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.
1 Ἐν τρισὶν ὡραΐσθην, καὶ ἀνέστην ὡραία ἔναντι Κυρίου καὶ ἀνθρώπων· ὁμόνοια ἀδελφῶν, καὶ φιλία τῶν πλησίον, καὶ γυνὴ καὶ ἀνὴρ ἑαυτοῖς συπεριφερόμενοι.
1 I enjoy three things, and they are beautiful before the Lord and men: the agreement of kindred, the friendship of neighbors, and a woman and her husband who walk together in agreement.
2 Τρία δὲ εἴδη ἐμίσησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ προσώχθισα σφόδρα τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν· πτωχὸν ὑπερήφανον, καὶ πλούσιον ψεύστην, γέροντα μοιχὸν ἐλαττούμενον συνέσει.
2 But my soul hates three sorts of people, and I am greatly offended at their life: a poor man who is arrogant, a rich man who is a liar, and an old fool who is an adulterer.
3 Ἐν νεότητι οὐ συναγήοχας, καὶ πῶς ἂν εὕροις ἐν τῷ γήρᾳ σου;
3 If you gathered nothing in your youth, how could you find anything in your old age?
4 Ὡς ὡραῖον πολιαῖς κρίσις, καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ἐπιγνῶναι βουλην;
4 How beautiful a thing is judgment in the gray-haired, and for elders to know good counsel!
5 Ὡς ὡραία γερόντων σοφία, καὶ δεδοξασμένοις διανόημα καὶ βουλή.
5 How beautiful is the wisdom of old men, and understanding and counsel to men who are in honor!
6 Στέφανος γερόντων πολυπειρία, καὶ τὸ καύχημα αὐτῶν φόβος Κυρίου.
6 Much experience is the crown of the aged. Their glory is the fear of the Lord.
7 Ἐννέα ὑπονοήματα ἐμακάρισα ἐν καρδίᾳ, καὶ τὸ δέκατον ἐρῶ ἐπὶ γλώσσης· ἄνθρωπος εὐφραινόμενος ἐπὶ τέκνοις, ζῶν καὶ βλέπων ἐπὶ πτώσει ἐχθρῶν.
7 There are nine things that I have thought of, and in my heart counted happy, and the tenth I will utter with my tongue: a man who has joy with his children, and a man who lives and sees the fall of his enemies.
8 Μακάριος ὁ συνοικῶν γυναικὶ συνετῇ, καὶ ὃς ἐν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ὠλίσθησε, καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἐδούλευσεν ἀναξίῳ αὐτοῦ.
8 Happy is he who dwells with a wife of understanding, he who has not slipped with his tongue, and he who has not served a man who is unworthy of him.
9 Μακάριος ὃς εὗρε φρόνησιν, καὶ ὁ διηγούμενος εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων.
9 Happy is he who has found prudence, and he who speaks in the ears of those who listen.
10 Ὡς μέγας ὁ εὑρὼν σοφίαν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὲρ τὸν φοβούμενον τὸν Κύριον.
10 How great is he who has found wisdom! Yet there is none greater than one who fears the Lord.
11 Φόβος Κυρίου ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὑπερέβαλεν, ὁ κρατῶν αὐτοῦ τίνι ὁμοιωθήσεται;
11 The fear of the Lord surpasses all things. To whom shall he who holds it be likened? 12 Not in this translation
13 Πᾶσαν πληγήν καὶ μὴ πληγὴν καρδίας, καὶ πᾶσαν πονηρίαν καὶ μὴ πονηρίαν γυναικός·
13 Any wound but a wound of the heart! Any wickedness but the wickedness of a woman!
14 πᾶσαν ἐπαγωγήν καὶ μὴ ἐπαγωγὴν μισούντων, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκδίκησιν καὶ μὴ ἐκδίκησιν ἐχθρῶν.
14 Any calamity but a calamity from those who hate me! Any vengeance but the vengeance of enemies!
15 Οὐκ ἔστι κεφαλὴ ὑπὲρ κεφαλὴν ὄφεως, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι θυμὸς ὑπὲρ θυμὸν ἐχθροῦ.
15 There is no venom worse than a snake’s venom. There is no wrath worse than an enemy’s wrath.
16 Συνοικῆσαι λέοντι καὶ δράκοντι εὐδοκήσω, ἢ ἐνοικῆσαι μετὰ γυναικὸς πονηρᾶς.
16 I would rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than keep house with a wicked woman.
17 Πονηρία γυναικὸς ἀλλοιοῖ τὴν ὅρασιν αὐτῆς, καὶ σκοτοῖ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς ὡς σάκκον.
17 The wickedness of a woman changes her appearance, and darkens her countenance like that of a bear.
18 Ἀναμέσον τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἀναπεσεῖται ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀκούσας ἀνεστέναξε πικρά.
18 Her husband will sit among his neighbors, and when he hears it, he sighs bitterly.
19 Μικρὰ πᾶσα κακία πρὸς κακίαν γυναικός· κλῆρος ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐπιπέσοι αὐτῇ.
19 All malice is small compared to the malice of a woman. Let the portion of a sinner fall on her.
20 Ἀνάβασις ἀμμώδης ἐν ποσὶ πρεσβυτέρου· οὕτως γυνὴ γλωσσώδης ἀνδρὶ ἡσύχῳ.
20 As walking up a sandy hill is to the feet of the aged, so is a wife full of words to a quiet man.
21 Μὴ προσπέσῃς ἐπὶ κάλλος γυναικὸς, καὶ γυναῖκα μὴ ἐπιποθήσῃς.
21 Don’t be ensnared by a woman’s beauty. Don’t desire a woman for her beauty.
22 Ὀργὴ καὶ ἀναίδεια καὶ αἰσχύνη μεγάλη, γυνὴ ἐὰν ἐπιχορηγῇ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς.
22 There is anger, impudence, and great reproach if a woman supports her husband.
23 Καρδία ταπεινὴ καὶ πρόσωπον σκυθρωπὸν καὶ πληγὴ καρδίας γυνὴ πονηρά· χεῖρες παρειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα, ἥτις οὐ μακαριεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς.
23 A wicked woman is abasement of heart, sadness of countenance, and a wounded heart. A woman who won’t make her husband happy is like hands that hang down, and weak knees.
24 Ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἀρχὴ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ διʼ αὐτὴν ἀποθνήσκομεν πάντες.
24 The beginning of sin came from a woman. Because of her, we all die.
25 Μὴ δῷς ὕδατι διέξοδον, μηδὲ γυναικὶ πωνηρᾷ ἐξουσίαν.
25 Don’t give water an outlet, and don’t give a wicked woman freedom of speech.
26 Εἰ μὴ πορεύεται κατὰ χεῖρά σου, ἀπὸ τῶν σαρκῶν σου ἀπότεμε αὐτήν.
26 If she doesn’t go as you direct, cut her away from your flesh.
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)