1 Τέκνον, τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ πτωχοῦ μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς, καὶ μὴ παρελκύσῃς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπιδεεῖς. 2 ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν μὴ λυπήσῃς, καὶ μὴ παροργίσῃς ἄνδρα ἐν ἀπορίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 3 Καρδίαν παροργισμένην μὴ προσταράξῃς, καὶ μὴ παρελκύσῃς δόσιν προσδεομένου. 4 Ἱκέτην θλιβόμενον μὴ ἀπαναίνου, καὶ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ πτωχοῦ. 5 Ἀπὸ δεομένου μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς ὀφθαλμόν, καὶ μὴ δῷς τόπον ἀνθρώπῳ καταράσασθαί σε. 6 Καταρωμένου γάρ σε ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, τῆς δεήσεως αὐτοῦ ἐπακούσεται ὁ ποιήσας αὐτόν. 7 Προσφιλῆ συναγωγῇ σεαυτὸν ποίει, καὶ μεγιστᾶνι ταπεινοῦ τὴν κεφαλήν σου. 8 Κλῖνον πτωχῷ τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἀποκρίθητι αὐτῷ εἰρηνικὰ ἐν πρᾳΰτητι. 9 Ἐξελοῦ ἀδικούμενον ἐκ χειρὸς ἀδικοῦντος, καὶ μὴ ὀλιγοψυχήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνειν σε. 10 Γίνου ὀρφανοῖς ὡς πατὴρ, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀνδρὸς τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῶν· καὶ ἔσῃ ὡς υἱὸς ὑψίστου, καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε μᾶλλον ἡ μήτηρ σου. 11 Ἡ σοφία υἱοὺς ἑαυτῇ ἀνύψωσε, καὶ ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῶν ζητούντων αὐτήν· 12 ὁ ἀγαπῶν αὐτὴν ἀγαπᾷ ζωὴν, καὶ οἱ ὀρθρίζοντες πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐμπλησθήσονται εὐφροσύνης. 13 Ὁ κρατῶν αὐτῆς κληρονομήσει δόξαν, καὶ οὗ εἰσπορεύεται εὐλογήσει Κύριος. 14 Οἱ λατρεύοντες αὐτῇ λειτουργήσουσιν Ἁγίῳ, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτὴν ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Κύριος. 15 Ὁ ὑπακούων αὐτῆς κρινεῖ ἔθνη, καὶ ὁ προσελθὼν αὐτῇ κατασκηνώσει πεποιθώς. 16 Ἐὰν ἐμπιστεύσῃς, κατακληρονομήσεις αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐν κατασχέσει ἔσονται αἱ γενεαὶ αὐτοῦ. 17 Ὅτι διεστραμμένως πορεύεται μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν πρώτοις· φόβον δὲ καὶ δειλίαν ἐπάξει ἐπʼ αὐτὸν, καὶ βασανίσει αὐτὸν ἐν παιδιᾷ αὐτῆς, ἕως οὗ ἐμπιστεύσῃ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πειράσῃ αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασιν αὐτῆς. 18 Καὶ πάλιν ἐπανήξει κατʼ εὐθεῖαν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ εὐφρανεῖ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀποκαλύψει αὐτῷ τὰ κρυπτὰ αὐτῆς. 19 Ἐὰν ἀποπλανηθῇ, ἐγκαταλείψει αὐτὸν, καὶ παραδώσει αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας πτώσεως αὐτοῦ. 20 Συντήρησον καιρὸν καὶ φύλαξαι ἀπὸ πονηροῦ, καὶ περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς σου μὴ αἰσχυνθῇς. 21 Ἔστι γὰρ αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις. 22 Μὴ λάβῃς πρόσωπον κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ μὴ ἐντραπῇς εἰς πτῶσίν σου. 23 Μὴ κωλύσῃς λόγον ἐν καιρῷ σωτηρίας, 24 ἐν γὰρ λόγῳ γνωσθήσεται σοφία, καὶ παιδεία ἐν ῥήματι γλώσσης. 25 Μὴ ἀντίλεγε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀπαιδευσίας σου ἐντράπηθι. 26 Μὴ αἰσχυνθῇς ὁμολογῆσαι ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις σου, καὶ μὴ βιάζου ῥοῦν ποταμοῦ. 27 Καὶ μὴ ὑποστρώσῃς σεαυτὸν ἀνθρώπῳ μωρῷ, καὶ μὴ λάβῃς πρόσωπον δυνάστου. 28 Ἕως τοῦ θανάτου ἀγώνισαι περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. 29 Μὴ γίνου τραχὺς ἐν γλώσσῃ σου, καὶ νωθρὸς καὶ παρειμένος ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου. 30 Μὴ ἴσθι ὡς λέων ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, καὶ φαντασιοκοπῶν ἐν τοῖς οἰκέταις σου. 31 Μὴ ἔστω ἡ χείρ σου ἐκτεταμένη εἰς τὸ λαβεῖν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀποδιδόναι συνεσταλμένη.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 4 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).
Now "all consummation" appeareth to me in this place to signify, the striving even unto death for the truth, and the endurance of every evil for the true and chief good: the end of which consummation is to excel in the kingdom of Christ, which hath no end; and there to have without death, without pain, and with great honour, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
"For a word is a better thing than a gift," and "answer the poor man peaceably with meekness." And all the rest of thy time too adorn it with the rehearsing of the laws of God; "Yea, let all thy communication be in the law of the Most High." Having thus adorned ourselves, let us come to our King, and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Let not thine hand be only stretched out to receive, but let it be also ready to work.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)