Sirak 2

¹Ey oğul, eğer Rab Tanrı'ya kulluk etmeye geliyorsan, canını sınanmaya hazırla.

²Yüreğini doğrult, dayanıklı ol ve üzerine bir bela geldiği zaman aceleci davranıp telaşlanma.

³O'na sımsıkı sarıl ve ayrılma ki, son günlerinde merteben yükseltilsin.

⁴Başına getirilen her şeyi kabul et ve alçaltıldığın her evrede sabırlı ol.

⁵Çünkü altın ateşte sınanır, makbul insanlar ise alçaltılma ocağında.

⁶O'na güven, O da seni sahiplenip koruyacaktır; yollarını doğrult ve O'na umut bağla.

⁷Rab'den korkanlar, O'nun merhametini bekleyin ve yoldan sapmayın ki düşmeyesiniz.

⁸Rab'den korkanlar, O'na güvenin; ödülünüz asla boşa çıkmayacaktır.

⁹Rab'den korkanlar, iyiliği, sonsuz sevinci ve merhameti umut edin.

¹⁰Geçmiş kuşaklara bakın ve görün: Rab'be güvenip de utandırılan oldu mu? Ya da O'nun korkusunda sebat edip de terk edilen oldu mu? Veyahut O'na yakarıp da O'nun tarafından görmezden gelinen oldu mu?

¹¹Çünkü Rab şefkatli ve merhametlidir, günahları bağışlar ve sıkıntı zamanında kurtarır.

¹²Vay korkak yüreklilerin, gevşemiş ellerin ve iki yolda birden yürüyen günahkarın haline!

¹³Vay gevşemiş yürekli olanın haline! Çünkü güvenmez, bu yüzden de korunmayacaktır.

¹⁴Vay sabrını yitirmiş olan sizlerin haline! Rab sizi denetlemeye geldiğinde ne yapacaksınız?

¹⁵Rab'den korkanlar O'nun sözlerine itaatsizlik etmezler ve O'nu sevenler O'nun yollarını korurlar.

¹⁶Rab'den korkanlar O'nun hoşnutluğunu ararlar ve O'nu sevenler Yasa ile doldurulup doyuma ulaşırlar.

¹⁷Rab'den korkanlar yüreklerini hazırlarlar ve O'nun huzurunda canlarını alçaltırlar.

¹⁸İnsanların ellerine değil, Rab'bin ellerine düşelim; çünkü O'nun büyüklüğü ne kadarsa, merhameti de o kadardır.

¹ΤΕΚΝΟΝ, εἰ προσέρχῃ δουλεύειν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ, ἑτοίμασον τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς πειρασμόν·

²εὔθυνον τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ καρτέρησον καὶ μὴ σπεύσῃς ἐν καιρῷ ἐπαγωγῆς·

³κολλήθητι αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ ἀποστῇς, ἵνα αὐξηθῇς ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων σου.

⁴πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν ἐπαχθῇ σοι, δέξαι καὶ ἐν ἀλλάγμασι ταπεινώσεώς σου μακροθύμησον·

⁵ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ δοκιμάζεται χρυσὸς καὶ ἄνθρωποι δεκτοὶ ἐν καμίνῳ ταπεινώσεως.

⁶πίστευσον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀντιλήψεταί σου· εὔθυνον τὰς ὁδούς σου καὶ ἔλπισον ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν.

⁷οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον ἀναμείνατε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐκκλίνητε, ἵνα μὴ πέσητε.

⁸οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον πιστεύσατε αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐ μὴ πταίσῃ ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν.

⁹οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον ἐλπίσατε εἰς ἀγαθὰ καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην αἰῶνος καὶ ἐλέους.

¹⁰ἐμβλέψατε εἰς ἀρχαίας γενεὰς καὶ ἴδετε· τίς ἐνεπίστευσε Κυρίῳ καὶ κατῃσχύνθη; ἢ τίς ἐνέμεινε τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐγκατελείφθη; ἢ τίς ἐπεκαλέσατο αὐτόν, καὶ ὑπερεῖδεν αὐτόν;

¹¹διότι οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος καὶ ἀφίησιν ἁμαρτίας καὶ σώζει ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως.

¹²οὐαὶ καρδίαις δειλαῖς καὶ χερσὶ παρειμέναις καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ ἐπιβαίνοντι ἐπὶ δύο τρίβους.

¹³οὐαὶ καρδίᾳ παρειμένῃ, ὅτι οὐ πιστεύει· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ σκεπασθήσεται.

¹⁴οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀπολωλεκόσι τὴν ὑπομονήν· καὶ τί ποιήσετε ὅταν ἐπισκέπτηται ὁ Κύριος;

¹⁵οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον οὐκ ἀπειθήσουσι ῥημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες αὐτὸν συντηρήσουσι τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.

¹⁶οἱ φοβούμενοι κύριον ζητήσουσιν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες αὐτὸν ἐμπλησθήσονται τοῦ νόμου.

¹⁷οἱ φοβούμενοι Κύριον ἑτοιμάσουσι καρδίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ταπεινώσουσι τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.

¹⁸ἐμπεσούμεθα εἰς χεῖρας Κυρίου καὶ οὐκ εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων· ὡς γὰρ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.

¹My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation.

²Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble.

³Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayest be increased at thy last end.

⁴Whatsoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate.

⁵For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.

⁶Believe in him, and he will help thee; order thy way aright, and trust in him.

⁷Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and go not aside, lest ye fall.

⁸Ye that fear the Lord, believe him; and your reward shall not fail.

⁹Ye that fear the Lord, hope for good, and for everlasting joy and mercy.

¹⁰Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him?

¹¹For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, longsuffering, and very pitiful, and forgiveth sins, and saveth in time of affliction.

¹²Woe be to fearful hearts, and faint hands, and the sinner that goeth two ways!

¹³Woe unto him that is fainthearted! for he believeth not; therefore shall he not be defended.

¹⁴Woe unto you that have lost patience! and what will ye do when the Lord shall visit you?

¹⁵They that fear the Lord will not disobey his Word; and they that love him will keep his ways.

¹⁶They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well, pleasing unto him; and they that love him shall be filled with the law.

¹⁷They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and humble their souls in his sight,

¹⁸Saying, We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men: for as his majesty is, so is his mercy.