Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 42

1Of these things be not thou ashamed, and accept no person to sin thereby:

μὴ περὶ τούτων αἰσχυνθῇς καὶ μὴ λάβῃς πρόσωπον τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν

2Of the law of the most High, and his covenant; and of judgment to justify the ungodly;

περὶ νόμου ὑψίστου καὶ διαθήκης καὶ περὶ κρίματος δικαιῶσαι τὸν ἀσεβῆ

3Of reckoning with thy partners and travellers; or of the gift of the heritage of friends;

περὶ λόγου κοινωνοῦ καὶ ὁδοιπόρων καὶ περὶ δόσεως κληρονομίας ἑταίρων

4Of exactness of balance and weights; or of getting much or little;

περὶ ἀκριβείας ζυγοῦ καὶ σταθμίων καὶ περὶ κτήσεως πολλῶν καὶ ὀλίγων

5And of merchants’ indifferent selling; of much correction of children; and to make the side of an evil servant to bleed.

περὶ διαφόρου πράσεως ἐμπόρων καὶ περὶ παιδείας τέκνων πολλῆς καὶ οἰκέτῃ πονηρῷ πλευρὰν αἱμάξαι

6Sure keeping is good, where an evil wife is; and shut up, where many hands are.

ἐπὶ γυναικὶ πονηρᾷ καλὸν σφραγίς καὶ ὅπου χεῖρες πολλαί κλεῖσον

7Deliver all things in number and weight; and put all in writing that thou givest out, or receivest in.

ὃ ἐὰν παραδιδῷς ἐν ἀριθμῷ καὶ σταθμῷ καὶ δόσις καὶ λῆμψις πάντα ἐν γραφῇ

8Be not ashamed to inform the unwise and foolish, and the extreme aged that contendeth with those that are young: thus shalt thou be truly learned, and approved of all men living.

περὶ παιδείας ἀνοήτου καὶ μωροῦ καὶ ἐσχατογήρως κρινομένου πρὸς νέους καὶ ἔσῃ πεπαιδευμένος ἀληθινῶς καὶ δεδοκιμασμένος ἔναντι παντὸς ζῶντος

9The father waketh for the daughter, when no man knoweth; and the care for her taketh away sleep: when she is young, lest she pass away the flower of her age; and being married, lest she should be hated:

θυγάτηρ πατρὶ ἀπόκρυφος ἀγρυπνία καὶ ἡ μέριμνα αὐτῆς ἀφιστᾷ ὕπνον ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς μήποτε παρακμάσῃ καὶ συνῳκηκυῖα μήποτε μισηθῇ

10In her virginity, lest she should be defiled and gotten with child in her father’s house; and having an husband, lest she should misbehave herself; and when she is married, lest she should be barren.

ἐν παρθενίᾳ μήποτε βεβηλωθῇ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πατρικοῖς αὐτῆς ἔγκυος γένηται μετὰ ἀνδρὸς οὖσα μήποτε παραβῇ καὶ συνῳκηκυῖα μήποτε στειρωθῇ

11Keep a sure watch over a shameless daughter, lest she make thee a laughingstock to thine enemies, and a byword in the city, and a reproach among the people, and make thee ashamed before the multitude.

ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ ἀδιατρέπτῳ στερέωσον φυλακήν μήποτε ποιήσῃ σε ἐπίχαρμα ἐχθροῖς λαλιὰν ἐν πόλει καὶ ἔκκλητον λαοῦ καὶ καταισχύνῃ σε ἐν πλήθει πολλῶν

12Behold not every body’s beauty, and sit not in the midst of women.

παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ μὴ ἔμβλεπε ἐν κάλλει καὶ ἐν μέσῳ γυναικῶν μὴ συνέδρευε

13For from garments cometh a moth, and from women wickedness.

ἀπὸ γὰρ ἱματίων ἐκπορεύεται σὴς καὶ ἀπὸ γυναικὸς πονηρία γυναικός

14Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous woman, a woman, I say, which bringeth shame and reproach.

κρείσσων πονηρία ἀνδρὸς ἢ ἀγαθοποιὸς γυνή καὶ γυνὴ καταισχύνουσα εἰς ὀνειδισμόν

15I will now remember the works of the Lord, and declare the things that I have seen: In the words of the Lord are his works.

μνησθήσομαι δὴ τὰ ἔργα κυρίου καὶ ἃ ἑόρακα ἐκδιηγήσομαι ἐν λόγοις κυρίου τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ

16The sun that giveth light looketh upon all things, and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord.

ἥλιος φωτίζων κατὰ πᾶν ἐπέβλεψεν καὶ τῆς δόξης κυρίου πλῆρες τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ

17The Lord hath not given power to the saints to declare all his marvellous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, that whatsoever is might be established for his glory.

οὐκ ἐξεποίησεν τοῖς ἁγίοις κυρίου ἐκδιηγήσασθαι πάντα τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ ἃ ἐστερέωσεν κύριος ὁ παντοκράτωρ στηριχθῆναι ἐν δόξῃ αὐτοῦ τὸ πᾶν

18He seeketh out the deep, and the heart, and considereth their crafty devices: for the Lord knoweth all that may be known, and he beholdeth the signs of the world.

ἄβυσσον καὶ καρδίαν ἐξίχνευσεν καὶ ἐν πανουργεύμασιν αὐτῶν διενοήθη ἔγνω γὰρ ὁ ὕψιστος πᾶσαν εἴδησιν καὶ ἐνέβλεψεν εἰς σημεῖον αἰῶνος

19He declareth the things that are past, and for to come, and revealeth the steps of hidden things.

ἀπαγγέλλων τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα καὶ ἀποκαλύπτων ἴχνη ἀποκρύφων

20No thought escapeth him, neither any word is hidden from him.

οὐ παρῆλθεν αὐτὸν πᾶν διανόημα οὐκ ἐκρύβη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ εἷς λόγος

21He hath garnished the excellent works of his wisdom, and he is from everlasting to everlasting: unto him may nothing be added, neither can he be diminished, and he hath no need of any counsellor.

τὰ μεγαλεῖα τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἐκόσμησεν ὡς ἔστιν πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὔτε προσετέθη οὔτε ἠλαττώθη καὶ οὐ προσεδεήθη οὐδενὸς συμβούλου

22Oh how desirable are all his works! and that a man may see even to a spark.

ὡς πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐπιθυμητὰ καὶ ὡς σπινθῆρός ἐστιν θεωρῆσαι

23All these things live and remain for ever for all uses, and they are all obedient.

πάντα ταῦτα ζῇ καὶ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐν πάσαις χρείαις καὶ πάντα ὑπακούει

24All things are double one against another: and he hath made nothing imperfect.

πάντα δισσά ἓν κατέναντι τοῦ ἑνός καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲν ἐλλεῖπον

25One thing establisheth the good or another: and who shall be filled with beholding his glory?

ἓν τοῦ ἑνὸς ἐστερέωσεν τὰ ἀγαθά καὶ τίς πλησθήσεται ὁρῶν δόξαν αὐτοῦ