Sirak 40

¹Her insana büyük bir meşguliyet yaratıldı ve Adem oğullarının üzerine ağır bir boyunduruk kondu; annelerinin rahminden çıktıkları günden, her şeyin annesi olan toprağa dönecekleri güne dek.

²Onların düşünceleri, yüreklerindeki korku, geleceğe dair kaygılı beklentileri ve nihayet ölüm günleridir.

³Görkemli bir tahtta oturandan, toprakta ve külde alçaltılana dek;

⁴Mor kaftan ve taç giyenden, kaba keten giysiye bürünene dek bu böyledir.

⁵Öfke, kıskançlık, kargaşa, huzursuzluk, ölüm korkusu, kin ve çekişme vardır; yatağında dinlenme zamanında bile, gece uykusu onun bilincini altüst eder.

⁶Dinlenmesi neredeyse hiç gibidir; uykusunda bile, sanki gündüz nöbetindeymiş gibi, yüreğindeki hayallerle huzursuz olur, sanki savaştan kaçıp kurtulmuş gibidir.

⁷Güvenliğe kavuştuğu anda uyanır ve korkulacak hiçbir şey olmamasına şaşakalır.

⁸İnsandan hayvana kadar tüm canlılar için böyledir, ama günahkarlar için bunlar yedi kat daha fazladır:

⁹Ölüm, kan dökülmesi, çekişme, kılıç, felaketler, kıtlık, yıkım ve kamçı;

¹⁰Bütün bunlar yasa tanımazlar için yaratıldı ve tufan da onlar yüzünden meydana geldi.

¹¹Topraktan gelen her şey toprağa döner, sulardan gelen de denize geri akar.

¹²Her türlü rüşvet ve haksızlık yok edilecektir, ama sadakat sonsuza dek kalacaktır.

¹³Haksızların serveti bir dere gibi kuruyacak, yağmur altındaki güçlü bir gök gürlemesi gibi gümbürdeyecektir.

¹⁴İnsan elini açtığında sevinir, ama yoldan sapanlar tamamen yok olup giderler.

¹⁵Tanrısızların soyu çok dal budak salmaz, kirli kökleri sarp kayaların üzerindedir.

¹⁶Her suyun kenarında ve nehir kıyısında yetişen sazlar, diğer tüm otlardan önce sökülür.

¹⁷Lütuf, bereket dolu bir cennet bahçesi gibidir ve merhamet sonsuza dek sürer.

¹⁸Kendi kendine yeten bir işçinin yaşamı tatlıdır, ama hazine bulan her ikisinden de üstündür.

¹⁹Çocuklar ve bir kentin inşası adı yaşatır, ama kusursuz bir kadın her ikisinden de üstün sayılır.

²⁰Şarap ve müzik yüreği şenlendirir, ama bilgelik sevgisi her ikisinden de üstündür.

²¹Kaval ve lir ezgiyi tatlandırır, ama tatlı bir dil her ikisinden de üstündür.

²²Gözün zarafet ve güzellik arar, ama taze ekin yeşili her ikisinden de üstündür.

²³Dost ve arkadaş uygun zamanda buluşur, ama kocasıyla olan bir kadın her ikisinden de üstündür.

²⁴Kardeşler ve yardımlaşma sıkıntı zamanı içindir, ama sadaka her ikisinden de çok kurtarır.

²⁵Altın ve gümüş ayağı sağlam bastırır, ama iyi bir öğüt her ikisinden de çok kabul görür.

²⁶Zenginlik ve güç yüreği gururlandırır, ama RAB korkusu her ikisinden de üstündür; RAB korkusunda hiçbir eksiklik yoktur ve onun yanında başka bir yardım aramaya gerek kalmaz.

²⁷RAB korkusu bereket dolu bir cennet bahçesi gibidir ve insanı her türlü görkemden daha iyi örter.

²⁸Oğlum, dilenerek bir yaşam sürme; ölmek dilenmekten iyidir.

²⁹Başkasının sofrasına göz diken adamın yaşamı gerçek bir yaşam sayılmaz; başkasının yiyecekleriyle canını kirletir. Ama anlayışlı ve eğitimli bir kişi bundan sakınır.

³⁰Yüzsüzün ağzında dilenmek tatlı gelir, ama karnında bir ateş yanacaktır.

¹ΑΣΧΟΛΙΑ μεγάλη ἔκτισται παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ζυγὸς βαρὺς ἐπὶ υἱοὺς ᾿Αδὰμ ἀφ᾿ ἡμέρας ἐξόδου ἐκ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτῶν ἕως ἡμέρας ἐπιστροφῆς εἰς μητέρα πάντων·

²τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ φόβον καρδίας, ἐπίνοια προσδοκίας, ἡμέρα τελευτῆς.

³ἀπὸ καθημένου ἐπὶ θρόνου ἐν δόξῃ καὶ ἕως τεταπεινωμένου ἐν γῇ καὶ σποδῷ,

⁴ἀπὸ φοροῦντος ὑάκινθον καὶ στέφανον καὶ ἕως περιβαλλομένου ὠμόλινον,

⁵θυμὸς καὶ ζῆλος καὶ ταραχὴ καὶ σάλος καὶ φόβος θανάτου καὶ μηνίαμα καὶ ἔρις· καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀναπαύσεως ἐπὶ κοίτης ὕπνος νυκτὸς ἀλλοιοῖ γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ.

⁶ὀλίγον ὡς οὐδὲν ἐν ἀναπαύσει, καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἐκείνου ἐν ὕπνοις ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκοπιᾶς τεθορυβημένος ἐν ὁράσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐκπεφευγὼς ἀπὸ προσώπου πολέμου.

⁷ἐν καιρῷ σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ ἐξηγέρθη καὶ ἀποθαυμάζων εἰς οὐδένα φόβον.

⁸μετὰ πάσης σαρκὸς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους, καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἑπταπλάσια πρὸς ταῦτα·

⁹θάνατος καὶ αἷμα καὶ ἔρις καὶ ῥομφαία, ἐπαγωγαί, λιμὸς καὶ σύντριμμα καὶ μάστιξ,

¹⁰ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀνόμους ἐκτίσθη ταῦτα πάντα, καὶ δι᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐγένετο ὁ κατακλυσμός.

¹¹πάντα, ὅσα ἀπὸ γῆς, εἰς γῆν ἀναστρέφει, καὶ ἀπὸ ὑδάτων εἰς θάλασσαν ἀνακάμπτει.

¹²Πᾶν δῶρον καὶ ἀδικία ἐξαλειφθήσεται, καὶ πίστις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα στήσεται.

¹³χρήματα ἀδίκων ὡς ποταμὸς ξηρανθήσεται καὶ ὡς βροντὴ μεγάλη ἐν ὑετῷ ἐξηχήσει.

¹⁴ἐν τῷ ἀνοῖξαι αὐτὸν χεῖρας εὐφρανθήσεται, οὕτως οἱ παραβαίνοντες εἰς συντέλειαν ἐκλείψουσιν.

¹⁵ἔκγονα ἀσεβῶν οὐ πληθύνει κλάδους, καὶ ρίζαι ἀκάθαρτοι ἐπ᾿ ἀκροτόμου πέτρας·

¹⁶ἄχει ἐπὶ παντὸς ὕδατος καὶ χείλους ποταμοῦ πρὸ παντὸς χόρτου ἐκτιλήσεται.

¹⁷χάρις ὡς παράδεισος ἐν εὐλογίαις, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαμένει.

¹⁸Ζωὴ αὐτάρκους ἐργάτου γλυκανθήσεται, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ὁ εὑρίσκων θησαυρόν.

¹⁹τέκνα καὶ οἰκοδομὴ πόλεως στηρίζουσιν ὄνομα, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γυνὴ ἄμωμος λογίζεται.

²⁰οἶνος καὶ μουσικὰ εὐφραίνουσι καρδίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ἀγάπησις σοφίας.

²¹αὐλὸς καὶ ψαλτήριον ἡδύνουσι μέλι, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γλῶσσα ἡδεῖα.

²²χάριν καὶ κάλλος ἐπιθυμήσει ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα χλόην σπόρου.

²³φίλος καὶ ἑταῖρος εἰς καιρὸν ἀπαντῶντες, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γυνὴ μετὰ ἀνδρός.

²⁴ἀδελφοὶ καὶ βοήθεια εἰς καιρὸν θλίψεως, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ἐλεημοσύνη ρύσεται.

²⁵χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον ἐπιστήσουσι πόδα, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα βουλὴ εὐδοκιμεῖται.

²⁶χρήματα καὶ ἰσχὺς ἀνυψώσουσι καρδίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα φόβος Κυρίου· οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου ἐλάττωσις, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιζητῆσαι ἐν αὐτῷ βοήθειαν·

²⁷φόβος Κυρίου ὡς παράδεισος εὐλογίας, καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν δόξαν ἐκάλυψαν αὐτόν.

²⁸Τέκνον, ζωὴν ἐπαιτήσεως μὴ βιώσῃς· κρεῖσσον ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ἐπαιτεῖν.

²⁹ἀνὴρ βλέπων εἰς τράπεζαν ἀλλοτρίαν, οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ ὁ βίος ἐν λογισμῷ ζωῆς, ἀλισγήσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐδέσμασιν ἀλλοτρίοις· ἀνὴρ δὲ ἐπιστήμων καὶ πεπαιδευμένος φυλάξεται.

³⁰ἐν στόματι ἀναιδοῦς γλυκανθήσεται ἐπαίτησις, καὶ ἐν κοιλίᾳ αὐτοῦ πῦρ καήσεται.

¹Great travail is created for every man, and an heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day that they go out of their mother’s womb, till the day that they return to the mother of all things.

²Their imagination of things to come, and the day of death, trouble their thoughts, and cause fear of heart;

³From him that sitteth on a throne of glory, unto him that is humbled in earth and ashes;

⁴From him that weareth purple and a crown, unto him that is clothed with a linen frock.

⁵Wrath, and envy, trouble, and unquietness, fear of death, and anger, and strife, and in the time of rest upon his bed his night sleep, do change his knowledge.

⁶A little or nothing is his rest, and afterward he is in his sleep, as in a day of keeping watch, troubled in the vision of his heart, as if he were escaped out of a battle.

⁷When all is safe, he awaketh, and marvelleth that the fear was nothing.

⁸Such things happen unto all flesh, both man and beast, and that is sevenfold more upon sinners.

⁹Death, and bloodshed, strife, and sword, calamities, famine, tribulation, and the scourge;

¹⁰These things are created for the wicked, and for their sakes came the flood.

¹¹All things that are of the earth shall turn to the earth again: and that which is of the waters doth return into the sea.

¹²All bribery and injustice shall be blotted out: but true dealing shall endure for ever.

¹³The goods of the unjust shall be dried up like a river, and shall vanish with noise, like a great thunder in rain.

¹⁴While he openeth his hand he shall rejoice: so shall transgressors come to nought.

¹⁵The children of the ungodly shall not bring forth many branches: but are as unclean roots upon a hard rock.

¹⁶The weed growing upon every water and bank of a river shall be pulled up before all grass.

¹⁷Bountifulness is as a most fruitful garden, and mercifulness endureth for ever.

¹⁸To labour, and to be content with that a man hath, is a sweet life: but he that findeth a treasure is above them both.

¹⁹Children and the building of a city continue a man’s name: but a blameless wife is counted above them both.

²⁰Wine and musick rejoice the heart: but the love of wisdom is above them both.

²¹The pipe and the psaltery make sweet melody: but a pleasant tongue is above them both.

²²Thine eye desireth favour and beauty: but more than both corn while it is green.

²³A friend and companion never meet amiss: but above both is a wife with her husband.

²⁴Brethren and help are against time of trouble: but alms shall deliver more than them both.

²⁵Gold and silver make the foot stand sure: but counsel is esteemed above them both.

²⁶Riches and strength lift up the heart: but the fear of the Lord is above them both: there is no want in the fear of the Lord, and it needeth not to seek help.

²⁷The fear of the Lord is a fruitful garden, and covereth him above all glory.

²⁸My son, lead not a beggar’s life; for better it is to die than to beg.

²⁹The life of him that dependeth on another man’s table is not to be counted for a life; for he polluteth himself with other men’s meat: but a wise man well nurtured will beware thereof.

³⁰Begging is sweet in the mouth of the shameless: but in his belly there shall burn a fire.