Sirak 19

¹Sarhoş bir işçi zenginleşemez; azı hiçe sayan ise azar azar düşecektir.

²Şarap ve kadınlar akıllı kişileri yoldan çıkarır, fahişelere bağlanan ise daha da arsızlaşır.

³Güveler ve kurtlar onu miras alacaktır, cüretkar can ise sökülüp atılacaktır.

⁴Çabuk güvenen kişi yüreği hafif olandır, günah işleyen ise kendi canına karşı suç işler.

⁵Yürekten keyiflenen kişi mahkum edilecektir.

⁶Dedikodudan nefret edenin hayatındaki kötülük azalır.

⁷Bir sözü asla tekrarlama, o zaman sende hiçbir şey kesinlikle eksilmez.

⁸İster dost ister düşman hakkında olsun anlatma; eğer senin için bir günah oluşturmuyorsa açığa vurma.

⁹Çünkü seni dinleyen kişi senden sakınır ve vakti geldiğinde senden nefret eder.

¹⁰Bir söz mü duydun? Seninle birlikte ölsün; cesur ol, o söz seni kesinlikle çatlatmaz.

¹¹Aptal bir söz yüzünden, doğuran kadının bebek yüzünden çektiği gibi doğum sancısı çeker.

¹²Etli uyluğa saplanmış bir ok neyse, aptalın karnındaki söz de öyledir.

¹³Dostunu uyar, belki de yapmamıştır; eğer yapmışsa da bir daha tekrarlamasın.

¹⁴Komşunu uyar, belki de söylememiştir; eğer söylemişse de bir daha tekrarlamasın.

¹⁵Dostunu uyar, çünkü sıklıkla iftira atılır; her söze inanma.

¹⁶Ayağı kayan ama bunu isteyerek yapmayan vardır; diliyle günah işlememiş kim var ki?

¹⁷Tehdit etmeden önce komşunu uyar ve Yüceler Yücesi'nin yasasına yer aç; öfkesiz davran.

¹⁸Rab korkusu kabul edilmenin başlangıcıdır, O'nun katından olan bilgelik ise sevgiyi kazandırır.

¹⁹Rab'bin buyruklarının bilgisi yaşam eğitimidir; O'nun hoşuna gidenleri yapanlar ölümsüzlük ağacının meyvesini toplarlar.

²⁰Her bilgelik Rab korkusudur ve her bilgelikte yasanın yerine getirilmesi ile O'nun her şeye gücünün yettiğinin bilgisi vardır.

²¹Efendisine, "Senin istediğin gibi yapmayacağım" diyen bir köle, daha sonra bunu yapsa bile, kendisini besleyeni öfkelendirir.

²²Kötülükte uzmanlaşmak bilgelik değildir, günahkarların danışmasının olduğu yerde de akıllılık yoktur.

²³Öyle bir kötülük vardır ki iğrençliktir, öyle bir aptal da vardır ki bilgelikten yoksundur.

²⁴Anlayışta eksik kalıp Tanrı'dan korkan kişi, akıllılıkta ileri gidip Yüceler Yücesi'nin yasasını çiğneyenden daha iyidir.

²⁵Öyle ince bir kurnazlık vardır ki haksızlıktır; adaleti ortaya çıkarmak için lütuf gösterip onu çarpıtan kişi de vardır.

²⁶Yas kıyafetiyle başını eğip sinsice dolaşan kötü adamın içi hileyle doludur.

²⁷Yüzünü gizleyen ve sağır taklidi yapan kişi, tanınmadığı yerde seni gafil avlayacaktır.

²⁸Güç eksikliği yüzünden günah işlemesi engellense bile, fırsat bulduğunda kötülük yapacaktır.

²⁹İnsan görünüşünden tanınır, anlayışlı kişi de yüz yüze gelindiğinde yüzünden bilinir.

³⁰İnsanın giyimi, dişlerinin gülüşü ve yürüyüşü kendisi hakkındaki gerçekleri haber verir.

¹ΕΡΓΑΤΗΣ μέθυσος οὐ πλουτισθήσεται· ὁ ἐξουθενῶν τὰ ὀλίγα κατὰ μικρὸν πεσεῖται.

²οἶνος καὶ γυναῖκες ἀποστήσουσι συνετούς, καὶ ὁ κολλώμενος πόρναις τολμηρότερος ἔσται·

³σῆτες καὶ σκώληκες κληρονομήσουσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ψυχὴ τολμηρὰ ἐξαρθήσεται.

⁴῾Ο ταχὺ ἐμπιστεύων κοῦφος καρδίᾳ, καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτάνων εἰς ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ πλημμελήσει.

⁵ὁ εὐφραινόμενος καρδίᾳ καταγνωσθήσεται,

⁶καὶ ὁ μισῶν λαλιὰν ἐλαττονοῦται κακίᾳ.

⁷μηδέποτε δευτερώσῃς λόγον, καὶ οὐθέν σοι οὐ μὴ ἐλαττονωθῇ.

⁸ἐν φίλῳ καὶ ἐν ἐχθρῷ μὴ διηγοῦ, καὶ εἰ μή ἔστι σοι ἁμαρτία, μὴ ἀποκάλυπτε·

⁹ἀκήκοε γάρ σου καὶ ἐφυλάξατό σε, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ μισήσει σε.

¹⁰ἀκήκοας λόγον, συναποθανέτω σοι· θάρσει, οὐ μή σε ῥήξει.

¹¹ἀπὸ προσώπου λόγου ὠδινήσει μωρὸς ὡς ἀπὸ προσώπου βρέφους ἡ τίκτουσα.

¹²βέλος πεπηγὸς ἐν μηρῷ σαρκός, οὕτως λόγος ἐν κοιλίᾳ μωροῦ.

¹³῎Ελεγξον φίλον, μήποτε οὐκ ἐποίησε, καὶ εἴ τι ἐποίησε, μήποτε προσθῇ.

¹⁴ἔλεγξον τὸν πλησίον, μήποτε οὐκ εἶπε, καὶ εἰ εἴρηκεν, ἵνα μὴ δευτερώσῃ.

¹⁵ἔλεγξον φίλον, πολλάκις γὰρ γίνεται διαβολή, καὶ μὴ παντὶ λόγῳ πίστευε.

¹⁶ἔστιν ὀλισθαίνων καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ ψυχῆς, καὶ τίς οὐχ ἡμάρτησεν ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτοῦ;

¹⁷ἔλεγξον τὸν πλησίον σου πρὶν ἢ ἀπειλῆσαι, καὶ δὸς τόπον νόμῳ ῾Υψίστου. [γινόμενος ἄμηνις.

¹⁸φόβος Κυρίου ἀρχὴ προσλήψεως, σοφία δὲ παρ’ αὐτοῦ ἀγάπησιν περιποιεῖ.

¹⁹γνῶσις ἐντολῶν Κυρίου παιδεία ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ ποιοῦντες τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ ἀθανασίας δένδρον καρποῦνται].

²⁰Πᾶσα σοφία φόβος Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ ποίησις νόμου· [καὶ γνῶσις τῆς παντοδυναμίας αὐτοῦ.

²¹οἰκέτης λέγων τῷ δεσπότῃ· ὡς ἀρέσκει οὐ ποιήσω, ἐὰν μετὰ ταῦτα ποιήσῃ, παροργίζει τὸν τρέφοντα αὐτόν].

²²καὶ οὐκ ἔστι σοφία πονηρίας ἐπιστήμη, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπου βουλὴ ἁμαρτωλῶν φρόνησις.

²³ἔστι πονηρία καὶ αὕτη βδέλυγμα, καὶ ἔστιν ἄφρων ἐλαττούμενος σοφίᾳ.

²⁴κρείττων ἡττώμενος ἐν συνέσει ἔμφοβος ἢ περισσεύων ἐν φρονήσει καὶ παραβαίνων νόμον.

²⁵ἔστι πανουργία ἀκριβὴς καὶ αὕτη ἄδικος, καὶ ἔστι διαστρέφων χάριν τοῦ ἐκφᾶναι κρίμα.

²⁶ἔστι πονηρευόμενος συγκεκυφὼς μελανίᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἐντὸς αὐτοῦ πλήρης δόλου·

²⁷συγκύφων πρόσωπον καὶ ἑτεροκωφῶν, ὅπου οὐκ ἐπεγνώσθη, προφθάσει σε·

²⁸καὶ ἐὰν ὑπὸ ἐλαττώματος ἰσχύος κωλυθῇ ἁμαρτεῖν, ἐὰν εὕρῃ καιρόν, κακοποιήσει.

²⁹ἀπὸ ὁράσεως ἐπιγνωσθήσεται ἀνήρ, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀπαντήσεως προσώπου ἐπιγνωσθήσεται νοήμων.

³⁰στολισμὸς ἀνδρὸς καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων καὶ βήματα ἀνθρώπου ἀναγγέλλει τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ.

¹A labouring man that is given to drunkenness shall not be rich: and he that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.

²Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that cleaveth to harlots will become impudent.

³Moths and worms shall have him to heritage, and a bold man shall be taken away.

⁴He that is hasty to give credit is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall offend against his own soul.

⁵Whoso taketh pleasure in wickedness shall be condemned: but he that resisteth pleasures crowneth his life.

⁶He that can rule his tongue shall live without strife; and he that hateth babbling shall have less evil.

⁷Rehearse not unto another that which is told unto thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse.

⁸Whether it be to friend or foe, talk not of other men’s lives; and if thou canst without offence, reveal them not.

⁹For he heard and observed thee, and when time cometh he will hate thee.

¹⁰If thou hast heard a word, let it die with thee; and be bold, it will not burst thee.

¹¹A fool travaileth with a word, as a woman in labour of a child.

¹²As an arrow that sticketh in a man’s thigh, so is a word within a fool’s belly.

¹³Admonish a friend, it may be he hath not done it: and if he have done it, that he do it no more.

¹⁴Admonish thy friend, it may be he hath not said it: and if he have, that he speak it not again.

¹⁵Admonish a friend: for many times it is a slander, and believe not every tale.

¹⁶There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart; and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?

¹⁷Admonish thy neighbour before thou threaten him; and not being angry, give place to the law of the most High.

¹⁸The fear of the Lord is the first step to be accepted of him, and wisdom obtaineth his love.

¹⁹The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.

²⁰The fear of the Lord is all wisdom; and in all wisdom is the performance of the law, and the knowledge of his omnipotency.

²¹If a servant say to his master, I will not do as it pleaseth thee; though afterward he do it, he angereth him that nourisheth him.

²²The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom, neither at any time the counsel of sinners prudence.

²³There is a wickedness, and the same an abomination; and there is a fool wanting in wisdom.

²⁴He that hath small understanding, and feareth God, is better than one that hath much wisdom, and transgresseth the law of the most High.

²⁵There is an exquisite subtilty, and the same is unjust; and there is one that turneth aside to make judgment appear; and there is a wise man that justifieth in judgment.

²⁶There is a wicked man that hangeth down his head sadly; but inwardly he is full of deceit,

²⁷Casting down his countenance, and making as if he heard not: where he is not known, he will do thee a mischief before thou be aware.

²⁸And if for want of power he be hindered from sinning, yet when he findeth opportunity he will do evil.

²⁹A man may be known by his look, and one that hath understanding by his countenance, when thou meetest him.

³⁰A man’s attire, and excessive laughter, and gait, shew what he is.