Sirak 17

¹Rab insanı yeryüzünden biçimlendirdi ve onu yine oraya geri döndürdü.

²Onlara sayılı günler ve belirli bir zaman verdi; yeryüzünün üzerindekiler üzerinde onlara yetki bağışladı.

³Onları kendi doğalarına uygun bir güçle kuşattı ve onları kendi suretine göre yarattı.

⁴O'nun korkusunu bütün canlıların üzerine koydu; yaban hayvanlarına ve kuşlara egemen olmalarını sağladı.

⁵Rab'bin beş etkinliğinin kullanımını aldılar; altıncı olarak onlara paylaştırarak zihni bağışladı ve yedinci olarak bu etkinliklerin açıklayıcısı olan sözü verdi.

⁶Onlara kavramaları için muhakeme yeteneği, dil, gözler, kulaklar ve bir yürek verdi.

⁷Onları kavrayış bilgisiyle doldurdu; iyiyi ve kötüyü onlara gösterdi.

⁸O'nun işlerinin büyüklüğünü kendilerine göstermek için gözünü onların yürekleri üzerine koydu.

⁹Ve O'nun kutsal adını övecekler,

¹⁰öyle ki O'nun işlerinin büyüklüğünü ayrıntısıyla aktarsınlar.

¹¹Onlara ek olarak bilgi verdi ve yaşam yasasını onlara miras olarak bıraktı.

¹²Onlarla ebedi bir antlaşma yaptı ve kendi hükümlerini onlara gösterdi.

¹³Gözleri O'nun görkeminin azametini gördü ve kulakları O'nun sesinin görkemini işitti.

¹⁴Ve onlara, "Her türlü haksızlıktan sakının" dedi; ve her birine komşusuyla ilgili buyruklar verdi.

¹⁵Onların yolları her zaman O'nun önündedir, O'nun gözlerinden gizlenemezler.

¹⁷Her ulusun başına bir yönetici atadı, ama İsrail Rab'bin kendi payıdır.

¹⁹Onların bütün yapıp ettikleri O'nun önünde güneş gibidir ve O'nun gözleri sürekli onların yolları üzerindedir.

²⁰Onların adaletsizlikleri O'ndan gizlenmedi ve bütün günahları Rab'bin önündedir.

²²Bir insanın merhameti O'nun yanında bir mühür gibidir ve insanın lütfunu göz bebeği gibi korur.

²³Bundan sonra O ayağa kalkıp onlara karşılığını verecek ve hak ettikleri cezayı kendi başlarına geri döndürecektir.

²⁴Ancak pişman olanlara geri dönüş yolu açtı ve dayanma gücü tükenmekte olanları teselli etti.

²⁵Rab'be dön ve günahları bırak; O'nun huzurunda dua et ve tökezleme nedenlerini azalt.

²⁶En Yüce Olan'a geri dön ve haksızlıktan yüz çevir; iğrenç olan her şeyden son derece nefret et.

²⁷Yaşayanların ve şükran sunanların yerine, ölüler diyarında En Yüce Olan'ı kim övebilir?

²⁸Sanki hiç var olmamış gibi ölüden şükran yükselmez; sadece yaşayan ve sağlığı yerinde olan kişi Rab'bi över.

²⁹Rab'bin merhameti ve O'na dönenlere sunduğu kefaret ne kadar büyüktür!

³⁰Çünkü insanlarda her şeyin bulunması mümkün değildir, zira insanoğlu ölümsüz değildir.

³¹Güneşten daha parlak ne var? Ama o bile tutulup kararır; et ve kan olan insan ise ancak kötülüğü düşler.

³²Göklerin yükseklerindeki güçleri O Kendisi denetler; oysa bütün insanlar yalnızca toprak ve küldür.

¹ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ἔκτισεν ἐκ γῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ πάλιν ἀπέστρεψεν αὐτὸν εἰς αὐτήν.

²ἡμέρας ἀριθμοῦ καὶ καιρὸν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς.

³καθ᾿ ἑαυτοὺς ἐνέδυσεν αὐτοὺς ἰσχὺν καὶ κατ᾿ εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς

⁴καὶ ἔθηκε τὸν φόβον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πάσης σαρκὸς καὶ κατακυριεύειν θηρίων καὶ πετεινῶν. [5 ἔλαβον χρῆσιν τῶν πέντε τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνεργημάτων, ἕκτον δὲ νοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐδωρήσατο μερίζων καὶ τὸν ἕβδομον λόγον ἑρμηνέα τῶν ἐνεργημάτων αὐτοῦ].

⁶διαβούλιον καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ὀφθαλμούς, ὦτα καὶ καρδίαν ἔδωκε διανοεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς.

⁷ἐπιστήμην συνέσεως ἐνέπλησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ ὑπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς.

⁸ἔθηκε τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν δεῖξαι αὐτοῖς τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ,

⁹καὶ ὄνομα ἁγιασμοῦ αἰνέσουσιν,

¹⁰ἵνα διηγῶνται τὰ μεγαλεῖα τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ.

¹¹προσέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήμην καὶ νόμον ζωῆς ἐκληροδότησεν αὐτοῖς.

¹²διαθήκην αἰῶνος ἔστησε μετ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ὑπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς.

¹³μεγαλεῖον δόξης εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ δόξαν φωνῆς αὐτῶν ἤκουσε τὸ οὖς αὐτῶν.

¹⁴καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· προσέχετε ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδίκου· καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ἑκάστῳ περὶ τοῦ πλησίον.

¹⁵αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτῶν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ διαπαντός, οὐ κρυβήσονται ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ.

¹⁷ἑκάστῳ ἔθνει κατέστησεν ἡγούμενον, καὶ μερὶς Κυρίου ᾿Ισραήλ ἐστιν.

¹⁹ἅπαντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐνδελεχεῖς ἐπὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν.

²⁰οὐκ ἐκρύβησαν αἱ ἀδικίαι αὐτῶν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν ἔναντι Κυρίου.

²²ἐλεημοσύνη ἀνδρὸς ὡς σφραγὶς μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ χάριν ἀνθρώπου ὡς κόρην συντηρήσει.

²³μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξαναστήσεται καὶ ἀνταποδώσει αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ ἀνταπόδομα αὐτῶν εἰς κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν ἀποδώσει·

²⁴πλὴν μετανοοῦσιν ἔδωκεν ἐπάνοδον καὶ παρεκάλεσεν ἐκλείποντας ὑπομονήν.

²⁵᾿Επίστρεφε ἐπὶ Κύριον καὶ ἀπόλειπε ἁμαρτίας, δεήθητι κατὰ πρόσωπον καὶ σμίκρυνον πρόσκομμα.

²⁶ἐπάναγε ἐπὶ ῞Υψιστον καὶ ἀπόστρεφε ἀπὸ ἀδικίας, καὶ σφόδρα μίσησον βδέλυγμα.

²⁷῾Υψίστῳ τίς αἰνέσει ἐν ᾅδου ἀντὶ ζώντων καὶ ζώντων καὶ διδόντων ἀνθομολόγησιν;

²⁸ἀπὸ νεκροῦ ὡς μηδὲ ὄντος ἀπόλλυται ἐξομολόγησις· ζῶν καὶ ὑγιὴς αἰνέσει τὸν Κύριον.

²⁹ὡς μεγάλη ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ ἐξιλασμὸς τοῖς ἐπιστρέφουσιν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν.

³⁰οὐ γὰρ δύναται πάντα εἶναι ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ὅτι οὐκ ἀθάνατος υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου.

³¹τί φωτεινότερον ἡλίου; καὶ τοῦτο ἐκλείπει· καὶ πονηρὸς ἐνθυμηθήσεται σάρκα καὶ αἷμα.

³²δύναμιν ὕψους οὐρανοῦ αὐτὸς ἐπισκέπτεται, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι πάντες γῆ καὶ σποδός.

¹The Lord created man of the earth, and turned him into it again.

²He gave them few days, and a short time, and power also over the things therein.

³He endued them with strength by themselves, and made them according to his image,

⁴And put the fear of man upon all flesh, and gave him dominion over beasts and fowls.

⁵They received the use of the five operations of the Lord, and in the sixth place he imparted them understanding, and in the seventh speech, an interpreter of the cogitations thereof.

⁶Counsel, and a tongue, and eyes, ears, and a heart, gave he them to understand.

⁷Withal he filled them with the knowledge of understanding, and shewed them good and evil.

⁸He set his eye upon their hearts, that he might shew them the greatness of his works.

⁹He gave them to glory in his marvellous acts for ever, that they might declare his works with understanding.

¹⁰And the elect shall praise his holy name.

¹¹Beside this he gave them knowledge, and the law of life for an heritage.

¹²He made an everlasting covenant with them, and shewed them his judgments.

¹³Their eyes saw the majesty of his glory, and their ears heard his glorious voice.

¹⁴And he said unto them, Beware of all unrighteousness; and he gave every man commandment concerning his neighbour.

¹⁵Their ways are ever before him, and shall not be hid from his eyes.

¹⁶Every man from his youth is given to evil; neither could they make to themselves fleshy hearts for stony.

¹⁷For in the division of the nations of the whole earth he set a ruler over every people; but Israel is the Lord’s portion:

¹⁸Whom, being his firstborn, he nourisheth with discipline, and giving him the light of his love doth not forsake him.

¹⁹Therefore all their works are as the sun before him, and his eyes are continually upon their ways.

²⁰None of their unrighteous deeds are hid from him, but all their sins are before the Lord

²¹But the Lord being gracious and knowing his workmanship, neither left nor forsook them, but spared them.

²²The alms of a man is as a signet with him, and he will keep the good deeds of man as the apple of the eye, and give repentance to his sons and daughters.

²³Afterwards he will rise up and reward them, and render their recompence upon their heads.

²⁴But unto them that repent, he granted them return, and comforted those that failed in patience.

²⁵Return unto the Lord, and forsake thy sins, make thy prayer before his face, and offend less.

²⁶Turn again to the most High, and turn away from iniquity: for he will lead thee out of darkness into the light of health, and hate thou abomination vehemently.

²⁷Who shall praise the most High in the grave, instead of them which live and give thanks?

²⁸Thanksgiving perisheth from the dead, as from one that is not: the living and sound in heart shall praise the Lord.

²⁹How great is the lovingkindness of the Lord our God, and his compassion unto such as turn unto him in holiness!

³⁰For all things cannot be in men, because the son of man is not immortal.

³¹What is brighter than the sun? yet the light thereof faileth; and flesh and blood will imagine evil.

³²He vieweth the power of the height of heaven; and all men are but earth and ashes.