Sirach 7

1 Μὴ ποίει κακὰ, καὶ οὐ μὴ σε καταλάβῃ κακόν.

2 Ἀπόστηθι ἀπὸ ἀδίκου, καὶ ἐκκλινεῖ ἀπὸ σοῦ.

3 Υἱὲ μὴ σπεῖρε ἐπʼ αὔλακας ἀδικίας, καὶ οὐ μὴ θερίσῃς αὐτὰς ἑπταπλασίως.

4 Μὴ ζήτει παρὰ Κυρίου ἡγεμονίαν, μηδὲ παρὰ βασιλέως καθέδραν δόξης.

5 Μὴ δικαιοῦ ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ παρὰ βασιλεῖ μὴ σοφίζου·

6 μὴ ζήτει γενέσθαι κριτὴς, μὴ οὐκ ἐξισχύσεις ἐξάραι ἀδικίας. μήποτε εὐλαβηθῇς ἀπὸ προσώπου δυνάστου, καὶ θήσεις σκάνδαλον ἐν εὐθύτητί σου.

7 Μὴ ἁμάρτανε εἰς πλῆθος πόλεως, καὶ μὴ καταβάλῃς σεαυτὸν ἐν ὄχλῳ.

8 Μὴ καταδεσμεύσῃς δὶς ἁμαρτίαν, ἐν γὰρ τῇ μιᾷ οὐκ ἀθῶος ἔσῃ.

9 Μὴ εἴπῃς, τῷ πλήθει τῶν δώρων μου ἐπόψεται, καὶ ἐν τῷ προσενέγκαι με Θεῷ ὑψίστῳ προσδέξεται.

10 Μὴ ὀλιγοψυχήσῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην ποιῆσαι μὴ παρίδῃς.

11 Μὴ καταγέλα ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ἔστι γὰρ ὁ ταπεινῶν καὶ ἀνυψῶν.

12 Μὴ ἀροτρία ψεῦδος ἐπʼ ἀδελφῷ σου, μηδὲ φίλῳ τὸ ὅμοιον ποίει.

13 Μὴ θέλε ψεύδεσθαι πᾶν ψεῦδος, ὁ γὰρ ἐνδελεχισμὸς αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰς ἀγαθόν.

14 Μὴ ἀδολέσχει ἐν πλήθει πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ μὴ δευτερώσῃς λόγον ἐν προσευχῇ σου.

15 Μὴ μισήσῃς ἐπίπονον ἐργασίαν, καὶ γεωργίαν ὑπὸ ὑψίστου ἐκτισμένην.

16 Μὴ προσλογίζου σεαυτὸν ἐν πλήθει ἁμαρτωλῶν·

17 Ταπείνωσον σφόδρα τὴν ψυχήν σου.

17a Μνήσθητι ὅτι ὀργὴ οὐ χρονιεῖ,

17b ὅτι ἐκδίκησις ἀσεβοῦς πῦρ καὶ σκώληξ.

18 Μὴ ἀλλάξῃς φίλον ἕνεκεν ἀδιαφόρου, μήδʼ ἀδελφὸν γνήσιον ἐν χρυσίῳ Σουφείρ.

19 Μὴ ἀστόχει γυναικὸς σοφῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς, καὶ γὰρ χάρις αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὸ χρυσίον.

20 Μὴ κακώσῃς οἰκέτην ἐργαζόμενον ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, μηδὲ μίσθιον διδόντα ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ.

21 Οἰκέτην συνετὸν ἀγαπάτω σου ἡ ψυχὴ, μὴ στερήσῃς αὐτὸν ἐλευθερίας.

22 Κτήνη σοί ἐστιν; ἐπισκέπτου αὐτά· καὶ εἰ ἔστι σοι χρήσιμα, ἐμμενέτω σοι.

23 Τέκνα σοί ἐστι, παίδευσον αὐτὰ, καὶ κάμψον ἐκ νεότητος τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῶν.

24 Θυγατέρες σοί εἰσι; πρόσεχε τῷ σώματι αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ ἱλαρώσῃς πρὸς αὐτὰς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου.

25 Ἔκδου θυγατέρα, καὶ ἔσῃ τετελεκὼς ἔργον μέγα, καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνετῷ δώρησαι αὐτήν.

26 Γυνή σοι ἐστὶ κατὰ ψυχήν; μὴ ἐκβάλῃς αὐτήν.

27 Ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ δόξασον τὸν πατέρα σου, καὶ μητρὸς ὠδῖνας μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ.

28 Μνήσθητι ὅτι διʼ αὐτῶν ἐγενήθης, καὶ τί ἀνταποδώσεις αὐτοῖς καθὼς αὐτοὶ σοί;

29 Ἐν ὅλῃ ψυχῇ σου εὐλαβοῦ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ θαύμαζε.

30 Ἐν ὅλῃ δυνάμει ἀγάπησον τὸν ποιήσαντά σε, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς.

31 Φοβοῦ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ δόξασον ἱερέα, καὶ δὸς τὴν μερίδα αὐτῷ, καθὼς ἐντέταλταί σοι, ἀπαρχὴν, καὶ περὶ πλημμελείας, καὶ δόσιν βραχιόνων, καὶ θυσίαν ἁγιασμοῦ, καὶ ἀπαρχὴν ἁγίων.

32 Καὶ πτωχῷ ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου, ἵνα τελειωθῇ ἡ εὐλογία σου.

33 Χάρις δόματος ἔναντι παντὸς ζῶντος, καὶ ἐπὶ νεκρῷ μὴ ἀποκωλύσῃς χάριν.

34 Μὴ ὑστέρει ἀπὸ κλαιόντων, καὶ μετὰ πενθούντων πένθησον.

35 Μὴ ὄκνει ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ἄῤῥωστον, ἐκ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαπηθήσῃ.

36 Ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις σου μιμνήσκου τὰ ἔσχατά σου, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεις.

1 Do no evil, so shall no harm come unto thee.

2 Depart from the unjust, and iniquity shall turn away from thee.

3 My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.

4 Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the seat of honour.

5 Justify not thyself before the Lord; and boast not of thy wisdom before the king.

6 Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, and lay a stumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness.

7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people.

8 Bind not one sin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

9 Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it.

10 Be not fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms.

11 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth.

12 Devise not a lie against thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend.

13 Use not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

14 Use not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayest.

15 Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the most High hath ordained.

16 Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember that wrath will not tarry long.

17 Humble thy soul greatly: for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms.

18 Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Suphir.

19 Forego not a wise and good woman: for her grace is above gold.

20 Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil, nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee.

21 Let thy soul love a good servant, and defraud him not of liberty.

22 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.

23 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth.

24 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thyself cheerful toward them.

25 Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding.

26 Hast thou a wife after thy mind? forsake her not.

27 Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother.

28 Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee?

29 Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence his priests.

30 Love him that made thee with all thy strength, and forsake not his ministers.

31 Fear the Lord, and honour the priest: and give him his portion, as it is commanded thee: the firstfruits, and the trespass offering, and the gift of the shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things.

32 And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected.

33 A gift hath grace in the sight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not.

34 Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn.

35 Be not slow to visit the sick: for that shall make thee to be beloved.

36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.