Sirak 44

¹ATALARIN İLAHİSİ. Şimdi o saygın insanları ve kronolojik sıralarına göre atalarımızı övelim.

²Rab, ezelden beri Kendi azametini ve büyük yüceliğini yarattı.

³Onlar kendi krallıklarında hüküm sürenler, güçleriyle ün kazanmış adamlar, derin anlayışlarıyla öğüt verenler ve peygamberlikler aracılığıyla bildirenlerdi.

⁴Tasarılarıyla halka önderlik edenler, halkın yazıcı sınıfının bilgeliğine sahip olanlar ve öğretilerinde bilgece sözler barındıranlardı.

⁵Müzik ezgilerini araştırıp besteleyenler ve yazılı şiirleri aktaranlardı.

⁶Güçle donatılmış zengin adamlar, geçici yurtlarında barış içinde yaşayanlardı.

⁷Bunların hepsi kendi kuşaklarında onurlandırıldı ve yaşadıkları günlerde birer övünç kaynağı oldu.

⁸Aralarında, övgüleri ayrıntısıyla anlatılsın diye arkalarında bir ad bırakanlar vardır.

⁹Ama öyleleri de var ki, hiçbir anıları kalmadı; hiç var olmamış gibi yok olup gittiler, sanki hiç doğmamış gibi oldular, kendilerinden sonra çocukları da aynı kadere uğradı.

¹⁰Aksine bunlar merhametli insanlardı, yaptıkları adil işler asla unutulmadı.

¹¹Soylarıyla birlikte iyi bir miras kalacaktır, yani onların torunlarına.

¹²Soyları antlaşmalara bağlı kalarak ayakta durdu, çocukları da onlar sayesinde varlığını sürdürüyor.

¹³Soyları sonsuza dek yaşayacak ve görkemleri asla silinmeyecektir.

¹⁴Bedenleri barış içinde toprağa verildi, adları ise kuşaklar boyu yaşıyor.

¹⁵Uluslar onların bilgeliğini anlatacak ve inananlar topluluğu onların övgüsünü duyuracaktır.

¹⁶Hanok Rab'bi hoşnut etti ve göğe alındı; o, gelecek kuşaklar için bir tövbe örneğidir.

¹⁷Nuh kusursuz ve doğru bulundu, gazap zamanında bir fidye oldu; tufan koptuğunda, onun sayesinde yeryüzünde bir kalıntı bırakıldı.

¹⁸Bütün canlılar bir daha tufanla yok edilmesin diye, onunla sonsuz bir antlaşma yapıldı.

¹⁹İbrahim uluslar topluluğunun yüce babasıydı, görkemde onun gibisi bulunmadı.

²⁰O, Yüceler Yücesi'nin yasasını titizlikle uyguladı ve O'nunla bir antlaşmaya girdi; kendi bedeninde antlaşmayı pekiştirdi ve sınandığında sadık bulundu.

²¹Bu yüzden Tanrı ona ant içerek, soyu aracılığıyla ulusların kutsanacağını, onu yeryüzünün tozu gibi çoğaltacağını, soyunu yıldızlar gibi yükselteceğini ve denizden denize, nehirden yeryüzünün uçlarına dek onlara miras vereceğini vaat etti.

²²İshak'la da babası İbrahim'in hatırı için tüm insanların kutsanmasını ve antlaşmayı aynı şekilde pekiştirdi,

²³ve tüm bunları Yakup'un başı üzerine kondurdu. Onu Kendi kutsamalarıyla onayladı ve ona bir miras verdi; paylarını belirleyip onları on iki oymağa böldü.

¹ΠΑΤΕΡΩΝ ΥΜΝΟΣ. - Αἰνέσωμεν δὴ ἄνδρας ἐνδόξους καὶ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τῇ γενέσει.

²πολλὴν δόξαν ἔκτισεν ὁ Κύριος, τὴν μεγαλωσύνην αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος.

³κυριεύοντες ἐν ταῖς βασιλείαις αὐτῶν καὶ ἄνδρες ὀνομαστοὶ ἐν δυνάμει· βουλεύοντες ἐν συνέσει αὐτῶν, ἀπηγγελκότες ἐν προφητείαις·

⁴ἡγούμενοι λαοῦ ἐν διαβουλίοις καὶ συνέσει γραμματείας λαοῦ, σοφοὶ λόγοι ἐν παιδείᾳ αὐτῶν·

⁵ἐκζητοῦντες μέλη μουσικῶν καὶ διηγούμενοι ἔπη ἐν γραφῇ·

⁶ἄνδρες πλούσιοι κεχορηγημένοι ἰσχύϊ, εἰρηνεύοντες ἐν παροικίαις αὐτῶν·

⁷πάντες οὗτοι ἐν γενεαῖς ἐδοξάσθησαν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν καύχημα.

⁸εἰσὶν αὐτῶν οἳ κατέλιπον ὄνομα τοῦ ἐκδιηγήσασθαι ἐπαίνους·

⁹καὶ εἰσὶν ὧν οὐκ ἔστι μνημόσυνον καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρξαντες καὶ ἐγένοντο ὡς οὐ γεγονότες καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν μετ᾿ αὐτούς.

¹⁰ἀλλ᾿ ἢ οὗτοι ἄνδρες ἐλέους, ὧν αἱ δικαιοσύναι οὐκ ἐπελήσθησαν·

¹¹μετὰ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν διαμενεῖ ἀγαθὴ κληρονομία, ἔκγονα αὐτῶν·

¹²ἐν ταῖς διαθήκαις ἔστη σπέρμα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν δι᾿ αὐτούς·

¹³ἕως αἰῶνος μενεῖ σπέρμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται·

¹⁴τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐτάφη, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῶν ζῇ εἰς γενεάς·

¹⁵σοφίαν αὐτῶν διηγήσονται λαοί, καὶ τὸν ἔπαινον ἐξαγγέλλει ἐκκλησία.

¹⁶᾿Ενὼχ εὐηρέστησε Κυρίῳ καὶ μετετέθη, ὑπόδειγμα μετανοίας ταῖς γενεαῖς.

¹⁷Νῶε εὑρέθη τέλειος δίκαιος, ἐν καιρῷ ὀργῆς ἐγένετο ἀντάλλαγμα· διὰ τοῦτον ἐγενήθη κατάλειμμα τῇ γῇ, ὅτε ἐγένετο κατακλυσμός·

¹⁸διαθῆκαι αἰῶνος ἐτέθησαν πρὸς αὐτόν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξαλειφθῇ κατακλυσμῷ πᾶσα σάρξ. -

¹⁹῾Αβραὰμ μέγας πατὴρ πλήθους ἐθνῶν, καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ὅμοιος ἐν τῇ δόξῃ·

²⁰ὃς συνετήρησε νόμον ῾Υψίστου καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν διαθήκῃ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ· ἐν σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ ἔστησε διαθήκην καὶ ἐν πειρασμῷ εὑρέθη πιστός.

²¹διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὅρκῳ ἔστησεν αὐτῷ ἐνευλογηθῆναι ἔθνη ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, πληθῦναι αὐτὸν ὡς χοῦν τῆς γῆς καὶ ὡς ἄστρα ἀνυψῶσαι τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ καὶ κατακληρονομῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ ἕως ἄκρου γῆς.

²²καὶ ἐν τῷ ᾿Ισαὰκ ἔστησεν οὕτως διὰ ῾Αβραὰμ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ εὐλογίαν πάντων ἀνθρώπων καὶ διαθήκην

²³καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ᾿Ιακώβ. ἐπέγνω αὐτὸν ἐν εὐλογίαις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ἐν κληρονομίᾳ· καὶ διέστειλε μερίδας αὐτοῦ, ἐν φυλαῖς ἐμέρισε δεκαδύο.

¹Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.

²The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning.

³Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies:

⁴Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions:

⁵Such as found out musical tunes, and recited verses in writing:

⁶Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations:

⁷All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their times.

⁸There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported.

⁹And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them.

¹⁰But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.

¹¹With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant.

¹²Their seed standeth fast, and their children for their sakes.

¹³Their seed shall remain for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted out.

¹⁴Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.

¹⁵The people will tell of their wisdom, and the congregation will shew forth their praise.

¹⁶Enoch pleased the Lord, and was translated, being an example of repentance to all generations.

¹⁷Noah was found perfect and righteous; in the time of wrath he was taken in exchange for the world; therefore was he left as a remnant unto the earth, when the flood came.

¹⁸An everlasting covenant was made with him, that all flesh should perish no more by the flood.

¹⁹Abraham was a great father of many people: in glory was there none like unto him;

²⁰Who kept the law of the most High, and was in covenant with him: he established the covenant in his flesh; and when he was proved, he was found faithful.

²¹Therefore he assured him by an oath, that he would bless the nations in his seed, and that he would multiply him as the dust of the earth, and exalt his seed as the stars, and cause them to inherit from sea to sea, and from the river unto the utmost part of the land.

²²With Isaac did he establish likewise for Abraham his father’s sake the blessing of all men, and the covenant,

²³And made it rest upon the head of Jacob. He acknowledged him in his blessing, and gave him an heritage, and divided his portions; among the twelve tribes did he part them.