HOLY BIBLE: Sirach 39 (original) (raw)

1 σοφίαν πάντων ἀρχαίων ἐκζητήσει καὶ ἐν προφητείαις ἀσχοληθήσεται 2 διήγησιν ἀνδρῶν ὀνομαστῶν συντηρήσει καὶ ἐν στροφαῖς παραβολῶν συνεισελεύσεται 3 ἀπόκρυφα παροιμιῶν ἐκζητήσει καὶ ἐν αἰνίγμασι παραβολῶν ἀναστραφήσεται 4 ἀνὰ μέσον μεγιστάνων ὑπηρετήσει καὶ ἔναντι ἡγουμένων ὀφθήσεται 5 ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίων ἐθνῶν διελεύσεται ἀγαθὰ γὰρ καὶ κακὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐπείρασεν 6 τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπιδώσει ὀρθρίσαι πρὸς κύριον τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὸν καὶ ἔναντι ὑψίστου δεηθήσεται 7 καὶ ἀνοίξει στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ δεηθήσεται 8 ἐὰν κύριος ὁ μέγας θελήσῃ πνεύματι συνέσεως ἐμπλησθήσεται 9 αὐτὸς ἀνομβρήσει ῥήματα σοφίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προσευχῇ ἐξομολογήσεται κυρίῳ 10 αὐτὸς κατευθυνεῖ βουλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμην καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀποκρύφοις αὐτοῦ διανοηθήσεται 11 αὐτὸς ἐκφανεῖ παιδείαν διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν νόμῳ διαθήκης κυρίου καυχήσεται 12 αἰνέσουσιν τὴν σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ πολλοί καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται 13 οὐκ ἀποστήσεται τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ζήσεται εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν 14 τὴν σοφίαν αὐτοῦ διηγήσονται ἔθνη καὶ τὸν ἔπαινον αὐτοῦ ἐξαγγελεῖ ἐκκλησία 15 ἐὰν ἐμμείνῃ ὄνομα καταλείψει ἢ χίλιοι καὶ ἐὰν ἀναπαύσηται ἐκποιεῖ αὐτῷ

1 But the wise man will be learning the lore of former times; the prophets will be his study. 2 The tradition handed down by famous men will be in his keeping; his to con the niceties of every parable, 3 learn the hidden meaning of every proverb, make himself acquainted with sayings hard to understand. 4 To great men he will render good service, will be summoned to the prince’s own council; 5 will go upon his travels in foreign countries, to learn by experience what the world offers of good and of harm. 6 With dedicated heart, he will keep early vigil at the Lord’s gates, the Lord that made him, to win audience for his plea from the most High. 7 His lips will be eloquent in prayer, as he entreats pardon for his sins. 8 At the Lord’s sovereign pleasure, he will be filled with a spirit of discernment, 9 so that he pours out showers of wise utterance, giving thanks to the Lord in his prayer. 10 His plans and thoughts guided from above, he will have skill in the divine mysteries; 11 will make known to all the tradition of teaching he has received, and take pride in that law which is the Lord’s covenant with man. 12 This wisdom of his, extolled on every side, will never fall into oblivion; 13 the memory of him, the renown of him, will be held in honour from age to age. 14 His wise words will become a legend among the nations; where faithful men assemble, his praise will be told. 15 A life that shall leave such fame as one man wins in a thousand; a death not unrewarded.

1

Sapientiam omnium antiquorum exquiret sapiens,
et in prophetis vacabit.

2
Narrationem virorum nominatorum conservabit,
et in versutias parabolarum simul introibit. 3
Occulta proverbiorum exquiret,
et in absconditis parabolarum conversabitur. 4
In medio magnatorum ministrabit,
et in conspectu præsidis apparebit. 5
In terram alienigenarum gentium pertransiet:
bona enim et mala in hominibus tentabit. 6
Cor suum tradet ad vigilandum diluculo ad Dominum, qui fecit illum,
et in conspectu Altissimi deprecabitur. 7
Aperiet os suum in oratione,
et pro delictis suis deprecabitur. 8
Si enim Dominus magnus voluerit,
spiritu intelligentiæ replebit illum: 9
et ipse tamquam imbres mittet eloquia sapientiæ suæ,
et in oratione confitebitur Domino: 10
et ipse diriget consilium ejus, et disciplinam,
et in absconditis suis consiliabitur. 11
Ipse palam faciet disciplinam doctrinæ suæ,
et in lege testamenti Domini gloriabitur. 12
Collaudabunt multi sapientiam ejus,
et usque in sæculum non delebitur. 13
Non recedet memoria ejus,
et nomen ejus requiretur a generatione in generationem. 14
Sapientiam ejus enarrabunt gentes,
et laudem ejus enuntiabit ecclesia. 15
Si permanserit, nomen derelinquet plus quam mille:
et si requieverit, proderit illi.

30 ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἔκτισται ἀ{P'} ἀρχῆς οὕτως τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς κακά 31 ἀρχὴ πάσης χρείας εἰς ζωὴν ἀνθρώπου ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ καὶ σίδηρος καὶ ἅλας καὶ σεμίδαλις πυροῦ καὶ γάλα καὶ μέλι αἷμα σταφυλῆς καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ ἱμάτιον 32 ταῦτα πάντα τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν εἰς ἀγαθά οὕτως τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς τραπήσεται εἰς κακά 33 ἔστιν πνεύματα ἃ εἰς ἐκδίκησιν ἔκτισται καὶ ἐν θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ἐστερέωσεν μάστιγας αὐτῶν 34 ἐν καιρῷ συντελείας ἰσχὺν ἐκχεοῦσιν καὶ τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτοὺς κοπάσουσιν 35 πῦρ καὶ χάλαζα καὶ λιμὸς καὶ θάνατος πάντα ταῦτα εἰς ἐκδίκησιν ἔκτισται 36 θηρίων ὀδόντες καὶ σκορπίοι καὶ ἔχεις καὶ ῥομφαία ἐκδικοῦσα εἰς ὄλεθρον ἀσεβεῖς 37 ἐν τῇ ἐντολῇ αὐτοῦ εὐφρανθήσονται καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς χρείας ἑτοιμασθήσονται καὶ ἐν καιροῖς αὐτῶν οὐ παραβήσονται λόγον

30 From the first, good things were made for good men to enjoy; for sinners, they are good and evil at once. 31 What are the first needs of man’s life? Water, fire, iron, salt, milk, wheat-meal, honey, the grape-cluster, oil and clothing. 32 Thereby, for just men, nought but good is intended, yet for sinners they turn to evil. 33 Some powers[4] there be that are created for wreaking of vengeance, and sternly they wield the lash in their raging; 34 when the time for reckoning comes, they will put out all their force, until their Maker’s anger is appeased. 35 Fire, hail, hunger and death, all these were made for wreaking of vengeance; 36 ravening beasts, too, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword that punishes the wicked till there are none left. 37 All these hold high revel as they perform his will; ready they stand till earth has need of them, and when the need comes, they will obey.

30
Bona bonis creata sunt ab initio:
sic nequissimis bona et mala. 31
Initium necessariæ rei vitæ hominum, aqua, ignis, et ferrum,
sal, lac, et panis similagineus, et mel,
et botrus uvæ, et oleum, et vestimentum. 32
Hæc omnia sanctis in bona,
sic et impiis et peccatoribus in mala convertentur. 33
Sunt spiritus qui ad vindictam creati sunt,
et in furore suo confirmaverunt tormenta sua. 34
In tempore consummationis effundent virtutem,
et furorem ejus qui fecit illos placabunt. 35
Ignis, grando, fames, et mors,
omnia hæc ad vindictam creata sunt: 36
bestiarum dentes, et scorpii, et serpentes,
et rhomphæa vindicans in exterminium impios. 37
In mandatis ejus epulabuntur:
et super terram in necessitatem præparabuntur,
et in temporibus suis non præterient verbum.

[1] It is not clear how many of the remaining verses in this chapter the hymn of praise includes.

[2] Cf. Ps. 32.7 (33.7 in the Hebrew text).

[3] In the original, simply ‘their passage’; but it seems clear that the Latin intends an allusion to the crossing of the Red Sea. The other versions would rather suggest a reference to the destruction of Sodom.

[4] Literally, ‘some spirits’. It may be that diabolical agencies are referred to; but the word ‘spirits’ may mean simply ‘winds’; or (perhaps with greater probability) it may be taken as describing the forces of nature which are to be mentioned in verse 35.

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