1 Ἐν τρισὶν ὡραΐσθην, καὶ ἀνέστην ὡραία ἔναντι Κυρίου καὶ ἀνθρώπων· ὁμόνοια ἀδελφῶν, καὶ φιλία τῶν πλησίον, καὶ γυνὴ καὶ ἀνὴρ ἑαυτοῖς συπεριφερόμενοι. 2 Τρία δὲ εἴδη ἐμίσησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ προσώχθισα σφόδρα τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν· πτωχὸν ὑπερήφανον, καὶ πλούσιον ψεύστην, γέροντα μοιχὸν ἐλαττούμενον συνέσει. 3 Ἐν νεότητι οὐ συναγήοχας, καὶ πῶς ἂν εὕροις ἐν τῷ γήρᾳ σου; 4 Ὡς ὡραῖον πολιαῖς κρίσις, καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ἐπιγνῶναι βουλην; 5 Ὡς ὡραία γερόντων σοφία, καὶ δεδοξασμένοις διανόημα καὶ βουλή. 6 Στέφανος γερόντων πολυπειρία, καὶ τὸ καύχημα αὐτῶν φόβος Κυρίου. 7 Ἐννέα ὑπονοήματα ἐμακάρισα ἐν καρδίᾳ, καὶ τὸ δέκατον ἐρῶ ἐπὶ γλώσσης· ἄνθρωπος εὐφραινόμενος ἐπὶ τέκνοις, ζῶν καὶ βλέπων ἐπὶ πτώσει ἐχθρῶν. 8 Μακάριος ὁ συνοικῶν γυναικὶ συνετῇ, καὶ ὃς ἐν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ὠλίσθησε, καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἐδούλευσεν ἀναξίῳ αὐτοῦ. 9 Μακάριος ὃς εὗρε φρόνησιν, καὶ ὁ διηγούμενος εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων. 10 Ὡς μέγας ὁ εὑρὼν σοφίαν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὲρ τὸν φοβούμενον τὸν Κύριον. 11 Φόβος Κυρίου ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὑπερέβαλεν, ὁ κρατῶν αὐτοῦ τίνι ὁμοιωθήσεται; 13 Πᾶσαν πληγήν καὶ μὴ πληγὴν καρδίας, καὶ πᾶσαν πονηρίαν καὶ μὴ πονηρίαν γυναικός· 14 πᾶσαν ἐπαγωγήν καὶ μὴ ἐπαγωγὴν μισούντων, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκδίκησιν καὶ μὴ ἐκδίκησιν ἐχθρῶν. 15 Οὐκ ἔστι κεφαλὴ ὑπὲρ κεφαλὴν ὄφεως, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι θυμὸς ὑπὲρ θυμὸν ἐχθροῦ. 16 Συνοικῆσαι λέοντι καὶ δράκοντι εὐδοκήσω, ἢ ἐνοικῆσαι μετὰ γυναικὸς πονηρᾶς. 17 Πονηρία γυναικὸς ἀλλοιοῖ τὴν ὅρασιν αὐτῆς, καὶ σκοτοῖ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς ὡς σάκκον. 18 Ἀναμέσον τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀναπεσεῖται ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀκούσας ἀνεστέναξε πικρά. 19 Μικρὰ πᾶσα κακία πρὸς κακίαν γυναικός· κλῆρος ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐπιπέσοι αὐτῇ. 20 Ἀνάβασις ἀμμώδης ἐν ποσὶ πρεσβυτέρου· οὕτως γυνὴ γλωσσώδης ἀνδρὶ ἡσύχῳ. 21 Μὴ προσπέσῃς ἐπὶ κάλλος γυναικὸς, καὶ γυναῖκα μὴ ἐπιποθήσῃς. 22 Ὀργὴ καὶ ἀναίδεια καὶ αἰσχύνη μεγάλη, γυνὴ ἐὰν ἐπιχορηγῇ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς. 23 Καρδία ταπεινὴ καὶ πρόσωπον σκυθρωπὸν καὶ πληγὴ καρδίας γυνὴ πονηρά· χεῖρες παρειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα, ἥτις οὐ μακαριεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς. 24 Ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἀρχὴ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ διʼ αὐτὴν ἀποθνήσκομεν πάντες. 25 Μὴ δῷς ὕδατι διέξοδον, μηδὲ γυναικὶ πωνηρᾷ ἐξουσίαν. 26 Εἰ μὴ πορεύεται κατὰ χεῖρά σου, ἀπὸ τῶν σαρκῶν σου ἀπότεμε αὐτήν.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 25 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.
There is no verse 12 in this translation; the verses after it keep their usual numbers.
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 either we shall have spoken in the ears of them that will hear, and our words will bear some fruit, namely an advantage to you (since the Sower soweth the Word upon every kind of mind; and the good and fertile bears fruit), or else you will depart despising this discourse of ours as you have despised others, and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)