1 Μὴ ποίει κακὰ, καὶ οὐ μὴ σε καταλάβῃ κακόν. 2 Ἀπόστηθι ἀπὸ ἀδίκου, καὶ ἐκκλινεῖ ἀπὸ σοῦ. 3 Υἱὲ μὴ σπεῖρε ἐπʼ αὔλακας ἀδικίας, καὶ οὐ μὴ θερίσῃς αὐτὰς ἑπταπλασίως. 4 Μὴ ζήτει παρὰ Κυρίου ἡγεμονίαν, μηδὲ παρὰ βασιλέως καθέδραν δόξης. 5 Μὴ δικαιοῦ ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ παρὰ βασιλεῖ μὴ σοφίζου· 6 μὴ ζήτει γενέσθαι κριτὴς, μὴ οὐκ ἐξισχύσεις ἐξάραι ἀδικίας. μήποτε εὐλαβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου δυνάστου, καὶ θήσεις σκάνδαλον ἐν εὐθύτητί σου. 7 Μὴ ἁμάρτανε εἰς πλῆθος πόλεως, καὶ μὴ καταβάλῃς σεαυτὸν ἐν ὄχλῳ. 8 Μὴ καταδεσμεύσῃς δὶς ἁμαρτίαν, ἐν γὰρ τῇ μιᾷ οὐκ ἀθῶος ἔσῃ. 9 Μὴ εἴπῃς, τῷ πλήθει τῶν δώρων μου ἐπόψεται, καὶ ἐν τῷ προσενέγκαι με Θεῷ ὑψίστῳ προσδέξεται. 10 Μὴ ὀλιγοψυχήσῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην ποιῆσαι μὴ παρίδῃς. 11 Μὴ καταγέλα ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ἔστι γὰρ ὁ ταπεινῶν καὶ ἀνυψῶν. 12 Μὴ ἀροτρία ψεῦδος ἐπʼ ἀδελφῷ σου, μηδὲ φίλῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ποίει. 13 Μὴ θέλε ψεύδεσθαι πᾶν ψεῦδος, ὁ γὰρ ἐνδελεχισμὸς αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰς ἀγαθόν. 14 Μὴ ἀδολέσχει ἐν πλήθει πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ μὴ δευτερώσῃς λόγον ἐν προσευχῇ σου. 15 Μὴ μισήσῃς ἐπίπονον ἐργασίαν, καὶ γεωργίαν ὑπὸ ὑψίστου ἐκτισμένην. 16 Μὴ προσλογίζου σεαυτὸν ἐν πλήθει ἁμαρτωλῶν· 17 Ταπείνωσον σφόδρα τὴν ψυχήν σου. 17a Μνήσθητι ὅτι ὀργὴ οὐ χρονιεῖ, 17b ὅτι ἐκδίκησις ἀσεβοῦς πῦρ καὶ σκώληξ. 18 Μὴ ἀλλάξῃς φίλον ἕνεκεν ἀδιαφόρου, μήδʼ ἀδελφὸν γνήσιον ἐν χρυσίῳ Σουφείρ. 19 Μὴ ἀστόχει γυναικὸς σοφῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς, καὶ γὰρ χάρις αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὸ χρυσίον. 20 Μὴ κακώσῃς οἰκέτην ἐργαζόμενον ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, μηδὲ μίσθιον διδόντα ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. 21 Οἰκέτην συνετὸν ἀγαπάτω σου ἡ ψυχὴ, μὴ στερήσῃς αὐτὸν ἐλευθερίας. 22 Κτήνη σοί ἐστιν; ἐπισκέπτου αὐτά· καὶ εἰ ἔστι σοι χρήσιμα, ἐμμενέτω σοι. 23 Τέκνα σοί ἐστι, παίδευσον αὐτὰ, καὶ κάμψον ἐκ νεότητος τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῶν. 24 Θυγατέρες σοί εἰσι; πρόσεχε τῷ σώματι αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ ἱλαρώσῃς πρὸς αὐτὰς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου. 25 Ἔκδου θυγατέρα, καὶ ἔσῃ τετελεκὼς ἔργον μέγα, καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνετῷ δώρησαι αὐτήν. 26 Γυνή σοι ἐστὶ κατὰ ψυχήν; μὴ ἐκβάλῃς αὐτήν. 27 Ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ δόξασον τὸν πατέρα σου, καὶ μητρὸς ὠδῖνας μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ. 28 Μνήσθητι ὅτι διʼ αὐτῶν ἐγενήθης, καὶ τί ἀνταποδώσεις αὐτοῖς καθὼς αὐτοὶ σοί; 29 Ἐν ὅλῃ ψυχῇ σου εὐλαβοῦ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ θαύμαζε. 30 Ἐν ὅλῃ δυνάμει ἀγάπησον τὸν ποιήσαντά σε, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς. 31 Φοβοῦ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ δόξασον ἱερέα, καὶ δὸς τὴν μερίδα αὐτῷ, καθὼς ἐντέταλταί σοι, ἀπαρχὴν, καὶ περὶ πλημμελείας, καὶ δόσιν βραχιόνων, καὶ θυσίαν ἁγιασμοῦ, καὶ ἀπαρχὴν ἁγίων. 32 Καὶ πτωχῷ ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου, ἵνα τελειωθῇ ἡ εὐλογία σου. 33 Χάρις δόματος ἔναντι παντὸς ζῶντος, καὶ ἐπὶ νεκρῷ μὴ ἀποκωλύσῃς χάριν. 34 Μὴ ὑστέρει ἀπὸ κλαιόντων, καὶ μετὰ πενθούντων πένθησον. 35 Μὴ ὄκνει ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ἄῤῥωστον, ἐκ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαπηθήσῃ. 36 Ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις σου μιμνήσκου τὰ ἔσχατά σου, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεις.
Sirach · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Sirach 7 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).
But ordinary phraseology would not have allowed the saying, "Be unwilling to make any manner of lie," had there not been also an evil will, whose wickedness separates if from that which the angels celebrated, "Peace on earth, of good will to men." For "good" is superfluous if there is no other kind of will but good will.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For we read in the ancient Scriptures, "The vengeance of the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms." It might have been more briefly said, "The vengeance of the ungodly." Why, then, was it said, "The flesh of the ungodly," unless because both the fire and the worm are to be the punishment of the flesh?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)