2a Καὶ ἀντὶ φίλου μὴ γίνου ἐχθρός· ὄνομα γὰρ πονηρὸν αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος κληρονομήσει· οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ δίγλωσσος. 2b Μὴ ἐπάρῃς σεαυτὸν ἐν βουλῇ ψυχῆς σου, ἵνα μὴ διαρπαγῇ ὡς ταῦρος ἡ ψυχή σου. 3 Τὰ φύλλα σου καταφάγεσαι, καὶ τοὺς καρπούς σου ἀπολέσεις, καὶ ἀφήσεις σεαυτὸν ὡς ξύλον ξηρόν. 4 Ψυχὴ πονηρὰ ἀπολεῖ τὸν κτησάμενον αὐτήν, καὶ ἐπίχαρμα ἐχθρῶν ποιήσει αὐτόν. 5 Λάρυγξ γλυκὺς πληθυνεῖ φίλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ γλῶσσα εὔλαλος πληθυνεῖ εὐπροσήγορα. 6 Οἱ εἰρηνεύοντές σοι ἔστωσαν πολλοὶ, οἱ δὲ σύμβουλοί σου εἷς ἀπὸ χιλίων. 7 Εἰ κτᾶσαι φίλον, ἐν πειρασμῷ κτῆσαι αὐτόν, καὶ μὴ ταχὺ ἐμπιστεύσῃς αὐτῷ. 8 Ἔστι γὰρ φίλος ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ παραμείνῃ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς σου. 9 Καὶ ἔστι φίλος μετατιθέμενος εἰς ἔχθραν, καὶ μάχην ὀνειδισμοῦ σου ἀποκαλύψει. 10 Καὶ ἔστι φίλος κοινωνὸς τραπεζῶν, καὶ οὐ μὴ παραμείνῃ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς σου. 11 Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς σου ἔσται ὡς σὺ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας σου παῤῥησιάσεται. 12 Ἐὰν ταπεινωθῇς, ἔσται κατὰ σοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσεται. 13 Ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου διαχωρίσθητι, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων σου πρόσεχε. 14 Φίλος πιστὸς σκέπη κραταιὰ, ὁ δὲ εὑρὼν αὐτὸν εὗρε θησαυρόν. 15 Φίλου πιστοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντάλλαγμα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι σταθμὸς τῆς καλλονῆς αὐτοῦ. 16 Φίλος πιστὸς φάρμακον ζωῆς, καὶ οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν. 17 Ὁ φοβούμενος Κύριον εὐθύνει φιλίαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι κατʼ αὐτὸν οὕτως καὶ ὁ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. 18 Τέκνον, ἐκ νεότητός σου ἐπίλεξαι παιδείαν, καὶ ἕως πολιῶν εὑρήσεις σοφίαν. 19 Ὡς ὁ ἀροτριῶν καὶ ὁ σπείρων πρόσελθε αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀνάμενε τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἐργασίᾳ αὐτῆς ὀλίγον κοπιάσεις, καὶ ταχὺ φάγεσαι γεννημάτων αὐτῆς. 20 Ὡς τραχεῖά ἐστι σφόδρα τοῖς ἀπαιδεύτοις, καὶ οὐκ ἐμμενεῖ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀκάρδιος. 21 Ὡς λίθος δοκιμασίας ἰσχυρὸς ἔσται ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ ἀποῤῥίψαι αὐτήν. 22 Σοφία γὰρ κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς ἐστι, καὶ οὐ πολλοῖς ἐστι φανερά. 23 Ἄκουσον, τέκνον, καὶ δέξαι γνώμην μου, καὶ μὴ ἀπαναίνου τὴν συμβουλίαν μου. 24 Καὶ εἰσένεγκον τοὺς πόδας σου εἰς τὰς πέδας αὐτῆς, καὶ εἰς τὸν κλοίον αὐτῆς τὸν τράχηλόν σου. 25 Ὑπόθες τὸν ὦμόν σοῦ, καὶ βάσταξον αὐτὴν, καὶ μὴ προσοχθίσῃς τοῖς δεσμοῖς αὐτῆς. 26 Ἐν πάσῃ ψυχῇ σου πρόσελθε αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ δυνάμει σου συντήρησον τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῆς. 27 Ἐξίχνεύσον καὶ ζήτησον, καὶ γνωσθήσεταί σοι, καὶ ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος μὴ ἀφῇς αὐτήν. 28 Ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων γὰρ εὑρήσεις τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ στραφήσεταί σοι εἰς εὐφροσύνην. 29 Καὶ ἔσονταί σοι αἱ πέδαι εἰς σκέπην ἰσχύος, καὶ οἱ κλοιοὶ αὐτῆς εἰς στολὴν δόξης. 30 Κόσμος γὰρ χρύσεός ἐστιν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ οἱ δεσμοὶ αὐτῆς κλῶσμα ὑακίνθινον. 31 Στολὴν δόξης ἐνδύσῃ αὐτὴν, καὶ στέφανον ἀγαλλιάματος περιθήσεις σεαυτῷ. 32 Ἐὰν θέλῃς, τέκνον, παιδευθήσῃ, καὶ ἐὰν δῷς τὴν ψυχήν σου, πανοῦργος ἔσῃ. 33 Ἐὰν ἀγαπήσῃς ἀκούειν ἐκδέξῃ, καὶ ἐὰν κλίνῃς τὸ οὖς σου σοφὸς ἔσῃ. 34 Ἐν πλήθει πρεσβυτέρων στῆθι, καὶ, τίς σοφός; αὐτῷ προσκολλήθητι. 35 Πᾶσαν διήγησιν θείαν θέλε ἀκούειν, καὶ παροιμίαι συνέσεως μὴ ἐκφευγέτωσάν σε. 36 Ἐὰν ἴδῃς συνετὸν, ὄρθριζε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ βαθμοὺς θυρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκτριβέτω ὁ πούς σου. 37 Διανοοῦ ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασιν Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ μελέτα διαπαντός· αὐτὸς στηριεῖ τὴν καρδίαν σου, καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σοφίας σου δοθήσεταί σοι.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 6 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 is no verse 1 in this translation; the verses after it 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).
… followed Him, not as those who were not again to leave Him, but to see where He dwelt, and to fulfill the Scripture: "Let thy foot wear out the threshold of His doors; arise to come to Him continually, and be instructed in His precepts." He showed them where He dwelt: they came and remained with Him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… may "come in in the sight of the Lord." They also may be understood to be fettered, who are enchained with the precepts of wisdom, the which being patiently supported are turned into ornaments: whence it hath been written, "Put thy feet into her fetters." "According to the greatness," he saith, "of Thy arm, receive Thou unto adoption the sons …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
But since these also, as it is said, put their "feet in the fetters" of wisdom, are taught wisdom (he means the feet of the heart, not of the body), and bound by its golden chains depart not from the path of God, and become not runaways from him; whichever reading we adopt, the truth in the meaning is safe.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)