Sirak 29

¹Merhamet gösteren kişi komşusuna ödünç verir ve eliyle onu destekleyen kişi buyrukları yerine getirir.

²İhtiyaç duyduğu zamanda komşuna ödünç ver ve zamanı geldiğinde sen de komşuna borcunu geri öde.

³Sözünü sağlamlaştır ve onunla güvenilir bir ilişki kur; o zaman her an ihtiyacın olanı bulursun.

⁴Birçokları ödünç alınan şeyi beklenmedik bir buluntu saydı ve kendilerine yardım edenlere zahmet verdi.

⁵Borçlu, parayı alana kadar alacaklının elini öper ve komşusunun paraları hakkında alçak sesle konuşur; ama geri ödeme zamanı geldiğinde süreyi uzatır, bezginlik veren sözlerle karşılık verir ve zamanı suçlar.

⁶Alacaklının gücü yetse bile ancak yarısını zorlukla geri alır ve bunu da bir buluntu sayar; alamazsa, haksız yere parasından mahrum kalmış ve kendine sebepsiz yere bir düşman edinmiş olur; borçlu ona onur yerine utanç, lanet ve sövgüyle karşılık verir.

⁷Bu yüzden birçokları, insanların kötülüğü sebebiyle ödünç vermekten kaçındı; haksız yere soyulmaktan korktular.

⁸Yine de yoksul ve ezilmiş kişiye karşı sabırlı ol ve ona sadaka vermeyi geciktirip onu bekletme.

⁹Buyruk hatırına muhtaca destek ol ve onun ihtiyacına göre onu eli boş geri çevirme.

¹⁰Kardeşin ve dostun uğruna paranı kaybetmeyi göze al; bırakma ki taşın altında paslanıp yok oluşa sürüklensin.

¹¹Hazineni En Yüce Olan'ın buyruklarına göre biriktir; bu sana altından daha çok kâr sağlayacaktır.

¹²Sadakayı hazine odalarına kilitle; o seni her türlü sıkıntıdan kurtaracaktır.

¹³Düşmana karşı senin için savaşacaktır; gücün kalkanından ve yiğitliğin mızrağından daha iyi koruyacaktır seni.

¹⁴İyi bir insan komşusuna kefil olur, arsızlaşıp utancını yitirmiş olan ise kefilini yüzüstü bırakıp kaçar.

¹⁵Sana kefil olanın iyiliklerini unutma, çünkü o senin uğruna kendi canını ortaya koymuştur.

¹⁶Günahkar kişi kefilinin güvencelerini altüst eder ve nankör olan, kendisini kurtaranı zihninde terk eder.

¹⁷Kefalet, işleri yolunda giden birçok kişiyi mahvetti ve onları denizin dalgası gibi sarstı; güçlü adamları yurtlarından etti ve yabancı uluslar arasında avare sürüklenmelerine neden oldu.

¹⁹Kefaletin içine düşen ve ihale sözleşmelerinin peşinden koşan günahkar kişi mahkemelik olur.

²⁰Komşuna gücün yettiğince destek ol, ama kendinin de aynı tuzağa düşmemesi için kendine dikkat et.

²¹Yaşamın temeli su, ekmek, giysi ve insanın utancını örten bir evdir.

²²Yoksulun kendi kalaslardan çatısı altındaki yaşamı, yabancıların evindeki görkemli yiyeceklerden daha iyidir.

²³Küçük şeyde de büyük şeyde de hoşnut olmayı bil ki, sığıntı olmanın ayıbını asla işitmeyesin.

²⁴Evden eve gezmek kötü bir yaşamdır; sığınacağın o yabancı yerde ağzını bile açamazsın.

²⁵Konuk eder, içirirsin ama nankörlerle karşılaşırsın; üstelik bir de şu acı sözleri işitirsin:

²⁶"Geç git ey sığıntı, sofrayı donat ve elinde ne varsa beni doyur."

²⁷"Çık git ey sığıntı, onurlu birinin huzurundan; kardeşim bana konuk geldi, eve ihtiyacım var."

²⁸Sağduyulu bir insan için şunlara katlanmak ağırdır: Ev halkının kınaması ve borç verenin başa kakması.

¹Ο ΠΟΙΩΝ ἔλεος δανειεῖ τῷ πλησίον, καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τηρεῖ ἐντολάς.

²δάνεισον τῷ πλησίον ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἀπόδος τῷ πλησίον εἰς τὸν καιρόν·

³στερέωσον λόγον καὶ πιστώθητι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὑρήσεις τὴν χρείαν σου.

⁴πολλοὶ ὡς εὕρεμα ἐνόμισαν δάνος καὶ παρέσχον πόνον τοῖς βοηθήσασιν αὐτοῖς.

⁵ἕως οὗ λάβῃ, καταφιλήσει χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων τοῦ πλησίον ταπεινώσει φωνήν· καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποδόσεως παρελκύσει χρόνον καὶ ἀποδώσει λόγους ἀκηδίας καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιάσεται.

⁶ἐὰν ἰσχύσῃ, μόλις κομίσεται τὸ ἥμισυ καὶ λογιεῖται αὐτὸ ὡς εὕρεμα· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀπεστέρησεν αὐτὸν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτήσατο αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν δωρεάν· κατάρας καὶ λοιδορίας ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ καὶ ἀντὶ δόξης ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν.

⁷πολλοὶ οὖν χάριν πονηρίας ἀπέστρεψαν, ἀποστερηθῆναι δωρεὰν εὐλαβήθησαν.

⁸πλὴν ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν.

⁹χάριν ἐντολῆς ἀντιλαβοῦ πένητος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτὸν κενόν.

¹⁰ἀπόλεσον ἀργύριον δι᾿ ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλον, καὶ μὴ ἰωθήτω ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀπώλειαν.

¹¹θὲς τὸν θησαυρόν σου κατ᾿ ἐντολὰς ῾Υψίστου, καὶ λυσιτελήσει σοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον.

¹²σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις σου, καὶ αὕτη ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως·

¹³ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδα κράτους καὶ ὑπὲρ δόρυ ἀλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ.

¹⁴ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐγγυήσεται τὸν πλησίον, καὶ ὁ ἀπολωλεκὼς αἰσχύνην καταλήψει αὐτόν.

¹⁵Χάριτας ἐγγύου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ, ἔδωκε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ σοῦ.

¹⁶ἀγαθὰ ἐγγύου ἀνατρέψει ἁμαρτωλός, καὶ ἀχάριστος ἐν διανοίᾳ ἐγκαταλείψει ῥυσάμενον.

¹⁷ἐγγύη πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσε κατευθύνοντας καὶ ἐσάλευσεν αὐτοὺς ὡς κῦμα θαλάσσης· ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἀπῴκισε καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἀλλοτρίοις.

¹⁹ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἐγγύην καὶ διώκων ἐργολαβίας ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κρίσεις.

²⁰ἀντιλαβοῦ τοῦ πλησίον κατὰ δύναμίν σου καὶ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ ἐμπέσῃς. -

²¹᾿Αρχὴ ζωῆς ὕδωρ καὶ ἄρτος καὶ ἱμάτιον καὶ οἶκος καλύπτων ἀσχημοσύνην.

²²κρείσσων βίος πτωχοῦ ὑπὸ σκέπην δοκῶν ἢ ἐδέσματα λαμπρὰ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις.

²³ἐπὶ μικρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ εὐδοκίαν ἔχε, καὶ ὀνειδισμὸν παροικίας οὐ μὴ ἀκούσῃς.

²⁴ζωὴ πονηρὰ ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς οἰκίαν, καὶ οὗ παροικήσεις, οὐκ ἀνοίξει στόμα.

²⁵ξενιεῖς καὶ ποτιεῖς εἰς ἀχάριστα καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις πικρὰ ἀκούσῃ·

²⁶πάρελθε, πάροικε, κόσμησον τράπεζαν, καὶ εἴτι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ψώμισόν με.

²⁷ἔξελθε, πάροικε, ἀπὸ προσώπου δόξης, ἐπεξένωταί μοι ὁ ἀδελφός, χρεία τῆς οἰκίας.

²⁸βαρέα ταῦτα ἀνθρώπῳ ἔχοντι φρόνησιν, ἐπιτίμησις οἰκίας καὶ ὀνειδισμὸς δανειστοῦ.

¹He that is merciful will lend unto his neighbour; and he that strengtheneth his hand keepeth the commandments.

²Lend to thy neighbour in time of his need, and pay thou thy neighbour again in due season.

³Keep thy word, and deal faithfully with him, and thou shalt always find the thing that is necessary for thee.

⁴Many, when a thing was lent them, reckoned it to be found, and put them to trouble that helped them.

⁵Till he hath received, he will kiss a man’s hand; and for his neighbour’s money he will speak submissly: but when he should repay, he will prolong the time, and return words of grief, and complain of the time.

⁶If he prevail, he shall hardly receive the half, and he will count as if he had found it: if not, he hath deprived him of his money, and he hath gotten him an enemy without cause: he payeth him with cursings and railings; and for honour he will pay him disgrace.

⁷Many therefore have refused to lend for other men’s ill dealing, fearing to be defrauded.

⁸Yet have thou patience with a man in poor estate, and delay not to shew him mercy.

⁹Help the poor for the commandment’s sake, and turn him not away because of his poverty.

¹⁰Lose thy money for thy brother and thy friend, and let it not rust under a stone to be lost.

¹¹Lay up thy treasure according to the commandments of the most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold.

¹²Shut up alms in thy storehouses: and it shall deliver thee from all affliction.

¹³It shall fight for thee against thine enemies better than a mighty shield and strong spear.

¹⁴An honest man is surety for his neighbour: but he that is impudent will forsake him.

¹⁵Forget not the friendship of thy surety, for he hath given his life for thee.

¹⁶A sinner will overthrow the good estate of his surety:

¹⁷And he that is of an unthankful mind will leave him in danger that delivered him.

¹⁸Suretiship hath undone many of good estate, and shaken them as a wave of the sea: mighty men hath it driven from their houses, so that they wandered among strange nations.

¹⁹A wicked man transgressing the commandments of the Lord shall fall into suretiship: and he that undertaketh and followeth other men’s business for gain shall fall into suits.

²⁰Help thy neighbour according to thy power, and beware that thou thyself fall not into the same.

²¹The chief thing for life is water, and bread, and clothing, and an house to cover shame.

²²Better is the life of a poor man in a mean cottage, than delicate fare in another man’s house.

²³Be it little or much, hold thee contented, that thou hear not the reproach of thy house.

²⁴For it is a miserable life to go from house to house: for where thou art a stranger, thou darest not open thy mouth.

²⁵Thou shalt entertain, and feast, and have no thanks: moreover thou shalt hear bitter words:

²⁶Come, thou stranger, and furnish a table, and feed me of that thou hast ready.

²⁷Give place, thou stranger, to an honourable man; my brother cometh to be lodged, and I have need of mine house.

²⁸These things are grievous to a man of understanding; the upbraiding of houseroom, and reproaching of the lender.