top Wisdom of Sirach ch 23

Chapter 23

1 Κύριε πάτερ καὶ δέσποτα ζωῆς μου, μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με ἐν βουλῇ αὐτῶν, μὴ ἀφῇς με πεσεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς. 1 O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels, and let me not fall by them.
2 τίς ἐπιστήσει ἐπὶ τοῦ διανοήματός μου μάστιγας καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας μου παιδείαν σοφίας, ἵνα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγνοήμασίν μου μὴ φείσωνται καὶ οὐ μὴ παρῇ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν, 2 Who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over mine heart? that they spare me not for mine ignorances, and it pass not by my sins:
3 ὅπως μὴ πληθυνθῶσιν αἱ ἄγνοιαί μου καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου πλεονάσωσιν καὶ πεσοῦμαι ἔναντι τῶν ὑπεναντίων καὶ ἐπιχαρεῖταί μοι ὁ ἐχθρός μου; 3 Lest mine ignorances increase, and my sins abound to my destruction, and I fall before mine adversaries, and mine enemy rejoice over me, whose hope is far from thy mercy.
4 κύριε πάτερ καὶ θεὲ ζωῆς μου, μετεωρισμὸν ὀφθαλμῶν μὴ δῷς μοι 4 O Lord, Father and God of my life, give me not a proud look, but turn away from thy servants always a haughty mind.
5 καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ἀπόστρεψον ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· 5 Turn away from me vain hopes and concupiscence, and thou shalt hold him up that is desirous always to serve thee.
6 κοιλίας ὄρεξις καὶ συνουσιασμὸς μὴ καταλαβέτωσάν με, καὶ ψυχῇ ἀναιδεῖ μὴ παραδῷς με. 6 Let not the greediness of the belly nor lust of the flesh take hold of me; and give not over me thy servant into an impudent mind.
7 παιδείαν στόματος ἀκούσατε, τέκνα, καὶ ὁ φυλάσσων οὐ μὴ ἁλῷ. 7 Hear, O ye children, the discipline of the mouth: he that keepeth it shall never be taken in his lips.
8 ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ καταληφθήσεται ἁμαρτωλός, καὶ λοίδορος καὶ ὑπερήφανος σκανδαλισθήσονται ἐν αὐτοῖς. 8 The sinner shall be left in his foolishness: both the evil speaker and the proud shall fall thereby.
9 ὅρκῳ μὴ ἐθίσῃς τὸ στόμα σου καὶ ὀνομασίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου μὴ συνεθισθῇς· 9 Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One.
10 ὥσπερ γὰρ οἰκέτης ἐξεταζόμενος ἐνδελεχῶς ἀπὸ μώλωπος οὐκ ἐλαττωθήσεται, οὕτως καὶ ὁ ὀμνύων καὶ ὀνομάζων διὰ παντὸς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας οὐ μὴ καθαρισθῇ. 10 For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark: so he that sweareth and nameth God continually shall not be faultless.
11 ἀνὴρ πολύορκος πλησθήσεται ἀνομίας, καὶ οὐκ ἀποστήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ μάστιξ· ἐὰν πλημμελήσῃ, ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, κἂν ὑπερίδῃ, ἥμαρτεν δισσῶς· καὶ εἰ διὰ κενῆς ὤμοσεν, οὐ δικαιωθήσεται, πλησθήσεται γὰρ ἐπαγωγῶν ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ. 11 A man that useth much swearing shall be filled with iniquity, and the plague shall never depart from his house: if he shall offend, his sin shall be upon him: and if he acknowledge not his sin, he maketh a double offence: and if he swear in vain, he shall not be innocent, but his house shall be full of calamities.
12 ἔστιν λέξις ἀντιπαραβεβλημένη θανάτῳ μὴ εὑρεθήτω ἐν κληρονομίᾳ Ἰακώβ· ἀπὸ γὰρ εὐσεβῶν ταῦτα πάντα ἀποστήσεται, καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις οὐκ ἐγκυλισθήσονται. 12 There is a word that is clothed about with death: God grant that it be not found in the heritage of Jacob; for all such things shall be far from the godly, and they shall not wallow in their sins.
13 ἀπαιδευσίαν ἀσυρῆ μὴ συνεθίσῃς τὸ στόμα σου· ἔστιν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ λόγος ἁμαρτίας. 13 Use not thy mouth to intemperate swearing, for therein is the word of sin.
14 μνήσθητι πατρὸς καὶ μητρός σου, ἀνὰ μέσον γὰρ μεγιστάνων συνεδρεύεις, μήποτε ἐπιλάθῃ ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν καὶ τῷ ἐθισμῷ σου μωρανθῇς καὶ θελήσεις εἰ μὴ ἐγεννήθης καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ τοκετοῦ σου καταράσῃ. 14 Remember thy father and thy mother, when thou sittest among great men. Be not forgetful before them, and so thou by thy custom become a fool, and wish that thou hadst not been born, and curse they day of thy nativity.
15 ἄνθρωπος συνεθιζόμενος λόγοις ὀνειδισμοῦ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ παιδευθῇ. 15 The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words will never be reformed all the days of his life.
16 δύο εἴδη πληθύνουσιν ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐπάξει ὀργήν· 16 Two sorts of men multiply sin, and the third will bring wrath: a hot mind is as a burning fire, it will never be quenched till it be consumed: a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease till he hath kindled a fire.
17 ψυχὴ θερμὴ ὡς πῦρ καιόμενον, οὐ μὴ σβεσθῇ ἕως ἄν καταποθῇ· ἄνθρωπος πόρνος ἐν σώματι σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐ μὴ παύσηται ἕως ἄν ἐκκαύσῃ πῦρ· ἀνθρώπῳ πόρνῳ πᾶς ἄρτος ἡδύς, οὐ μὴ κοπάσῃ ἕως ἄν τελευτήσῃ. 17 All bread is sweet to a whoremonger, he will not leave off till he die.
18 ἄνθρωπος παραβαίνων ἀπὸ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ λέγων ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ τίς με ὁρᾷ; σκότος κύκλῳ μου, καὶ οἱ τοῖχοί με καλύπτουσιν, καὶ οὐθείς με ὁρᾷ· τί εὐλαβοῦμαι; τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου οὐ μὴ μνησθήσεται ὁ ὕψιστος. 18 A man that breaketh wedlock, saying thus in his heart, Who seeth me? I am compassed about with darkness, the walls cover me, and no body seeth me; what need I to fear? the most High will not remember my sins:
19 καὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἀνθρώπων ὁ φόβος αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου μυριοπλασίως ἡλίου φωτεινότεροι ἐπιβλέποντες πάσας ὁδοὺς ἀνθρώπων καὶ κατανοοῦντες εἰς ἀπόκρυφα μέρη. 19 Such a man only feareth the eyes of men, and knoweth not that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts.
20 πρὶν ἢ κτισθῆναι τὰ πάντα ἔγνωσται αὐτῷ, οὕτως καὶ μετὰ τὸ συντελεσθῆναι. 20 He knew all things ere ever they were created; so also after they were perfected he looked upon them all.
21 οὗτος ἐν πλατείαις πόλεως ἐκδικηθήσεται, καὶ οὗ οὐχ ὑπενόησεν, πιασθήσεται. 21 This man shall be punished in the streets of the city, and where he suspecteth not he shall be taken.
22 οὕτως καὶ γυνὴ καταλιποῦσα τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ παριστῶσα κληρονόμον ἐξ ἀλλοτρίου. 22 Thus shall it go also with the wife that leaveth her husband, and bringeth in an heir by another.
23 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐν νόμῳ ὑψίστου ἠπείθησεν, καὶ δεύτερον εἰς ἄνδρα αὐτῆς ἐπλημμέλησεν, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐν πορνείᾳ ἐμοιχεύθη καὶ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίου ἀνδρὸς τέκνα παρέστησεν. 23 For first, she hath disobeyed the law of the most High; and secondly, she hath trespassed against her own husband; and thirdly, she hath played the whore in adultery, and brought children by another man.
24 αὕτη εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐξαχθήσεται, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται. 24 She shall be brought out into the congregation, and inquisition shall be made of her children.
25 οὐ διαδώσουσιν τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς εἰς ῥίζαν, καὶ οἱ κλάδοι αὐτῆς οὐκ οἴσουσιν καρπόν. 25 Her children shall not take root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit.
26 καταλείψει εἰς κατάραν τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ ὄνειδος αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται, 26 She shall leave her memory to be cursed, and her reproach shall not be blotted out.
27 καὶ ἐπιγνώσονται οἱ καταλειφθέντες ὅτι οὐθὲν κρεῖττον φόβου κυρίου καὶ οὐθὲν γλυκύτερον τοῦ προσέχειν ἐντολαῖς κυρίου. 27 And they that remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed unto the commandments of the Lord.