Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 2 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 Τεκνὸν εἰ προσέρχῃ δουλεύειν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ, ἑτοίμασον τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς πειρασμόν.
1 My son, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.
2 Εὔθυνον τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ καρτέρησον, καὶ μὴ σπεύσῃς ἐν καιρῷ ἐπαγωγῆς.
2 Set your heart aright, constantly endure, and don’t make haste in time of calamity.
3 Κολλήθητι αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ ἀποστῇς, ἵνα αὐξηθῇς ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων σου.
3 Cling to him, and don’t depart, that you may be increased at your latter end.
4 Πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν ἐπαχθῇ σοι, δέξαι, καὶ ἐν ἀλλάγμασι ταπεινώσεώς σου μακροθύμησον.
4 Accept whatever is brought upon you, and be patient when you suffer humiliation.
5 Ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ δοκιμάζεται χρυσὸς, καὶ ἄνθρωποι δεκτοὶ ἐν καμίνῳ ταπεινώσεως.
5 For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.
6 Πίστευσον αὐτῷ καὶ ἀντιλήψεταί σου, εὔθυνον τὰς ὁδούς σου καὶ ἔλπισον ἐπʼ αὐτόν.
6 Put your trust in him, and he will help you. Make your ways straight, and set your hope on him.
7 Οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, ἀναμείνατε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐκκλίνητε ἵνα μὴ πέσητε.
7 All you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. Don’t turn aside, lest you fall.
8 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον πιστεύσατε αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐ μὴ πταίσῃ ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν.
8 All you who fear the Lord, put your trust in him, and your reward will not fail.
9 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον ἐλπίσατε εἰς ἀγαθὰ, καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην αἰῶνος καὶ ἐλέους.
9 All you who fear the Lord, hope for good things, and for eternal gladness and mercy.
10 Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς ἀρχαίας γενεὰς καὶ ἴδετε, τίς ἐνεπίστευσε Κυρίῳ καὶ κατῃσχύνθη; ἢ τίς ἐνέμεινε τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγκατελείφθη; ἢ τίς ἐπεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν, καὶ ὑπερεῖδεν αὐτόν;
10 Look at the generations of old, and see: Who ever put his trust in the Lord, and was ashamed? Or who remained in his fear, and was forsaken? Or who called upon him, and he neglected him?
11 Διότι οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἀφίησιν ἁμαρτίας, καὶ σώζει ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως.
11 For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. He forgives sins and saves in time of affliction.
12 Οὐαὶ καρδίαις δειλαῖς, καὶ χερσὶ παρειμέναις, καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἐπιβαίνοντι ἐπὶ δύο τρίβους.
12 Woe to fearful hearts, to faint hands, and to the sinner who goes two ways!
13 Οὐαὶ καρδίᾳ παρειμένῃ, ὅτι οὐ πιστεύει, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ σκεπασθήσεται.
13 Woe to the faint heart! For it doesn’t believe. Therefore it won’t be defended.
14 Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀπολωλεκόσι τὴν ὑπομονὴν, καὶ τί ποιήσετε ὅταν ἐπισκέπτηται ὁ Κύριος;
14 Woe to you who have lost your patience! And what will you all do when the Lord visits you?
15 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον οὐκ ἀπειθήσουσι ῥημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες αὐτὸν συντηπήσουσι τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.
15 Those who fear the Lord will not disobey his words. Those who love him will keep his ways.
16 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον ζητήσουσιν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες αὐτὸν ἐμπλησθήσονται τοῦ νόμου.
16 Those who fear the Lord will seek his good pleasure. Those who love him will be filled with the law.
17 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον ἐτοιμάσουσι καρδίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ παπεινώσουσι τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.
17 Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and will humble their souls in his sight.
18 Ἐμπεσούμεθα εἰς χεῖρας Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων· ὡς γὰρ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
18 We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men; for as his majesty is, so also is his mercy.
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).
… rise again but what falls, whence they conclude that resurrection pertains to bodies only, and not to souls, because bodies fall, why do they make nothing of the words, "Ye that fear the Lord, wait for His mercy; and go not aside lest ye fall;" and "To his own Master he stands or falls;" and "He that thinketh he standeth, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Where then is that, "Who hath called upon God, and hath been forsaken by Him?" where again is that, "Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord, shall be delivered." Immediately reaching forth the help of His right hand, He lifted him up as he was sinking, and rebuked his distrust; "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
In such manner evidently Thou wilt be angry, because it hath been written, "My son, drawing near unto the service of God, stand thou in righteousness and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation." Think not that now the wrath of God hath passed away, because thou hast been converted.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)