Sirach 51

1 Ἐξομολογήσομαι σοι Κύριε βασιλεῦ, καὶ αἰνέσω σε Θεὸν τὸν σωτῆρά μου· ἐξομολογοῦμαι τῷ ὀνόματί σου,

2 ὅτι σκεπαστὴς καὶ βοηθὸς ἐγένου μοι, καὶ ἐλυτρώσω τὸ σῶμά μου ἐξ ἀπωλείας, καὶ ἐκ παγίδος διαβολῆς γλώσσης· ἀπὸ χειλέων ἐργαζομένων ψεῦδος, καὶ ἔναντι τῶν παρεστηκότων ἐγένου μοι βοηθὸς,

3 καὶ ἐλυτρώσω με, κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἐλέους καὶ ὀνόματός σου, ἐκ βρυγμῶν ἑτοίμων εἰς βρῶμα, ἐκ χειρὸς ζητούντων τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἐκ πλειόνων θλίψεων ὧν ἔσχον,

4 ἀπὸ πνιγμοῦ πυρὸς κυκλόθεν, καὶ ἐκ μέσου πυρὸς οὗ οὐκ ἐξέκαυσα,

5 ἐκ βάθους κοιλίας ᾅδου, καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης ἀκαθάρτου, καὶ λόγου ψευδοῦς.

6 Βασιλεῖ διαβολὴ γλώσσης ἀδίκου· ᾔγγισεν ἕως θανάτου ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἡ ζωή μου ἦν σύνεγγυς ᾅδου κάτω.

7 Περιέσχον με πάντοθεν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ βοηθῶν· ἐμβλέπων εἰς ἀντίληψιν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ οὐκ ἦν.

8 Καὶ ἐμνήσθην τοῦ ἐλέους σου Κύριε, καὶ τῆς ἐργασίας σου τῆς ἀπʼ αἰῶνος· ὅτι ἐξελῇ τοὺς ὑπομένοντάς σε, καὶ σώζεις αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς ἐθνῶν.

9 Καὶ ἀνύψωσα ἐπὶ γῆς ἱκετείαν μου, καὶ ὑπὲρ θανάτου ῥύσεως ἐδεήθην.

10 Ἐπεκαλεσάμην Κύριον πατέρα Κυρίου μου, μή με ἐγκαταλιπεῖν ἐν ἡμέραις θλίψεως, ἐν καιρῷ ὑπερηφάνων ἀβοηθησίας.

11 Αἰνέσω τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐνδελεχῶς, καὶ ὑμνήσω ἐν ἐξομολογήσει· καὶ εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς μου.

12 Ἔσωσας γάρ με ἐξ ἀπωλείας, καὶ ἐξείλου με ἐκ καιροῦ πονηροῦ· διὰ τοῦτο ἐξομολογήσομαι καὶ αἰνέσω σοι, καὶ εὐλογήσω τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου·

13 Ἔτι ὢν νεώτερος, πρινὴ πλανηθῆναί με, ἐζήτησα σοφίαν προφανῶς ἐν προσευχῇ μου.

14 Ἔναντι ναοῦ ἠξίουν περὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτων ἐκζητήσω αὐτὴν,

15 ἐξ ἄνθους ὡς περκαζούσης σταφυλῆς· εὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐπέβη ὁ πούς μου ἐν εὐθύτητι, ἐκ νεότητός μου ἴχνευσα αὐτήν.

16 Ἔκλινα ὀλίγον τὸ οὖς μου, καὶ ἐδεξάμην, καὶ πολλὴν εὗρον ἐμαυτῷ παιδείαν.

17 Προκοπὴ ἐγένετό μοι ἐν αὐτῇ· τῷ διδόντι μοι σοφίαν, δώσω δόξαν.

18 Διενοήθην γὰρ τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐζήλωσα τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ οὐ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶ.

19 Διαμεμάχηται ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐν ποιήσει λιμοῦ διηκριβωσάμην· τὰς χεῖράς μου ἐξεπέτασα πρός ὕψος, καὶ τὰ ἀγνοήματα αὐτῆς ἐπένθησα,

20 τὴν ψυχήν μου κατεύθυνα εἰς αὐτὴν, καρδίαν ἐκτησάμην μετʼ αὐτῶν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν καθαρισμῷ εὗρον αὐτήν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλειφθῶ.

21 Καὶ ἡ κοιλία μου ἐταράχθη ἐκζητῆσαι αὐτήν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκτησάμην ἀγαθὸν κτῆμα.

22 Ἔδωκε Κύριος γλῶσσάν μοι μισθόν μου, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ αἰνέσω αὐτόν.

23 Ἐγγίσατε πρὸς μὲ ἀπαίδευτοι, καὶ αὐλίσθητε ἐν οἴκῳ παιδείας.

24 Διότι ὑστερεῖτε ἐν τούτοις, καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ ὑμῶν διψῶσι σφόδρα;

25 Ἤνοιξα τὸ στὸμα μου, καὶ ἐλάλησα, κτήσασθε ἑαυτοῖς ἄνευ ἀργυριου.

26 Τὸν τράχηλον ὑμῶν ὑπόθετε ὑπὸ ζυγὸν, καὶ ἐπιδεξάσθω ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν παιδείαν, ἐγγύς ἐστιν εὑρεῖν αὐτήν.

27 Ἴδετε ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν ὅτι ὀλίγον ἐκοπίασα, καὶ εὗρον ἐμαυτῷ πολλὴν ἀνάπαυσιν.

28 Μετάσχετε παιδείας ἐν πολλῷ ἀριθμῷ ἀργυρίου, καὶ πολὺν χρυσὸν κτήσασθε ἐν αὐτῇ.

29 Εὐφρανθείη ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ ἐλέει αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ αἰσχυνθείητε ἐν αἰνέσει αὐτοῦ.

30 Ἐργάζεσθε τὸ ἔργον ὑμῶν πρὸ καιροῦ, καὶ δώσει τὸν μισθὸν ὑμῶν ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ.

1 I will thank thee, O Lord and King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour: I do give praise unto thy name:

2 for thou art my defender and helper, and hast preserved my body from destruction, and from the snare of the slanderous tongue, and from the lips that forge lies, and hast been mine helper against mine adversaries:

3 and hast delivered me, according to the multitude of thy mercies and greatness of thy name, from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me, and out of the hands of such as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions which I had;

4 from the choking of fire on every side, and from the midst of the fire which I kindled not;

5 from the depth of the belly of hell, from an unclean tongue, and from lying words.

6 By an accusation to the king from an unrighteous tongue my soul drew near even unto death, my life was near to the hell beneath.

7 They compassed me on every side, and there was no man to help me: I looked for the succour of men, but there was none.

8 Then thought I upon thy mercy, O Lord, and upon thy acts of old, how thou deliverest such as wait for thee, and savest them out of the hands of the enemies.

9 Then lifted I up my supplication from the earth, and prayed for deliverance from death.

10 I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the days of my trouble, and in the time of the proud, when there was no help.

11 I will praise thy name continually, and will sing praise with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard:

12 for thou savedst me from destruction, and deliveredst me from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise thee, and bless thy name, O Lord.

13 When I was yet young, or ever I went abroad, I desired wisdom openly in my prayer.

14 I prayed for her before the temple, and will seek her out even to the end.

15 Even from the flower till the grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her.

16 I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and gat much learning.

17 I profited therein, therefore will I ascribe the glory unto him that giveth me wisdom.

18 For I purposed to do after her, and earnestly I followed that which is good; so shall I not be confounded.

19 My soul hath wrestled with her, and in my doings I was exact: I stretched forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her.

20 I directed my soul unto her, and I found her in pureness: I have had my heart joined with her from the beginning, therefore shall I not be forsaken.

21 My heart was troubled in seeking her: therefore have I gotten a good possession.

22 The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward, and I will praise him therewith.

23 Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and dwell in the house of learning.

24 Wherefore are ye slow, and what say ye of these things, seeing your souls are very thirsty?

25 I opened my mouth, and said, Buy her for yourselves without money.

26 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: she is hard at hand to find.

27 Behold with your eyes, how that I have had but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest.

28 Get learning with a great sum of money, and get much gold by her.

29 Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and be not ashamed of his praise.

30 Work your work betimes, and in his time he will give you your reward.