1 Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ τοῖς χρήμασί σου, καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, αὐτάρκη μοι ἐστί. 2 Μὴ ἐξακολούθει τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου, τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις καρδίας σου. 3 Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, τίς με δυναστεύσει; ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἐκδικῶν ἐκδικήσει σε. 4 Μὴ εἶπῃς, ἥμαρτον, καὶ τί μοι ἐγένετο; ὁ γὰρ Κυριός ἐστι μακρόθυμος. 5 Περὶ ἐξιλασμοῦ μὴ ἄφοβος γίνου προσθεῖναι ἁμαρτίαν ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις. 6 Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, ὁ οἰκτιρμὸς αὐτοῦ πολὺς, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου ἐξιλάσεται· ἔλεος γὰρ καὶ ὀργὴ παρʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς καταπαύσει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ. 7 Μὴ ἀνάμενε ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ μὴ ὑπερβάλλου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας· ἐξάπινα γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ὀργὴ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐκδικήσεως ἐξολῇ. 8 Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις, οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφελήσεις ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπαγωγῆς. 9 Μὴ λίκμα ἐν παντὶ ἀνέμῳ, καὶ μὴ πορεύου ἐν πάσῃ ἀτραπῷ· οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ δίγλωσσος. 10 Ἴσθι ἐστηριγμένος ἐν συνέσει σου, καὶ εἷς ἔστω σου ὁ λόγος. 11 Γίνου ταχὺς ἐν ἀκροάσει σου, καὶ ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ φθέγγου ἀπόκρισιν. 12 Εἰ ἔστι σοι σύνεσις, ἀποκρίθητι τῷ πλησίον· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἡ χείρ σου ἔστω ἐπὶ στόματί σου. 13 Δόξα καὶ ἀτιμία ἐν λαλιᾷ, καὶ γλῶσσα ἀνθρώπου πτῶσις αὐτῷ. 14 Μὴ κληθῇς ψίθυρος, καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ σου μὴ ἐνέδρευε· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ κλέπτῃ ἐστὶν αἰσχύνη, καὶ κατάγνωσις πονηρὰ ἐπὶ διγλώσσου. 15 Ἐν μεγάλῳ καὶ ἐν μικρῷ μὴ ἀγνόει.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 5 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).
… despaired wrongly, and were lost in their despair, and called them back to hope; so doth He go forth to these also who would perish through an evil hope; and by another book He saith to them, "Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord." As He had said to the others, "In whatsoever day a man shall turn from …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)