Sirach 1

ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΕΙΡΑΧ.

1 ΠΟΛΛΩΝ καὶ μεγάλων ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν κατʼ αὐτοὺς ἠκολουθηκότων δεδομένων. ὑπὲρ ὧν δέον ἐστὶν ἐπαινεῖν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ παιδείας καὶ σοφίας, καὶ ὡς οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀναγινώσκοντας δέον ἐστὶν ἐπιστήμονας γίνεσθαι,

1a ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐκτὸς δύνασθαι τοὺς φιλομαθοῦντας χρησίμους εἶναι καὶ λέγοντας καὶ γράφοντας· ὁ πάππος μου Ἰησοῦς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἑαυτὸν δοὺς εἴς τε τὴν τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν

1b καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πατρίων βιβλίων ἀνάγνωσιν, καὶ ἐν τούτοις ἱκανὴν ἕξιν περιποιησάμενος, προήχθη καὶ αὐτὸς συγγράψαι τι τῶν εἰς παιδείαν καὶ σοφίαν ἀνηκόντων, ὅπως οἱ φιλομαθεῖς, καὶ τούτων ἔνοχοι γενόμενοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπιπροσθῶσι διὰ τῆς ἐννόμου βιώσεως.

1c Παρακέκλησθε οὖν μετʼ εὐνοίας καὶ προσοχῆς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ συγγνώμην ἔχειν ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν δοκῶμεν

1d τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν πεφιλοπονημένων τισὶ τῶν λέξεων ἀδυναμεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἰσοδυναμεῖ αὐτὰ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς Ἑβραϊστὶ λεγόμενα, καὶ ὅταν μεταχθῇ εἰς ἑτέραν γλῶσσαν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος, καὶ αἱ προφητεῖαι,

1e καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν βιβλίων οὐ μικρὰν ἔχει τὴν διαφορὰν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λεγόμενα. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὀγδόῳ καὶ τριακοστῷ ἔτει ἐπὶ τοῦ Εὐεργέτου βασιλέως παραγενηθεὶς εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ συγχρονίσας, εὗρον οὐ μικρᾶς παιδείας ἀφόμοιον·

1f ἀναγκαιότατον ἐθέμην αὐτὸς προσενέγκασθαί τινα σπουδὴν καὶ φιλοπονίαν τοῦ μεθερμηνεῦσαι τήνδε τὴν βίβλον· πολλὴν γὰρ ἀγρυπνίαν καὶ ἐπιστήμην προσενεγκάμενος ἐν τῷ διαστήματι τοῦ χρόνου, πρὸς τὸ ἐπὶ πέρας ἄγοντα τὸ βιβλίον ἐκδόσθαι, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ βουλομένοις φιλομαθεῖν,

1g προκατασκευαζομένοις τὰ ἤθη ἐν νόμῳ βιοτεύειν.

1h ΠΑΣΑ σοφία παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

2 Ἄμμον θαλασσῶν καὶ σταγόνας ὑετοῦ καὶ ἡμέρας αἰῶνος τίς ἐξαριθμήσει;

3 Ὕψος οὐρανοῦ καὶ πλάτος γῆς καὶ ἄβυσσον καὶ σοφίαν τίς ἐξιχνιάσει;

4 Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία, καὶ σύνεσις φρονήσεως ἐξ αἰῶνος.

6 Ῥίζα σοφίας τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη; καὶ τὰ πανουργεύματα αὐτῆς τίς ἔγνω;

8 Εἷς ἐστι σοφὸς φοβερὸς σφόδρα καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ·

9 Κύριος αὐτὸς ἔκτισεν αὐτὴν, καὶ εἶδε καὶ ἐξηρίθμησεν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐξέχεεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.

10 Μετὰ πάσης σαρκὸς κατὰ τὴν δόσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐχορήγησεν αὐτὴν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν·

11 Φόβος Κυρίου δόξα καὶ καύχημα καὶ εὐφροσύνη καὶ στέφανος ἀγαλλιάματος.

12 Φόβος Κυρίου τέρψει καρδίαν, καὶ δώσει εὐφροσύνην καὶ χαρὰν καὶ μακροημέρευσιν.

13 Τῷ φοβουμένῳ τὸν Κύριον εὖ ἔσται ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει χάριν.

14 Αρχὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ μετὰ πιστῶν ἐν μήτρᾳ συνεκτίσθη αὐτοῖς.

15 Καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων θεμέλιον αἰῶνος ἐνόσσευσε, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν ἐμπιστευθήσεται.

16 Πλησμονὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, καὶ μεθύσκει αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῆς.

17 Πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς ἐμπλήσει ἐπιθυμημάτων, καὶ τὰ ἀποδοχεῖα ἀπὸ τῶν γεννημάτων αὐτῆς.

18 Στέφανος σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, ἀναθάλλων εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγίειαν ἰάσεως·

19 ἐπιστήμην καὶ γνῶσιν συνέσεως ἐξώμβρησε, καὶ δόξαν κρατούντων αὐτῆς ἀνύψωσε.

20 Ῥίζα σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, καὶ οἱ κλάδοι αὐτῆς μακροημέρευσις.

22 Οὐ δυνήσεται θυμὸς ἄδικος δικαιωθῆναι· ἡ γὰρ ῥοπὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ πτῶσις αὐτῷ.

23 Ἕως καιροῦ ἀνθέξεται μακρόθυμος, καὶ ὕστερον αὐτῷ ἀναδώσει εὐφροσύνη.

24 Ἕως καιροῦ κρύψει τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ, καὶ χείλη πιστῶν ἐκδιηγήσεται σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ.

25 Ἐν θησαυροῖς σοφίας παραβολὴ ἐπιστήμης, βδέλυγμα δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια.

26 Ἐπεθύμησας σοφίαν, διατήρησον ἐντολὰς, καὶ Κύριος χορηγήσει σοι αὐτήν.

27 Σοφία γὰρ καὶ παιδεία φόβος Κυρίου, καὶ ἡ εὐδοκία αὐτοῦ πίστις καὶ πρᾳότης.

28 Μὴ ἀπειθήσῃς φόβῳ Κυρίου, καὶ μὴ προσέλθῃς αὐτῷ ἐν καρδίᾳ δισσῇ.

29 Μὴ ὑποκριθῇς ἐν στόμασιν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσί σου πρόσεχε.

30 Μὴ ἐξύψου σεαυτὸν, ἵνα μὴ πέσῃς, καὶ ἐπαγάγῃς τῇ ψυχῇ σου ἀτιμίαν· καὶ ἀποκαλύψει Κύριος τὰ κρυπτά σου, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ συναγωγῆς καταβελεῖ σε· ὅτι οὐ προσῆλθες φόβῳ Κυρίου, καὶ ἡ καρδία σου πλήρης δόλου.

1 Whereas many and great things have been delivered unto us by the law and the prophets, and by others that have followed their steps, for the which things Israel ought to be commended for learning and wisdom: and whereof not only the readers must needs become skilful themselves,

1a but also they that desire to learn be able to profit them which are without, both by speaking and by writing: my grandfather Jesus, when he had much given himself to the reading of the law, and the prophets,

1b and other books of our fathers, and had gotten therein good judgment, was drawn on also himself to write something pertaining to learning and wisdom; to the intent that those which are desirous to learn, and are addicted to these things, might profit much more in living according to the law.

1c Wherefore let me intreat you to read it with favour and attention, and to pardon us, wherein we may seem to come short of some words,

1d which we have laboured to interpret; for the same things uttered in Hebrew, and translated into another tongue, have not the same force in them. And not only these things, but the law itself, and the prophets,

1e and the rest of the books, have no small difference, when they are spoken in their own language. For in the eight and thirtieth year coming into Egypt, when Euergetes was king, and continuing there some time, I found a book of no small learning:

1f therefore I thought it most necessary for me to bestow some diligence and travail to interpret it: using great watchfulness and skill in that space to bring the book to an end, and set it forth for them also, which in a strange country are willing to learn,

1g being prepared before in manners to live after the law.

1h All wisdom cometh from the Lord, and is with him for ever.

2 Who can number the sand of the sea, and the drops of rain, and the days of eternity?

3 Who can find out the height of heaven, and the breadth of the earth, and the deep, and wisdom?

4 Wisdom hath been created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from everlasting.

6 To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? or who hath known her wise counsels?

8 There is one wise and greatly to be feared, the Lord sitting upon his throne.

9 He created her, and saw her, and numbered her, and poured her out upon all his works.

10 She is with all flesh according to his gift, and he hath given her to them that love him.

11 The fear of the Lord is honour, and glory, and gladness, and a crown of rejoicing.

12 The fear of the Lord maketh a merry heart, and giveth joy, and gladness, and long life.

13 Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, and he shall find favour in the day of his death.

14 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and it was created with the faithful in the womb.

15 She hath built an everlasting foundation with men, and she shall continue with their seed.

16 To fear the Lord is fulness of wisdom, and filleth men with her fruits.

17 She filleth all their house with things desirable, and the garners with her increase.

18 The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish.

19 Wisdom raineth down skill and knowledge of understanding, and exalteth them to honour that hold her fast.

20 The root of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and the branches thereof are long life.

22 A furious man cannot be justified; for the sway of his fury shall be his destruction.

23 A patient man will bear for a time, and afterward joy shall spring up unto him.

24 He will hide his words for a time, and the lips of many shall declare his wisdom.

25 The parables of knowledge are in the treasures of wisdom: but godliness is an abomination to a sinner.

26 If thou desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord shall give her unto thee.

27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction: and faith and meekness are his delight.

28 Distrust not the fear of the Lord when thou art poor; and come not unto him with a double heart.

29 Be not a hypocrite in the sight of men, and take good heed what thou speakest.

30 Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, and bring dishonour upon thy soul, and so the Lord discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation, because thou camest not in truth to the fear of the Lord, but thy heart is full of deceit.