Sirach 34

1 Ἀγρυπνία πλούτου ἐκτήκει σάρκας, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα αὐτοῦ ἀφιστᾷ ὕπνον.

2 Μέριμνα ἀγρυπνίας ἀπαιτήσει νυσταγμὸν, καὶ ἀῤῥώστημα βαρὺ ἐκνήψει ὕπνος.

3 Ἐκοπίασε πλούσιος ἐν συναγωγῇ χρημάτων, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναπαύσει ἐμπίπλαται τῶν τρυφημάτων αὐτοῦ·

4 ἐκοπίασε πτωχὸς ἐν ἐλαττώσει βίου, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναπαύσει ἐπιδεὴς γίνεται.

5 Ὁ ἀγαπῶν χρυσίον οὐ δικαιωθήσεται, καὶ ὁ διώκων διαφθορὰν, αὐτὸς πλησθήσεται.

6 Πολλοὶ ἐδόθησαν εἰς πτῶμα χάριν χρυσίου, καὶ ἐγενήθη ἀπώλεια αὐτῶν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν.

7 Ξύλον προσκόμματός ἐστι τοῖς ἐνθυσιάζουσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶς ἄφρων ἁλώσεται ἐν αὐτῷ.

8 Μακάριος πλούσιος ὃς εὑρέθη ἄμωμος, καὶ ὃς ὀπίσω χρυσίου οὐκ ἐπορεύθη.

9 Τίς ἐστι καὶ μακαριοῦμεν αὐτόν; ἐποίησε γὰρ θαυμάσια ἐν λαῷ αὐτοῦ.

10 Τίς ἐδοκιμάσθη ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐτελειώθη, καὶ ἔστω εἰς καύχησιν; τίς ἐδύνατο παραβῆναι, καὶ οὐ παρέβη, καὶ ποιῆσαι κακὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησε;

11 Στερεωθήσεται τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας αὐτοῦ ἐκδιηγήσεται ἐκκλησία.

12 Ἐπὶ τραπέζης μεγάλης ἐκάθισας; μὴ ἀνοίξῃς ἐπʼ αὐτῆς φάρυγγά σου· καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς, πολλά γε τὰ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς.

13 Μνήσθητι ὅτι κακὸν ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρὸς, πονηρότερον ὀφθαλμοῦ τί ἔκτισται; διὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου δακρύει.

14 Οὗ ἐὰν ἐπιβλέψῃ, μὴ ἐκτείνῃς χεῖρα, καὶ μὴ συνθλίβου αὐτῷ ἐν τρυβλίῳ.

15 Νόει τὰ τοῦ πλησίον ἐκ σεαυτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ πράγματι διανοοῦ.

16 Φάγε ὡς ἄνθρωπος τὰ παρακείμενά σοι, καὶ μὴ διαμασῷ, μὴ μισηθῇς.

17 Παῦσαι πρῶτος χάριν παιδείας, καὶ μὴ ἀπληστεύου, μήποτε προσκόψῃς.

18 Καὶ εἰ ἀναμέσον πλειόνων ἐκάθισας, πρότερος αὐτῶν μὴ ἐκτείνῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου.

19 Ὡς ἱκανὸν ἀνθρώπῳ πεπαιδευμένῳ τὸ ὀλίγον, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀσθμαίνει.

20 Ὕπνος ὑγείας ἐπὶ ἐντέρῳ μετρίῳ, ἀνέστη πρωῒ, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ μετʼ αὐτοῦ· πόνος ἀγρυπνίας καὶ χολέρας καὶ στρόφος μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀπλήστου.

21 Καὶ εἰ ἐβιάσθης ἐν ἐδέσμασιν, ἀνάστα μεσοπωρῶν καὶ ἀναπαύσῃ.

22 Ἄκουσόν μου τέκνον καὶ μὴ ἐξουδενώσῃς με, καὶ ἐπʼ ἐσχάτῳ εὑρήσεις τοὺς λόγους μου· ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου γίνου ἐντρεχὴς, καὶ πᾶν αρρώστημα οὐ μή σοι ἀπαντήσῃ.

23 Λαμπρὸν ἐπʼ ἄρτοῖς εὐλογήσει χείλη, καὶ μαρτυρία τῆς καλλονῆς αὐτοῦ πιστή.

24 Πονηρῷ ἐπʼ ἄρτῳ διαγογγύσει πόλις, καὶ ἡ μαρτυρία τῆς πονηρίας αὐτοῦ ἐκριβής.

25 Ἐν οἴνῳ μὴ ἀνδρίζου, πολλοὺς γὰρ ἀπώλεσεν ὁ οἶνος·

26 Κάμινος δοκιμάζει στόμωμα ἐν βαφῇ, οὕτως οἶνος καρδίας ἐν μάχῃ ὑπερηφάνων.

27 Ἐπίσον ζωῆς οἶνος ἀνθρώπῳ, ἐὰν πίνῃς αὐτὸν μέτρῳ αὐτοῦ· τίς ζωὴ ἐλασσουμένῳ οἴνῳ; καὶ αὐτὸς ἔκτισται εἰς εὐφροσύνην ἀνθρώποις.

28 Ἀγαλλίαμα καρδίας καὶ εὐφροσύνη ψυχῆς οἶνος πινόμενος ἐν καιρῷ αὐτάρκης·

29 πικρία ψυχῆς οἶνος πινόμενος πολὺς, ἐν ὀρεθισμῷ καὶ ἀντιπτώματι.

30 Πληθύνει μέθη θυμὸν ἄφρονος εἰς πρόσκομμα, ἐλαττῶν ἰσχὺν καὶ προσποιῶν τραύματα.

31 Ἐν συμποσίῳ οἴνου μὴ ἐλέγξῃς τὸν πλησίον, καὶ μὴ ἐξουδενώσῃς αὐτὸν ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ αὐτοῦ· λόγον ὀνειδισμοῦ μὴ εἴπῃς αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ αὐτὸν θλίψῃς ἐν ἀπαιτήσει. ΠΕΡΙ ἩΓΟΥΜΕΝΩΝ.

1 Watching for riches consumeth the flesh, and the care thereof driveth away sleep.

2 Watching care will not let a man slumber, as a sore disease breaketh sleep.

3 The rich hath great labour in gathering riches together; and when he resteth, he is filled with his delicacies.

4 The poor laboureth in his poor estate; and when he leaveth off, he is still needy.

5 He that loveth gold shall not be justified, and he that followeth corruption shall have enough thereof.

6 Gold hath been the ruin of many, and their destruction was present.

7 It is a stumblingblock unto them that sacrifice unto it, and every fool shall be taken therewith.

8 Blessed is the rich that is found without blemish, and hath not gone after gold.

9 Who is he? and we will call him blessed: for wonderful things hath he done among his people.

10 Who hath been tried thereby, and found perfect? then let him glory. Who might offend, and hath not offended? or done evil, and hath not done it?

11 His goods shall be established, and the congregation shall declare his alms.

12 If thou sit at a bountiful table, be not greedy upon it, and say not, There is much meat on it.

13 Remember that a wicked eye is an evil thing: and what is created more wicked than an eye? therefore it weepeth upon every occasion.

14 Stretch not thine hand whithersoever it looketh, and thrust it not with him into the dish.

15 Judge of thy neighbour by thyself: and be discreet in every point.

16 Eat, as it becometh a man, those things which are set before thee; and devour not, lest thou be hated.

17 Leave off first for manners' sake; and be not unsatiable, lest thou offend.

18 When thou sittest among many, reach not thine hand out first of all.

19 A very little is sufficient for a man well nurtured, and he fetcheth not his wind short upon his bed.

20 Sound sleep cometh of moderate eating: he riseth early, and his wits are with him: but the pain of watching, and choler, and pangs of the belly, are with an unsatiable man.

21 And if thou hast been forced to eat, arise, go forth, vomit, and thou shalt have rest.

22 My son, hear me, and despise me not, and at the last thou shalt find as I told thee: in all thy works be quick, so shall there no sickness come unto thee.

23 Whoso is liberal of his meat, men shall speak well of him; and the report of his good housekeeping will be believed.

24 But against him that is a niggard of his meat the whole city shall murmur; and the testimonies of his niggardness shall not be doubted of.

25 Shew not thy valiantness in wine; for wine hath destroyed many.

26 The furnace proveth the edge by dipping: so doth wine the hearts of the proud by drunkenness.

27 Wine is as good as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is then to a man that is without wine? for it was made to make men glad.

28 Wine measurably drunk and in season bringeth gladness of the heart, and cheerfulness of the mind:

29 but wine drunken with excess maketh bitterness of the mind, with brawling and quarrelling.

30 Drunkenness increaseth the rage of a fool till he offend: it diminisheth strength, and maketh wounds.

31 Rebuke not thy neighbour at the wine, and despise him not in his mirth: give him no despiteful words, and press not upon him with urging him [to drink].