HOLY BIBLE: Sirach 13 (original) (raw)

1 ὁ ἁπτόμενος πίσσης μολυνθήσεται καὶ ὁ κοινωνῶν ὑπερηφάνῳ ὁμοιωθήσεται αὐτῷ 2 βάρος ὑπὲρ σὲ μὴ ἄρῃς καὶ ἰσχυροτέρῳ σου καὶ πλουσιωτέρῳ μὴ κοινώνει 3 τί κοινωνήσει χύτρα πρὸς λέβητα αὕτη προσκρούσει καὶ αὕτη συντριβήσεται 4 πλούσιος ἠδίκησεν καὶ αὐτὸς προσενεβριμήσατο πτωχὸς ἠδίκηται καὶ αὐτὸς προσδεηθήσεται 5 ἐὰν χρησιμεύσῃς ἐργᾶται ἐν σοί καὶ ἐὰν ὑστερήσῃς καταλείψει σε 6 ἐὰν ἔχῃς συμβιώσεταί σοι καὶ ἀποκενώσει σε καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ πονέσει 7 χρείαν ἔσχηκέν σου καὶ ἀποπλανήσει σε καὶ προσγελάσεταί σοι καὶ δώσει σοι ἐλπίδα λαλήσει σοι καλὰ καὶ ἐρεῖ τίς ἡ χρεία σου 8 καὶ αἰσχυνεῖ σε ἐν τοῖς βρώμασιν αὐτοῦ ἕως οὗ ἀποκενώσῃ σε δὶς ἢ τρίς καὶ ἐ{P'} ἐσχάτων καταμωκήσεταί σου μετὰ ταῦτα ὄψεταί σε καὶ καταλείψει σε καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ κινήσει ἐπὶ σοί

1 Who handles pitch, with pitch is defiled; who throws in his lot with insolence, of insolence shall have his fill. 2 A heavy burden thou art shouldering, if thou wouldst consort with thy betters; not for thee the company of the rich. 3 Pot and kettle are ill matched; it is the pot breaks when they come together; 4 rich man, that has seized all he can, frets and fumes for more; poor man robbed may not so much as speak. 5 If thou hast favours to bestow, thy rich friend will make use of thee; if none, he bids thee farewell; 6 thy guest, he will eat up all thou canst give, and have no pity to waste on thee. 7 Has he need of thee? Then, to be sure, he will ply his arts, all smiles and fair speeches, and eagerness to know what thy need is; 8 he encumbers thee, now, with hospitality. So, twice and three times, he will drain thee dry; then he will turn on thee with a laugh, and if he meets thee again, it will be to pass thee by with a toss of the head.

1

Qui tetigerit picem inquinabitur ab ea:
et qui communicaverit superbo induet superbiam.

2
Pondus super se tollat qui honestiori se communicat,
et ditiori te ne socius fueris. 3
Quid communicabit cacabus ad ollam?
quando enim se colliserint, confringetur. 4
Dives injuste egit, et fremet:
pauper autem læsus tacebit. 5
Si largitus fueris, assumet te:
et si non habueris, derelinquet te. 6
Si habes, convivet tecum, et evacuabit te:
et ipse non dolebit super te. 7
Si necessarius illi fueris, supplantabit te,
et subridens spem dabit, narrans tibi bona,
et dicet: Quid opus est tibi? 8
Et confundet te in cibis suis,
donec te exinaniat bis et ter:
et in novissimo deridebit te,
et postea videns derelinquet te,
et caput suum movebit ad te.

[1] Or perhaps ‘holy person’. The Greek text has, ‘hyena’.

[2] Literally, ‘in the mouth of a sinner’. This would naturally be interpreted as meaning ‘in the estimation of a sinner’, but such a rendering would give no parallel of thought between the two halves of the verse.

[3] Or possibly the sense is that it is difficult to find instances of the pleasant mien that results from a generous heart, because they are so rare. If so, the first two verses of ch. 14 should be taken as part of this chapter.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd