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.
1 Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ τοῖς χρήμασί σου, καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, αὐτάρκη μοι ἐστί.
1 Don’t set your heart upon your goods. Don’t say, “They are sufficient for me.”
2 Μὴ ἐξακολούθει τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου, τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις καρδίας σου.
2 Don’t follow your own mind and your strength to walk in the desires of your heart.
3 Καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, τίς με δυναστεύσει; ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἐκδικῶν ἐκδικήσει σε.
3 Don’t say, “Who will have dominion over me?” for the Lord will surely take vengeance on you.
4 Μὴ εἶπῃς, ἥμαρτον, καὶ τί μοι ἐγένετο; ὁ γὰρ Κυριός ἐστι μακρόθυμος.
4 Don’t say, “I sinned, and what happened to me?” for the Lord is patient.
5 Περὶ ἐξιλασμοῦ μὴ ἄφοβος γίνου προσθεῖναι ἁμαρτίαν ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις.
5 Don’t be so confident of atonement that you add sin upon sins.
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.
6 Don’t say, “His compassion is great. He will be pacified for the multitude of my sins,” for mercy and wrath are with him, and his indignation will rest on sinners.
7 Μὴ ἀνάμενε ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ μὴ ὑπερβάλλου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας· ἐξάπινα γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ὀργὴ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐκδικήσεως ἐξολῇ.
7 Don’t wait to turn to the Lord. Don’t put off from day to day; for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come on you, and you will perish in the time of vengeance.
8 Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις, οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφελήσεις ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπαγωγῆς.
8 Don’t set your heart upon unrighteous gains, for you will profit nothing in the day of calamity.
9 Μὴ λίκμα ἐν παντὶ ἀνέμῳ, καὶ μὴ πορεύου ἐν πάσῃ ἀτραπῷ· οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ δίγλωσσος.
9 Don’t winnow with every wind. Don’t walk in every path. This is what the sinner who has a double tongue does.
10 Ἴσθι ἐστηριγμένος ἐν συνέσει σου, καὶ εἷς ἔστω σου ὁ λόγος.
10 Be steadfast in your understanding. Let your speech be consistent.
11 Γίνου ταχὺς ἐν ἀκροάσει σου, καὶ ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ φθέγγου ἀπόκρισιν.
11 Be swift to hear and answer with patience.
12 Εἰ ἔστι σοι σύνεσις, ἀποκρίθητι τῷ πλησίον· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἡ χείρ σου ἔστω ἐπὶ στόματί σου.
12 If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; but if not, put your hand over your mouth.
13 Δόξα καὶ ἀτιμία ἐν λαλιᾷ, καὶ γλῶσσα ἀνθρώπου πτῶσις αὐτῷ.
13 Glory and dishonor is in talk. A man’s tongue may be his downfall.
14 Μὴ κληθῇς ψίθυρος, καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ σου μὴ ἐνέδρευε· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ κλέπτῃ ἐστὶν αἰσχύνη, καὶ κατάγνωσις πονηρὰ ἐπὶ διγλώσσου.
14 Don’t be called a whisperer. Don’t lie in wait with your tongue; for shame is on the thief, and an evil condemnation is on him who has a double tongue.
15 Ἐν μεγάλῳ καὶ ἐν μικρῷ μὴ ἀγνόει.
15 Don’t be ignorant in a great or small matter.
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)