Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 29 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 ποιῶν ἔλεος δανειεῖ τῷ πλησιον, καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τηρεῖ ἐντολάς.
1 He who shows mercy will lend to his neighbor. He who strengthens him with his hand keeps the commandments.
2 Δάνεισον τῷ πλησίον ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἀπόδος τῷ πλησίον εἰς τὸν καιρόν.
2 Lend to your neighbor in time of his need. Repay your neighbor on time.
3 Στερέωσον λόγον, καὶ πιστώθητι μετʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὑρήσεις τὴν χρείαν σου.
3 Confirm your word, and keep faith with him; and at all seasons you will find what you need.
4 Πολλοὶ ὡς εὕρεμα ἐνόμισαν δάνος, καὶ παρέσχον πόνον τοῖς βοηθήσασιν αὐτοῖς.
4 Many have considered a loan to be a windfall, and have given trouble to those who helped them.
5 Ἕως οὗ λάβῃ, καταφιλήσει χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων τοῦ πλησίον ταπεινώσει φωνήν· καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποδόσεως παρελκύσει χρόνον, καὶ ἀποδώσει λόγους ἀκηδίας, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιάσεται.
5 Until he has received, he will kiss a man’s hands. For his neighbor’s money he will speak submissively. Then when payment is due, he will prolong the time, return excuses, and complain about the season.
6 Ἐὰν ἰσχύσῃ, μόλις κομίσεται τὸ ἥμισυ, καὶ λογιεῖται αὐτὸ ὡς εὕρεμα· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἀπεστέρησεν αὐτὸν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτήσατο αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν δωρεάν· κατάρας καὶ λοιδορίας ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀντὶ δόξης ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν.
6 If he prevails, the creditor will hardly receive half; and he will count it as a windfall. If not, he has deprived him of his money, and he has gotten him for an enemy without cause. He will pay him with cursing and railing. Instead of honor, he will pay him disgrace.
7 Πολλοὶ χάριν πονηρίας ἀπέστρεψαν, ἀποστερηθῆναι δωρεὰν εὐλαβήθησαν.
7 Many on account of fraud have turned away. They are afraid of being defrauded for nothing.
8 Πλὴν ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον, καὶ ἐπʼ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν·
8 However be patient with a man in poor estate. Don’t keep him waiting for your alms.
9 Χάριν ἐντολῆς ἀντιλαβοῦ πένητος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτὸν κενόν.
9 Help a poor man for the commandment’s sake. According to his need don’t send him empty away.
10 Ἀπόλεσον ἀργύριον διʼ ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλον, καὶ μὴ ἰωθήτω ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀπώλειαν.
10 Lose your money for a brother and a friend. Don’t let it rust under a stone and be lost.
11 Θὲς τὸν θησαυρόν σου κατʼ ἐντολὰς ὑψίστου, καὶ λυσιτελήσει σοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον.
11 Allocate your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High and it will profit you more than gold.
12 Σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις σου, καὶ αὕτη ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως.
12 Store up almsgiving in your store-chambers and it will deliver you out of all affliction.
13 Ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδα κράτους, καὶ ὑπὲρ δόρυ ἀλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ.
13 It will fight for you against your enemy better than a mighty shield and a ponderous spear.
14 Ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐγγυήσεται τὸν πλησίον, καὶ ὁ ἀπολωλεκὼς αἰσχύνην καταλείψει αὐτόν.
14 A good man will be surety for his neighbor. He who has lost shame will fail him.
15 Χάριτας ἐγγύου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ, ἔδωκε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ σοῦ.
15 Don’t forget the kindness of your guarantor, for he has given his life for you.
16 Ἀγαθὰ ἐγγύου ἀνατρέψει ἁμαρτωλὸς,
16 A sinner will waste the property of his guarantor.
17 καὶ ἀχάριστος ἐν διανοίᾳ ἐγκαταλείψει ῥυσάμενον.
17 He who is thankless will fail him who delivered him.
18 Ἐγγύη πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσε κατευθύνοντας, καὶ ἐσάλευσεν αὐτοὺς ὡς κῦμα θαλάσσης· ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἀπῴκισε, καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἀλλοτρίοις.
18 Being surety has undone many who were prospering and shaken them as a wave of the sea. It has driven mighty men from their homes. They wandered among foreign nations.
19 Ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἐγγύην, καὶ διώκων ἐργολαβείας ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κρίσεις.
19 A sinner who falls into suretiship and undertakes contracts for work will fall into lawsuits.
20 Ἀντιλαβοῦ τοῦ πλησίον κατὰ δύναμίν σου, καὶ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ ἐμπέσῃς.
20 Help your neighbor according to your power, and be careful not to fall yourself.
21 Ἀρχὴ ζωῆς ὕδωρ, καὶ ἄρτος, καὶ ἱμάτιον, καὶ οἶκος καλύπτων ἀσχημοσύνην.
21 The essentials of life are water, bread, a garment, and a house for privacy.
22 Κρείσσων βίος πτωχοῦ ὑπὸ σκέπην δοκῶν, ἢ ἐδέσματα λαμπρὰ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις.
22 Better is the life of a poor man under a shelter of logs than sumptuous fare in another man’s house.
23 Ἐπὶ μικρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ εὐδοκίαν ἔχε.
23 With little or with much, be well satisfied.
24 Ζωὴ πονηρὰ ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς οἰκίαν, καὶ οὗ παροικήσει, οὐκ ἀνοίξει στόμα.
24 It is a miserable life to go from house to house. Where you are a guest, you dare not open your mouth.
25 Ξενιεῖς καὶ ποτιεῖς εἰς ἀχάριστα, καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις πικρὰ ἀκούσῃ·
25 You will entertain, serve drinks, and have no thanks. In addition to this, you will hear bitter words.
26 πάρελθε πάροικε, κόσμησον τράπεζαν, καὶ εἴτι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ψώμισόν με·
26 “Come here, you sojourner, set a table, and if you have anything in your hand, feed me with it.”
27 ἔξελθε πάροικε ἀπὸ προσώπου δόξης, ἐπεξένωταί μοι ὁ ἀδελφὸς, χρεία τῆς οἰκίας.
27 “Leave, you sojourner, for an honored guest is here. My brother has come to be my guest. I need my house.”
28 Βαρέα ταῦτα ἀνθρώπῳ ἔχοντι φρόνησιν, ἐπιτίμησις οἰκίας καὶ ὀνειδισμὸς δανειστοῦ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΕΚΝΩΝ.
28 These things are grievous to a man of understanding: The scolding about lodging and the insults of creditors.
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).
Shut up alms in the heart of a poor man, and it shall intercede for thee unto the Lord."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
It is written, "As water quencheth fire, so alms quencheth sin." Again it is written, "Shut up alms in the heart of a poor man, and it shall make supplication for thee before the Lord." Again it is written, "Hear, O king, my counsel, and redeem thy sins by alms." And many other testimonies of the Divine oracles are there, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
… of the life of this world, in which all men are passing along as strangers, and no one abides here as possessor; but to every man it is said, "Thou hast been refreshed, pass on, go on thy way, give place to the next comer." Or perhaps from an evil "way," that is, from an evil life, some friend of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)