1 Ὁ φοβούμενος Κύριον ποιήσει αὐτὸ, καὶ ὁ ἐγκρατὴς τοῦ νόμου καταλήψεται αὐτήν· 2 καὶ ὑπαντήσεται αὐτῷ ὡς μήτηρ, καὶ ὡς γυνὴ παρθενίας προσδέξεται αὐτόν· 3 ψωμιεῖ αὐτὸν ἄρτον συνέσεως, καὶ ὕδωρ σοφίας ποτίσει αὐτόν. 4 Στηριχθήσεται ἐπʼ αὐτὴν καὶ οὐ μὴ κλιθῇ, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἐφέξει καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. 5 Καὶ ὑψώσει αὐτὸν παρὰ τοὺς πλησίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ἀνοίξει στόμα αὐτοῦ. 6 Εὐφροσύνην καὶ στέφανον ἀγαλλιάματος καὶ ὄνομα αἰώνιον κατακληρονομήσει. 7 Οὐ μὴ καταλήψονται αὐτὴν ἄνθρωποι ἀσύνετοι, καὶ ἄνδρες ἁμαρτωλοὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδωσιν αὐτήν. 8 Μακράν ἐστιν ὑπερηφανίας, καὶ ἄνδρες ψεῦσται οὐ μὴ μνησθήσονται αὐτῆς. 9 Οὐχ ὡραῖος αἶνος ἐν στόματι ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὅτι οὐ παρὰ Κυρίου ἀπεστάλη. 10 Ἐν γὰρ σοφίᾳ ῥηθήσεται αἶνος, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εὐοδώσει αὐτόν. 11 Μὴ εἴπῃς, ὅτι διὰ Κύριον ἀπέστην· ἃ γὰρ ἐμίσησεν, οὐ ποιήσεις. 12 Μὴ εἴπῃς, ὅτι αὐτός με ἐπλάνησεν· οὐ γὰρ χρείαν ἔχει ἀνδρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ. 13 Πᾶν βδέλυγμα ἐμίσησε Κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαπητὸν τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. 14 Αὐτὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐποίησεν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ἐν χειρὶ διαβουλίου αὐτοῦ. 15 Ἐὰν θέλῃς, συντηρήσεις ἐντολὰς, καὶ πίστιν ποιῆσαι εὐδοκίας. 16 Παρέθηκέ σοι πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ, οὗ ἐὰν θέλῃς ἐκτενεῖς τὴν χεῖρά σου. 17 Ἔναντι ἀνθρώπων ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν εὐδοκήσῃ δοθήσεται αὐτῷ. 18 Ὅτι πολλὴ σοφία τοῦ Κυρίου, ἰσχυρὸς ἐν δυναστείᾳ καὶ βλέπων τὰ πάντα. 19 Καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτὸν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιγνώσεται πᾶν ἔργον ἀνθρώπου. 20 Καὶ οὐκ ἐνετείλατο οὐδενὶ ἀσεβεῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἄνεσιν οὐδενὶ ἁμαρτάνειν.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 15 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
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).
For the covenant from the beginning is, Thou shall die the death." Now, as the law was more plainly given afterward, and the apostle says, "Where no law is, there is no prevarication," on what supposition is what is said in the psalm true, "I accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators," except that all who are held liable …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
In another place it is said, "Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner." If then in the mouth of a sinner praise is not seemly, neither is it pleasant, for that only is pleasant which is seemly....For praise may be pleasant to a man, when he heareth one praising with neat and clever sentiments, and with a …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)