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.
1 Ὁ ἐκδίκων παρὰ Κυρίου εὑρήσει ἐκδίκησιν, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ διατηρῶν διατηρήσει.
1 He who takes vengeance will find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely make his sins firm.
2 Ἄφες ἀδίκημα τῷ πλησίον σου, καὶ τότε δεηθέντος σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου λυθήσονται.
2 Forgive your neighbor the hurt that he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
3 Ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ συντηρεῖ ὀργὴν, καὶ παρὰ Κυρίου ζητεῖ ἴασιν.
3 Does anyone harbor anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?
4 Ἐπʼ ἄνθρωπον ὅμοιον αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεος, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ δεῖται.
4 Upon a man like himself he has no mercy, and does he make supplication for his own sins?
5 Αὐτὸς σὰρξ ὢν διατηρεῖ μῆνιν, τίς ἐξιλάσεται τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ;
5 He himself, being flesh, nourishes wrath. Who will make atonement for his sins?
6 Μνήσθητι τὰ ἔσχατα, καὶ παῦσαι ἔχθραίνων· καταφθορὰν καὶ θάνατον, καὶ ἔμμενε ἐντολαῖς.
6 Remember your last end, and stop enmity. Remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments.
7 Μνήσθητι ἐντολῶν, καὶ μὴ μηνίσῃς τῷ πλησίον· καὶ διαθήκην ὑψίστου, καὶ πάριδε ἄγνοιαν.
7 Remember the commandments, and don’t be angry with your neighbor. Remember the covenant of the Highest, and overlook ignorance.
8 Ἀπόσχου ἀπὸ μάχης, καὶ ἐλαττώσεις ἁμαρτίας· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ θυμώδης ἐκκαύσει μάχην.
8 Abstain from strife, and you will diminish your sins, for a passionate man will kindle strife.
9 Καὶ ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλὸς ταράξει φίλους, καὶ ἀναμέσον εἰρηνευόντων ἐμβάλλει διαβολήν.
9 A man who is a sinner will trouble friends and sow discord among those who are at peace.
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.
10 As is the fuel of the fire, so it will burn; and as the stoutness of the strife is, so it will burn. As is the strength of the man, so will be his wrath; and as is his wealth, so he will exalt his anger.
11 Ἔρις κατασπευδομένη ἐκκαίει πῦρ, καὶ μάχη κατασπεύδουσα ἐκχέει αἷμα.
11 A contention begun in haste kindles a fire; and hasty fighting sheds blood.
12 Ἐὰν φυσήσῃς σπινθῆρα ἐκκαήσεται, καὶ ἐὰν πτύσῃς ἐπʼ αὐτὸν σβεσθήσεται· καὶ ἀμφότερα ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου ἐκπορεύεται.
12 If you blow on a spark, it will burn; and if you spit upon it, it will be quenched. Both of these come out of your mouth.
13 Ψίθυρον καὶ δίγλωσσον καταρᾶσθαι, πολλοὺς γὰρ εἰρηνεύοντας ἀπώλεσαν.
13 Curse the whisperer and double-tongued, for he has destroyed many who were at peace.
14 Γλῶσσα τρίτη πολλοὺς ἐσάλευσε, καὶ διέστησεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος, καὶ πόλεις ὀχυρὰς καθεῖλε, καὶ οἰκίας μεγιστάνων κατέστρεψε.
14 A slanderer has shaken many, and dispersed them from nation to nation. It has pulled down strong cities and overthrown the houses of great men.
15 Γλῶσσα τρίτη γυναῖκας ἀνδρείας ἐξέβαλε, καὶ ἐστέρησεν αὐτὰς τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν.
15 A slanderer has cast out brave women and deprived them of their labors.
16 Ὁ προσέχων αὐτῇ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ ἀνάπαυσιν, οὐδὲ κατασκηνώσει μεθʼ ἡσυχίας.
16 He who listens to it will not find rest, nor will he live quietly.
17 Πληγὴ μάστιγος ποιεῖ μώλωπας, πληγὴ δὲ γλώσσης συγκλάσει ὀστᾶ.
17 The stroke of a whip makes a mark in the flesh, but the stroke of a tongue will break bones.
18 Πολλοὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας, καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ πεπτωκότες διὰ γλῶσσαν.
18 Many have fallen by the edge of the sword, yet not so many as those who have fallen because of the tongue.
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.
19 Happy is he who is sheltered from it, who has not passed through its wrath, who has not drawn its yoke, and has not been bound with its bands.
20 Ὁ γὰρ ζυγὸς αὐτῆς ζυγὸς σιδηροῦς, καὶ οἱ δεσμοὶ αὐτῆς δεσμοὶ χάλκεοι.
20 For its yoke is a yoke of iron, and its bands are bands of brass.
21 Θάνατος πονηρὸς ὁ θάνατος αὐτῆς, καὶ λυσιτελὴς μᾶλλον ὁ ᾅδης αὐτῆς.
21 Its death is an evil death, and Hades is better than it.
22 Οὐ μὴ κρατήσῃ εὐσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ φλογὶ αὐτῆς οὐ καήσονται.
22 It will not have rule over godly men. They will not be burned in its flame.
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.
23 Those who forsake the Lord will fall into it. It will burn among them, and won’t be quenched. It will be sent against them like a lion. It will destroy them like a leopard.
24 Ἴδε περίφραξον τὸ κτῆμά σου ἀκάνθαις, τὸ ἀργύριόν σου καὶ τὸ χρυσίον κατάδησον·
24 As you hedge your possession about with thorns, and secure your silver and your gold,
25 καὶ τοῖς λόγοις σου ποίησον ζυγὸν καὶ σταθμὸν, καὶ τῷ στόματί σου ποίησον θύραν καὶ μοχλόν.
25 so make a balance and a weight for your words, and make a door and a bar for your mouth.
26 Πρόσεχε μήπως ὀλισθήσῃς ἐν αὐτῇ, μὴ πέσῃς κατέναντι ἐνεδρεύοντος.
26 Take heed lest you slip with it, lest you fall before one who lies in wait.
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)