. In his adversity, even his friend leaves.
10 Never trust thine enemy: for like as iron rusteth, so is his wickedness.
10 Never trust your enemy, for his wickedness is like corrosion in copper.
11 Though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good heed and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him as if thou hadst wiped a looking-glass, and thou shalt know that his rust hath not been altogether wiped away.
11 Though he humbles himself and walks bowed down, still be careful and beware of him. You will be to him as one who has wiped a mirror, to be sure it doesn’t completely tarnish.
12 Set him not by thee, lest, when he hath overthrown thee, he stand up in thy place; neither let him sit at thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy seat, and thou at the last remember my words, and be pricked therewith.
12 Don’t set him next to you, lest he overthrow you and stand in your place. Don’t let him sit on your right hand, lest he seek to take your seat, and at the last you acknowledge my words, and be pricked with my sayings.
13 Who will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent, or any such as come nigh wild beasts?
13 Who will pity a charmer that is bitten by a snake, or any who come near wild beasts?
14 So one that goeth to a sinner, and is defiled with him in his sins, who will pity?
14 Even so, who will pity him who goes to a sinner, and is associated with him in his sins?
15 For a while he will abide with thee, but if thou begin to fall, he will not tarry.
15 For a while he will stay with you, and if you falter, he will not stay.
16 An enemy speaketh sweetly with his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit: he will weep with his eyes, but if he find opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.
16 The enemy will speak sweetly with his lips, and in his heart plan to throw you into a pit. The enemy may weep with his eyes, but if he finds opportunity, he will want more blood.
17 If adversity come upon thee, thou shalt find him there first; and though he pretend to help thee, yet shall he undermine thee.
17 If adversity meets you, you will find him there before you. Pretending to help you, he will trip you.
18 He will shake his head, and clap his hands, and whisper much, and change his countenance.
18 He will shake his head, clap his hands, whisper much, and change his countenance.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
It is written: "Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner." The latter clause of this sentence seems to forbid benevolence; for it says, "help not a sinner." Understand, therefore, that "sinner" is put figuratively for sin, so that it is his sin you are not to help.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"But who," it is said, "will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent?" For we ought, knowing its cruel tyranny, to flee that slavery, and destroy that grievous longing.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
"Help not a sinner:" and, "give not to the ungodly;" and yet, "give unto every man that asketh of thee." But it is a sinner who asketh of me.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)