Sirach 12

1 Ἐὰν εὖ ποιῇς, γνῶθι τίνι ποιεῖς, καὶ ἔσται χάρις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς σου.

2 Εὐποίησον εὐσεβεῖ, καὶ εὑρήσεις ἀνταπόδομα, καὶ εἰ μὴ παρʼ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ ὑψίστου.

3 Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὰ τῷ ἐνελεχίζοντι εἰς κακὰ, καὶ τῷ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ χαριζομένῳ.

4 Δὸς τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, καὶ μὴ ἀντιλάβῃ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ.

5 Εὐποίησον τῷ ταπεινῷ, καὶ μὴ δῷς ἀσεβεῖ· ἐμπόδισον τοὺς ἄρτους αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ δῷς αὐτῷ ἵνα μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς σε δυναστεύσῃ· διπλάσια γὰρ κακὰ εὑρήσεις ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς οἷς ἂν ποιήσῃς αὐτῷ.

6 Ὅτι καὶ ὁ ὕψιστος ἐμίσησεν ἁμαρτωλούς, καὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἀποδώσει ἐκδίκησιν.

7 Δὸς τῷ ἀγαθῷ, καὶ μὴ ἀντιλάβῃ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ.

8 Οὐκ ἐκδικηθησεται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ὁ φίλος, καὶ οὐ κρυβήσεται ἐν κακοῖς ὁ ἐχθρός.

9 Ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδρὸς οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν λύπῃ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ φίλος διαχωρισθήσεται.

10 Μὴ πιστεύσῃς τῷ ἐχθρῷ σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ὡς γὰρ ὁ χαλκὸς ἰοῦται, οὕτως ἡ πονηρία αὐτοῦ.

11 Καὶ ἐὰν ταπεινωθῇ καὶ πορεύηται συγκεκυφὼς, ἐπίστησον τὴν ψυχήν σου καὶ φύλαξαι ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσῃ αὐτῷ ὡς ἐκμεμαχὼς ἔσοπτρον, καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τέλος κατίωσε.

12 Μὴ στήσῃς αὐτὸν παρὰ σεαυτὸν, μὴ ἀνατρέψας σε στῇ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον σου· μὴ καθίσης αὐτὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, μήποτε ζητήσῃ τὴν καθέδραν σου, καὶ ἐπʼ ἐσχάτῳ ἐπιγνώσῃ τοὺς λόγους μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ῥημάτων μου κατανυγήσῃ.

13 Τίς ἐλεήσει ἐπαοιδὸν ὀφιόδηκτον, καὶ πάντας τοὺς προσάγοντας θηρίοις;

14 Οὕτως τὸν προσπορεύομενον ἀνδρὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ καὶ συμφυρόμενον ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτοῦ.

15 Ὥραν μετὰ σοῦ διαμενεῖ, καὶ ἐὰν ἐκκλίνῃς, οὐ μὴ καρτερήσῃ.

16 Καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ γλυκανεῖ ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδία αὐτοῦ βουλεύσεται ἀνατρέψαι σε εἰς βόθρον· ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ δακρύσει ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ἐὰν εὕρῃ καιρὸν, οὐκ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἀφʼ αἵματος.

17 Κακὰ ἂν ὑπαντήσῃ σοι, εὑρήσεις αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ πρότερόν σου, καὶ ὡς βοηθῶν ὑποσχάσει πτέρναν σου.

18 Κινήσει τὴν κεφαλὴναὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπικροτήσει ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πολλὰ διαψιθυρίσει, καὶ ἀλλοιώσει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.

1 When thou wilt do good, know to whom thou doest it; so shalt thou be thanked for thy benefits.

2 Do good to the godly man, and thou shalt find a recompence; and if not from him, yet from the most High.

3 There can no good come to him that is always occupied in evil, nor to him that giveth no alms.

4 Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner.

5 Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly: hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him, lest he overmaster thee thereby: for [else] thou shalt receive twice as much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him.

6 For the most High hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance unto the ungodly, and keepeth them against the mighty day of their punishment.

7 Give unto the good, and help not the sinner.

8 A friend cannot be known in prosperity: and an enemy cannot be hidden in adversity.

9 In the prosperity of a man enemies will be grieved: but in his adversity even a friend will depart.

10 Never trust thine enemy: for like as iron rusteth, so is his wickedness.

11 Though he humble himself, and go crouching, yet take good heed and beware of him, and thou shalt be unto him as if thou hadst wiped a looking-glass, and thou shalt know that his rust hath not been altogether wiped away.

12 Set him not by thee, lest, when he hath overthrown thee, he stand up in thy place; neither let him sit at thy right hand, lest he seek to take thy seat, and thou at the last remember my words, and be pricked therewith.

13 Who will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent, or any such as come nigh wild beasts?

14 So one that goeth to a sinner, and is defiled with him in his sins, who will pity?

15 For a while he will abide with thee, but if thou begin to fall, he will not tarry.

16 An enemy speaketh sweetly with his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit: he will weep with his eyes, but if he find opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.

17 If adversity come upon thee, thou shalt find him there first; and though he pretend to help thee, yet shall he undermine thee.

18 He will shake his head, and clap his hands, and whisper much, and change his countenance.