1 Ἐμοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀκούσατε τέκνα, καὶ οὕτως ποιήσατε, ἵνα σωθῆτε. 2 Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἐδόξασε πατέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις, καὶ κρίσιν μητρὸς ἐστερέωσεν ἐφʼ υἱοῖς. 3 Ὁ τιμῶν πατέρα ἐξιλάσεται ἁμαρτίαις. 4 Καὶ ὡς ὁ ἀποθησαυρίζων, ὁ δοξάζων μητέρα αὐτοῦ. 5 Ὁ τιμῶν πατερα εὐφρανθήσεται ὑπὸ τέκνων, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ προσευχῆς αὐτοῦ εἰσακουσθήσεται. 6 Ὁ δοξάζων πατέρα μακροημερεύσει, καὶ ὁ εἰσακούων Κυρίου ἀναπαύσει μητέρα αὐτοῦ, 7 καὶ ὡς δεσπόταις δουλεύσει ἐν τοῖς γεννήσασιν αὐτόν. 8 Ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου, ἵνα ἐπέλθῃ σοι εὐλογία παρʼ αὐτοῦ. 9 Εὐλογία γὰρ πατρὸς στηρίζει οἴκους τέκνων, κατάρα δὲ μητρὸς ἐκριζοῖ θεμέλια. 10 Μὴ δοξάζου ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ πατρός σου, οὐ γάρ ἐστί σοι δόξα πατρὸς ἀτιμία. 11 Ἡ γὰρ δόξα ἀνθρώπου ἐκ τιμῆς πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὄνειδος τέκνοις μήτηρ ἐν ἀδοξίᾳ. 12 Τέκνον, ἀντιλαβοῦ ἐν γήρᾳ πατρός σου, καὶ μὴ λυπήσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. 13 Κᾂν ἀπολείπῃ σύνεσιν, συγγνώμην ἔχε, καὶ μὴ ἀτιμάσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν πάσῃ ἰσχύϊ σου. 14 Ἐλεημοσύνη γὰρ πατρὸς οὐκ ἐπιλησθήσεται, καὶ ἀντὶ ἁμαρτιῶν προσανοικοδομηθήσεταί σοι. 15 Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς σου ἀναμνησθήσεταί σου· ὡς εὐδία ἐπὶ παγετῷ, οὕτως ἀναλυθήσονταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. 16 Ὡς βλάσφημος ὁ ἐγκαταλιπὼν πατέρα, καὶ κεκατηραμένος ὑπὸ Κυρίου ὁ παροργίζων μητέρα αὐτοῦ. 17 Τέκνον, ἐν πραΰτητι τὰ ἔργα σου διέξαγε, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου δεκτοῦ ἀγαπηθήσῃ. 18 Ὅσῳ μέγας εἶ, τοσούτῳ ταπεινοῦ σεαυτὸν, καὶ ἔναντι Κυρίου εὑρήσεις χάριν. 20 Ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ δυναστεία τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ταπεινῶν δοξάζεται. 21 Χαλέπωτερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ ἰσχυρότερά σου μὴ ἐξέταζε, 22 ἃ προσετάγη σοι, ταῦτα διανοοῦ· οὐ γάρ ἐστί σοι χρεία τῶν κρυπτῶν. 23 Ἐν τοῖς περισσοῖς τῶν ἔργων σου μὴ περιεργάζου· πλείονα γὰρ συνέσεως ἀνθρώπων ὑπεδείχθη σοι. 24 Πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐπλάνησεν ἡ ὑπόληψις αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπόνοια πονηρὰ ὠλίσθησε διανοίας αὐτῶν. 26 Καὶ ὁ ἀγαπῶν κίνδυνον, ἐν αὐτῷ ἐμπεσεῖται· καρδία σκληρὰ κακωθήσεται ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων. 27 Καρδία σκληρὰ βαρυνθήσεται πόνοις, καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς προσθήσει ἁμαρτίαν ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις. 28 Ἐπαγωγὴ ὑπερηφάνου οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις, φυτὸν γὰρ πονηρίας ἐῤῥίζωκεν ἐν αὐτῷ· 29 καρδία συνετοῦ διανοηθήσεται παραβολὴν, καὶ οὖς ἀκροατοῦ ἐπιθυμία σοφοῦ. 30 Πῦρ φλογιζόμενον ἀποσβέσει ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐξιλάσεται ἁμαρτίας. 31 Ὁ ἀνταποδιδοὺς χάριτας μέμνηται εἰς τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πτώσεως εὑρήσει στήριγμα.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 3 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.
There are no verses 19, 25 in this translation; the other verses keep their usual numbers.
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).
For Thou hast commanded, saying, Go on with thy business in meekness, and thou shalt be beloved by all men; and good cattle, which neither if they eat, shall they over-abound, nor if they do not eat, have they any want; and good serpents, not destructive to do hurt, but "wise" to take heed; and exploring only so much of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Seek not the things that are too deep for thee, neither search out the things that are above thy strength: what is commanded thee, think thereupon.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
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)
… abundance of graces is to be feared, that no man may pride himself in the gift of God, but may rather preserve humility, and may do what is written: "The greater thou art, the more humble thyself, and thou shalt find favour before the Lord:" how deeply pride in God's gift should be feared, we must again and again impress …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)