1 Ἡγούμενων σε κατέστησαν; μὴ ἐπαίρου, γίνου ἐν αὐτοῖς ὡς εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν· φρόντισον αὐτῶν, καὶ οὕτω κάθισον, 2 καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν χρείαν σου ποιήσας ἀνάπεσε, ἵνα εὐφρανθῇς διʼ αὐτοὺς, καὶ εὐκοσμίας χάριν λάβῃς στέφανον. 3 Λάλησον πρεσβύτερε, πρέπει γάρ σοι, ἐν ἀκριβεῖ ἐπιστήμῃ, καὶ μὴ ἐμποδίσῃς μουσικά. 4 Ὅπου ἀκρόαμα, μὴ ἐκχέῃς λαλιὰν, καὶ ἀκαίρως μὴ σοφίζου. 5 Σφραγὶς ἄνθρακος ἐπὶ κόσμῳ χρυσῷ, σύγκριμα μουσικῶν ἐν συμποσίῳ οἴνου. 6 Ἐν κατασκευάσματι χρυσῷ σφραγὶς σμαράγδου μέλος μουσικῶν ἐφʼ ἡδεῖ οἴνῳ. 7 Λάλησον νεανίσκε εἰ χρεία σου, μόλις δὶς ἐὰν ἐπερωτηθῇς. 8 Κεφαλαίωσον λόγον, ἐν ὀλίγοις πολλὰ, γίνου ὡς γινώσκων καὶ ἅμα σιωπῶν. 9 Ἐν μέσῳ μεγιστάνων μὴ ἐξισάζου, καὶ ἑτέρου λέγοντος μὴ πολλὰ ἀδολέσχει. 10 Πρὸ βροντῆς κατασπεύδει ἀστραπὴ, καὶ πρὸ αἰσχυντηροῦ προελεύσεται χάρις. 11 Ἐν ὥρᾳ ἐξεγείρου καὶ μὴ οὐράγει, ἀπότρεχε εἰς οἶκον καὶ μὴ ῥαθύμει. 12 Ἐκεῖ παῖζε καὶ ποίει τὰ ἐνθυμήματά σου, καὶ μὴ ἁμάρτῃς λόγῳ ὑπερηφάνῳ. 13 Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις εὐλόγησον τὸν ποιήσαντά σε, καὶ μεθύσκοντά σε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτοῦ. 14 Ὁ φοβούμενος Κύριον ἐκδέξεται παιδείαν, καὶ οἱ ὀρθρίζοντες εὑρήσουσιν εὐδοκίαν. 15 Ὁ ζητῶν νόμον ἐμπλησθήσεται αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ὑποκρινόμενος σκανδαλισθήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ. 16 Οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον εὑρήσουσι κρίμα, καὶ δικαιώματα ὡς φῶς ἐξάψουσιν. 17 Ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐκκλίνει ἐλεγμὸν, καὶ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει σύγκριμα. 18 Ἀνὴρ βουλῆς οὐ μὴ παρίδῃ διανόημα, ἀλλότριος καὶ ὑπερήφανος οὐ καταπτήξει φόβον, καὶ μετὰ τὸ ποιῆσαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἄνευ βουλῆς. 19 Ἄνευ βουλῆς μηθὲν ποιήσῃς, καὶ ἐν τῷ ποιῆσαί σε μὴ μεταμελοῦ. 20 Ἐν ὁδῷ ἀντιπτώματος μὴ πορεύου, καὶ μὴ προσκόψῃς ἐν λιθώδεσι. 21 Μὴ πιστεύσῃς ἐν ὁδῷ ἀπροσκόπῳ, 22 καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων σου φύλαξαι. 23 Ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ πίστευε τῇ ψυχῇ σου, καὶ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τήρησις ἐντολῶν. 24 Ὁ πιστεύων νόμῳ προσέχει ἐντολαῖς, καὶ ὁ πεποιθὼς Κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐλαττωθήσεται.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 35 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).
Concerning this sweetness of the mercy of God see ye what in another place the Scripture saith: "Like rain in drought, so beautiful is the mercy of God in trouble." That which there he saith to be "beautiful," the same he saith here to be "sweet." Not even bread would be sweet, unless hunger had preceded.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)