top Wisdom of Sirach ch 38

Chapter 38

1 Τίμα ἰατρὸν πρὸς τὰς χρείας αὐτοῦ τιμαῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔκτισεν κύριος· 1 Honour a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him.
2 παρὰ γὰρ ὑψίστου ἐστὶν ἴασις, καὶ παρὰ βασιλέως λήμψεται δόμα. 2 For of the most High cometh healing, and he shall receive honour of the king.
3 ἐπιστήμη ἰατροῦ ἀνυψώσει κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔναντι μεγιστάνων θαυμασθήσεται. 3 The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration.
4 κύριος ἔκτισεν ἐκ γῆς φάρμακα, καὶ ἀνὴρ φρόνιμος οὐ προσοχθιεῖ αὐτοῖς. 4 The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.
5 οὐκ ἀπὸ ξύλου ἐγλυκάνθη ὕδωρ εἰς τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ; 5 Was not the water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known?
6 καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιστήμην ἐνδοξάζεσθαι ἐν τοῖς θαυμασίοις αὐτοῦ· 6 And he hath given men skill, that he might be honoured in his marvellous works.
7 ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐθεράπευσεν καὶ ἦρεν τὸν πόνον αὐτοῦ, μυρεψὸς ἐν τούτοις ποιήσει μεῖγμα, 7 With such doth he heal men, and taketh away their pains.
8 καὶ οὐ μὴ συντελεσθῇ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰρήνη παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς. 8 Of such doth the apothecary make a confection; and of his works there is no end; and from him is peace over all the earth,
9 τέκνον, ἐν ἀρρωστήματί σου μὴ παράβλεπε, ἀλλ' εὖξαι κυρίῳ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἰάσεταί σε· 9 My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole.
10 ἀπόστησον πλημμέλειαν καὶ εὔθυνον χεῖρας καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας καθάρισον καρδίαν· 10 Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness.
11 δὸς εὐωδίαν καὶ μνημόσυνον σεμιδάλεως καὶ λίπανον προσφορὰν ὡς μὴ ὑπάρχων. 11 Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make a fat offering, as not being.
12 καὶ ἰατρῷ δὸς τόπον, καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔκτισεν κύριος, καὶ μὴ ἀποστήτω σου, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ χρεία. 12 Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him.
13 ἔστιν καιρὸς ὅτε καὶ ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν εὐοδία· 13 There is a time when in their hands there is good success.
14 καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ κυρίου δεηθήσονται, ἵνα εὐοδώσῃ αὐτοῖς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ ἴασιν χάριν ἐμβιώσεως. 14 For they shall also pray unto the Lord, that he would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life.
15 ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἔναντι τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν ἐμπέσοι εἰς χεῖρας ἰατροῦ. 15 He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician.
16 τέκνον, ἐπὶ νεκρῷ κατάγαγε δάκρυα καὶ ὡς δεινὰ πάσχων ἔναρξαι θρήνου, κατὰ δὲ τὴν κρίσιν αὐτοῦ περίστειλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν ταφὴν αὐτοῦ. 16 My son, let tears fall down over the dead, and begin to lament, as if thou hadst suffered great harm thyself; and then cover his body according to the custom, and neglect not his burial.
17 πίκρανον κλαυθμὸν καὶ θέρμανον κοπετὸν καὶ ποίησον τὸ πένθος κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ ἡμέραν μίαν καὶ δύο χάριν διαβολῆς καὶ παρακλήθητι λύπης ἕνεκα· 17 Weep bitterly, and make great moan, and use lamentation, as he is worthy, and that a day or two, lest thou be evil spoken of: and then comfort thyself for thy heaviness.
18 ἀπὸ λύπης γὰρ ἐκβαίνει θάνατος, καὶ λύπη καρδίας κάμψει ἰσχύν. 18 For of heaviness cometh death, and the heaviness of the heart breaketh strength.
19 ἐν ἐπαγωγῇ παραμένει καὶ λύπη, καὶ βίος πτωχοῦ κατὰ καρδίας. 19 In affliction also sorrow remaineth: and the life of the poor is the curse of the heart.
20 μὴ δῷς εἰς λύπην τὴν καρδίαν σου, ἀπόστησον αὐτὴν μνησθεὶς τὰ ἔσχατα· 20 Take no heaviness to heart: drive it away, and member the last end.
21 μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐπάνοδος, καὶ τοῦτον οὐκ ὠφελήσεις καὶ σεαυτὸν κακώσεις. 21 Forget it not, for there is no turning again: thou shalt not do him good, but hurt thyself.
22 μνήσθητι τὸ κρίμα μου, ὅτι οὕτως καὶ τὸ σόν· ἐμοὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ σοὶ σήμερον. 22 Remember my judgment: for thine also shall be so; yesterday for me, and to day for thee.
23 ἐν ἀναπαύσει νεκροῦ κατάπαυσον τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτοῦ καὶ παρακλήθητι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐν ἐξόδῳ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. 23 When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest; and be comforted for him, when his Spirit is departed from him.
24 σοφία γραμματέως ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ σχολῆς, καὶ ὁ ἐλασσούμενος πράξει αὐτοῦ σοφισθήσεται. 24 The wisdom of a learned man cometh by opportunity of leisure: and he that hath little business shall become wise.
25 τί σοφισθήσεται ὁ κρατῶν ἀρότρου καὶ καυχώμενος ἐν δόρατι κέντρου, βόας ἐλαύνων καὶ ἀναστρεφόμενος ἐν ἔργοις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ διήγησις αὐτοῦ ἐν υἱοῖς ταύρων; 25 How can he get wisdom that holdeth the plough, and that glorieth in the goad, that driveth oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose talk is of bullocks?
26 καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐκδοῦναι αὔλακας, καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ εἰς χορτάσματα δαμάλεων. 26 He giveth his mind to make furrows; and is diligent to give the kine fodder.
27 οὕτως πᾶς τέκτων καὶ ἀρχιτέκτων, ὅστις νύκτωρ ὡς ἡμέρας διάγει· οἱ γλύφοντες γλύμματα σφραγίδων, καὶ ἡ ἐπιμονὴ αὐτοῦ ἀλλοιῶσαι ποικιλίαν· καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει εἰς ὁμοιῶσαι ζωγραφίαν, καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ τελέσαι ἔργον. 27 So every carpenter and workmaster, that laboureth night and day: and they that cut and grave seals, and are diligent to make great variety, and give themselves to counterfeit imagery, and watch to finish a work:
28 οὕτως χαλκεὺς καθήμενος ἐγγὺς ἄκμονος καὶ καταμανθάνων ἔργα σιδήρου· ἀτμὶς πυρὸς τήξει σάρκας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν θέρμῃ καμίνου διαμαχήσεται· φωνῇ σφύρης κλινεῖ τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατέναντι ὁμοιώματος σκεύους οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ· καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει εἰς συντέλειαν ἔργων, καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ κοσμῆσαι ἐπὶ συντελείας. 28 The smith also sitting by the anvil, and considering the iron work, the vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace: the noise of the hammer and the anvil is ever in his ears, and his eyes look still upon the pattern of the thing that he maketh; he setteth his mind to finish his work, and watcheth to polish it perfectly:
29 οὕτως κεραμεὺς καθήμενος ἐν ἔργῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ συστρέφων ἐν ποσὶν αὐτοῦ τροχόν, ὃς ἐν μερίμνῃ κεῖται διὰ παντὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐναρίθμιος πᾶσα ἡ ἐργασία αὐτοῦ· 29 So doth the potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is alway carefully set at his work, and maketh all his work by number;
30 ἐν βραχίονι αὐτοῦ τυπώσει πηλὸν καὶ πρὸ ποδῶν κάμψει ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ· καρδίαν ἐπιδώσει συντελέσαι τὸ χρῖσμα, καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ καθαρίσαι κάμινον. 30 He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and boweth down his strength before his feet; he applieth himself to lead it over; and he is diligent to make clean the furnace:
31 πάντες οὗτοι εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐνεπίστευσαν, καὶ ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ αὐτοῦ σοφίζεται· 31 All these trust to their hands: and every one is wise in his work.
32 ἄνευ αὐτῶν οὐκ οἰκισθήσεται πόλις, καὶ οὐ παροικήσουσιν οὐδὲ περιπατήσουσιν. 32 Without these cannot a city be inhabited: and they shall not dwell where they will, nor go up and down:
33 ἀλλ' εἰς βουλὴν λαοῦ οὐ ζητηθήσονται καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ οὐχ ὑπεραλοῦνται· ἐπὶ δίφρον δικαστοῦ οὐ καθιοῦνται καὶ διαθήκην κρίματος οὐ διανοηθήσονται. 33 They shall not be sought for in public counsel, nor sit high in the congregation: they shall not sit on the judges' seat, nor understand the sentence of judgment: they cannot declare justice and judgment; and they shall not be found where parables are spoken.
34 οὐδὲ μὴ ἐκφάνωσιν παιδείαν καὶ κρίμα καὶ ἐν παραβολαῖς οὐχ εὑρεθήσονται, ἀλλὰ κτίσμα αἰῶνος στηρίσουσιν, καὶ ἡ δέησις αὐτῶν ἐν ἐργασίᾳ τέχνης. 34 But they will maintain the state of the world, and all their desire is in the work of their craft.