Sirach 36

1 Τῷ φοβουμένῳ Κύριον οὐκ ἀπαντήσει κακὸν, ἀλλʼ ἐν πειρασμῷ καὶ πάλιν ἐξελεῖται.

2 Ἀνὴρ σοφὸς οὐ μισήσει νόμον, ὁ δὲ ὑποκρινόμενος ἐν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἐν καταιγίδι πλοῖον.

3 Ἄνθρωπος συνετὸς ἐμπιστεύσει νόμῳ, καὶ ὁ νόμος αὐτῷ πιστὸς ὡς ἐρώτημα δικαίων.

4 Ἑτοίμασον λόγον, καὶ οὕτως ἀκουθήσῃ, σύνδησον παιδείαν καὶ ἀποκρίθητι.

5 Τροχὸς ἁμάξης σπλάγχνα μωροῦ, καὶ ὡς ἄξων στρεφόμενος ὁ διαλογισμὸς αὐτοῦ.

6 Ἵππος εἰς ὀχείαν ὡς φίλος μῶκος, ὑποκάτω παντὸς ἐπικαθημένου χρεμετίζει.

7 Διατί ἡμέρα ἡμέρας ὑπερέχει, καὶ πᾶν φῶς ἡμέρας ἐνιαυτοῦ ἀφʼ ἡλίου;

8 Ἐν γνώσει Κυρίου διεχωρίσθησαν, καὶ ἠλλοίωσε καιροὺς καὶ ἑορτάς·

9 ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀνύψωσε καὶ ἡγίασε, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔθηκεν εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν.

10 Καὶ ἄνθρωποι πάντες ἀπὸ ἐδάφους, καὶ ἐκ γῆς ἐκτίσθη Ἀδάμ.

11 Ἐν πλήθει ἐπιστήμης Κύριος διεχώρισεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἠλλοίωσε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν.

12 Ἐξ αὐτῶν εὐλόγησε καὶ ἀνύψωσε, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἡγίασε, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἤγγισεν· ἀπʼ αὐτῶν κατηράσατο, καὶ ἐταπείνωσε, καὶ ἀνέστρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ στάσεως αὐτῶν.

13 Ὡς πηλὸς κεραμέως ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ· οὕτως ἄνθρωποι ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτοὺς, ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν αὐτοῦ.

14 Ἀπέναντι τοῦ κακοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ ἀπέναντι τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ζωὴ, οὕτως ἀπέναντι εὐσεβοῦς ἀμαρτωλός.

15 Καὶ οὕτως ἔμβλεψον εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ ὑψίστου, δύο δύο ἓν κατέναντι τοῦ ἑνός.

16 Κᾀγὼ ἔσχατος ἠγρύπνησα, καὶ κατεκληρονόμησα αὐτοὺς καθὼς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς.

17 Ἐλέησον λαὸν, Κύριε, κεκλημένον ἐπʼ ὀνόματί σου, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ὃν πρωτογόνῳ ὡμοίωσας.

18 Οἰκτείρησον πόλιν ἁγιάσματός σου Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πόλιν καταπαύματός σου.

19 Πλῆσον Σιὼν ἆραι τὰ λόγιά σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης σου τὸν λαόν σου.

20 Δὸς μαρτύριον τοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ κτίσμασί σου, καὶ ἔγειρον προφητείας τὰς ἐπʼ ὀνόματί σου·

21 δὸς μισθὸν τοῖς ὑπομένουσί σε, καὶ οἱ προφῆταί σου ἐμπιστευθήτωσαν.

22 Εἰσάκουσον, Κύριε, δεήσεως τῶν ἱκετῶν σου, κατὰ τὴν εὐλογίαν Ἀαρὼν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ γνώσονται πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι σὺ Κύριος εἶ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν αἰώνων.

23 Πᾶν βρῶμα φάγεται κοιλία, ἔστι δὲ βρῶμα βρώματος κάλλιον.

24 Φάρυγξ γεύεται βρώματα θήρας, οὕτως καρδία συνετὴ λόγους ψευδεῖς.

25 Καρδία στρεβλὴ δώσει λύπην, καὶ ἄνθρωπος πολύπειρος ἀνταποδώσει αὐτῷ.

26 Πάντα ἄῤῥενα ἐπιδέξεται γυνὴ, ἔστι δὲ θυγάτηρ θυγατρὸς κρείσσων.

27 Κάλλος γυναικὸς ἱλαρύνει πρόσωπον, καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀνθρώπου ὑπεράγει.

28 Εἰ ἔστιν ἐπὶ γλώσσης αὐτῆς ἔλεος καὶ πραΰτης, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς καθʼ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων.

29 Ὁ κτώμενος γυναῖκα ἐνάρχεται κτήσεως, βοηθὸν κατʼ αὐτὸν καὶ στύλον ἀναπαύσεων.

30 Οὗ οὐκ ἐστι φραγμὸς, διαρπαγήσεται κτῆμα, καὶ οὗ οὐκ ἔστι γυνὴ, στενάξει πλανώμενος.

31 Τίς γὰρ πιστεύσει εὐζώνῳ λῃστῇ σφαλλομένῳ ἐκ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν; οὕτως ἀνθρώπῳ μὴ ἔχοντι νοσσιὰν καὶ καταλύοντι οὗ ἐὰν ὀψισῇ.

1 There shall no evil happen unto him that feareth the Lord; but in temptation even again he will deliver him.

2 A wise man hateth not the law; but he that is an hypocrite therein is as a ship in a storm.

3 A man of understanding trusteth in the law; and the law is faithful unto him, as an oracle.

4 Prepare what to say, and so thou shalt be heard: and bind up instruction, and then make answer.

5 The heart of the foolish is like a cartwheel; and his thoughts are like a rolling axle-tree.

6 A stallion horse is as a mocking friend, he neigheth under every one that sitteth upon him.

7 Why doth one day excel another, when as all the light of every day in the year is of the sun?

8 By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished: and he altered seasons and feasts.

9 Some of them hath he made high days, and hallowed them , and some of them hath he made ordinary days.

10 And all men are from the ground, and Adam was created of earth.

11 In much knowledge the Lord hath divided them, and made their ways diverse.

12 Some of them hath he blessed and exalted, and some of them hath he sanctified, and set near himself: but some of them hath he cursed and brought low, and turned out of their places.

13 As the clay is in the potter's hand, to fashion it at his pleasure: so man is in the hand of him that made him, to render to them as liketh him best.

14 Good is set against evil, and life against death: so is the godly against the sinner, and the sinner against the godly.

15 So look upon all the works of the most High; and there are two and two, one against another.

16 Though I was the last to wake up, yet I received their inheritance as from the beginning.

17 O Lord have mercy upon the people that is called by thy name, and upon Israel, whom thou hast named thy firstborn.

18 O be merciful unto Jerusalem, thy holy city, the place of thy rest.

19 Fill Sion with thine unspeakable oracles, and thy people with thy glory.

20 Give testimony unto those that thou hast possessed from the beginning, and raise up prophets that have been in thy name.

21 Reward them that wait for thee, and let thy prophets be found faithful.

22 O Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron over thy people, that all they which dwell upon the earth may know that thou art the Lord, the eternal God.

23 The belly devoureth all meats, yet is one meat better than another.

24 As the palate tasteth divers kinds of venison: so doth an heart of understanding false speeches.

25 A froward heart causeth heaviness: but a man of experience will recompense him.

26 A woman will receive every man, yet is one daughter better than another.

27 The beauty of a woman cheereth the countenance, and a man loveth nothing better.

28 If there be kindness, meekness, and comfort, in her tongue, then is not her husband like other men.

29 He that getteth a wife beginneth a possession, a help like unto himself, and a pillar of rest.

30 Where no hedge is, there the possession is spoiled: and he that hath no wife will wander up and down mourning.

31 Who will trust a thief well appointed, that skippeth from city to city? so [who will believe] a man that hath no house, and lodgeth wheresoever the night taketh him?