1 Ὁ ἐκδίκων παρὰ Κυρίου εὑρήσει ἐκδίκησιν, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ διατηρῶν διατηρήσει. 2 Ἄφες ἀδίκημα τῷ πλησίον σου, καὶ τότε δεηθέντος σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου λυθήσονται. 3 Ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ συντηρεῖ ὀργὴν, καὶ παρὰ Κυρίου ζητεῖ ἴασιν. 4 Ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον ὅμοιον αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεος, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ δεῖται. 5 Αὐτὸς σὰρξ ὢν διατηρεῖ μῆνιν, τίς ἐξιλάσεται τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ; 6 Μνήσθητι τὰ ἔσχατα, καὶ παῦσαι ἔχθραίνων· καταφθορὰν καὶ θάνατον, καὶ ἔμμενε ἐντολαῖς. 7 Μνήσθητι ἐντολῶν, καὶ μὴ μηνίσῃς τῷ πλησίον· καὶ διαθήκην ὑψίστου, καὶ πάριδε ἄγνοιαν. 8 Ἀπόσχου ἀπὸ μάχης, καὶ ἐλαττώσεις ἁμαρτίας· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ θυμώδης ἐκκαύσει μάχην. 9 Καὶ ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλὸς ταράξει φίλους, καὶ ἀναμέσον εἰρηνευόντων ἐμβάλλει διαβολήν. 10 Κατὰ τὴν ὕλην πυρὸς οὕτως ἐκκαυθήσεται, κατὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἔσται, καὶ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον ἀνυψώσει ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν στερέωσιν τῆς μάχης ἐκκαυθήσεται. 11 Ἔρις κατασπευδομένη ἐκκαίει πῦρ, καὶ μάχη κατασπεύδουσα ἐκχέει αἷμα. 12 Ἐὰν φυσήσῃς σπινθῆρα ἐκκαήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν πτύσῃς ἐπʼ αὐτὸν σβεσθήσεται· καὶ ἀμφότερα ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου ἐκπορεύεται. 13 Ψίθυρον καὶ δίγλωσσον καταρᾶσθαι, πολλοὺς γὰρ εἰρηνεύοντας ἀπώλεσαν. 14 Γλῶσσα τρίτη πολλοὺς ἐσάλευσε, καὶ διέστησεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος, καὶ πόλεις ὀχυρὰς καθεῖλε, καὶ οἰκίας μεγιστάνων κατέστρεψε. 15 Γλῶσσα τρίτη γυναῖκας ἀνδρείας ἐξέβαλε, καὶ ἐστέρησεν αὐτὰς τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν. 16 Ὁ προσέχων αὐτῇ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ ἀνάπαυσιν, οὐδὲ κατασκηνώσει μεθʼ ἡσυχίας. 17 Πληγὴ μάστιγος ποιεῖ μώλωπας, πληγὴ δὲ γλώσσης συγκλάσει ὀστᾶ. 18 Πολλοὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας, καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ πεπτωκότες διὰ γλῶσσαν. 19 Μακάριος ὁ σκεπασθεὶς ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, ὃς οὐ διῆλθεν ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτῆς, ὃς οὐχ εἵλκυσε τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐδέθη. 20 Ὁ γὰρ ζυγὸς αὐτῆς ζυγὸς σιδηροῦς, καὶ οἱ δεσμοὶ αὐτῆς δεσμοὶ χάλκεοι. 21 Θάνατος πονηρὸς ὁ θάνατος αὐτῆς, καὶ λυσιτελὴς μᾶλλον ὁ ᾅδης αὐτῆς. 22 Οὐ μὴ κρατήσῃ εὐσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ φλογὶ αὐτῆς οὐ καήσονται. 23 Οἱ καταλείποντες Κύριον ἐμπεσοῦνται εἰς αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκκαήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ σβεσθῇ· ἐξαποσταλήσεται ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ὡς λέων, καὶ ὡς πάρδαλις λυμανεῖται αὐτούς. 24 Ἴδε περίφραξον τὸ κτῆμά σου ἀκάνθαις, τὸ ἀργύριόν σου καὶ τὸ χρυσίον κατάδησον· 25 καὶ τοῖς λόγοις σου ποίησον ζυγὸν καὶ σταθμὸν, καὶ τῷ στόματί σου ποίησον θύραν καὶ μοχλόν. 26 Πρόσεχε μήπως ὀλισθήσῃς ἐν αὐτῇ, μὴ πέσῃς κατέναντι ἐνεδρεύοντος.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 28 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).
One man keepeth anger against another, and doth he seek healing of God?" "And yet He allowed, eye for eye,' and tooth for tooth,' how then doth He find fault?" Because He allowed even those things, not that we should do them one to another, but that through the fear of suffering, we might abstain from the commission of crime.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)