Sirak 5

¹Servetine bel bağlama ve "Kendi kendime yetiyorum" deme.

²Kalbinin arzularına göre yürümek için kendi benliğinin ve gücünün peşinden gitme.

³"Bana kim boyun eğdirebilir?" deme; çünkü Rab kesinlikle senden öç alacaktır.

⁴"Günah işledim de başıma ne geldi?" deme; çünkü Rab'bin öfkesi gecikir.

⁵Günah üstüne günah eklemek amacıyla, kefarete güvenip korkusuzca davranma.

⁶"O'nun merhameti büyüktür, günahlarımın çokluğunu nasılsa örter" deme; çünkü O'ndan hem merhamet hem de gazap çıkar ve öfkesi günahkarların üzerinde konaklar.

⁷Rab'be dönmeyi geciktirme ve günden güne erteleme; çünkü Rab'bin öfkesi ansızın çıkacaktır ve yargı gününde tamamen yok olacaksın.

⁸Haksız kazançla elde edilen servete bel bağlama; çünkü ilahi ceza gününde sana hiçbir faydası dokunmaz.

⁹Her esen rüzgarda harman savurma ve her patikaya sapma; iki dilli günahkar böyle yapar.

¹⁰Kendi anlayışında sarsılmaz ol ve sözün tek olsun.

¹¹Dinlemekte çabuk ol, yanıtını ise sabırla ve düşünerek dile getir.

¹²Eğer anlayışın varsa komşuna yanıt ver; yoksa elin ağzının üzerinde olsun.

¹³Konuşma hem onur hem de utanç getirir; insanın dili kendi çöküşüdür.

¹⁴Dedikoducu diye adlandırılma ve dilinle pusu kurma; çünkü hırsız için utanç, iki dilli olan için ise ağır bir kınama vardır.

¹⁵Büyük ya da küçük hiçbir konuda bilgisiz kalma.

¹ΜΗ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ τοῖς χρήμασί σου καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς· αὐτάρκη μοί ἐστι.

²μὴ ἐξακολούθει τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις καρδίας σου,

³καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς· τίς με δυναστεύσει; ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ἐκδικῶν ἐκδικήσει σε.

⁴μὴ εἴπῃς, ἥμαρτον, καὶ τί μοι ἐγένετο; ὁ γὰρ Κύριός ἐστι μακρόθυμος.

⁵περὶ ἐξιλασμοῦ μὴ ἄφοβος γίνου, προσθεῖναι ἁμαρτίαν ἐφ᾿ ἁμαρτίαις·

⁶καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς· ὁ οἰκτιρμὸς αὐτοῦ πολύς, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου ἐξιλάσεται· ἔλεος γὰρ καὶ ὀργὴ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς καταπαύσει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ.

⁷μὴ ἀνάμενε ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον καὶ μὴ ὑπερβάλλου ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας· ἐξάπινα γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ὀργὴ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐκδικήσεως ἐξολῇ.

⁸μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφελήσει σε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπαγωγῆς.

⁹μὴ λίκμα ἐν παντὶ ἀνέμῳ καὶ μὴ πορεύου ἐν πάσῃ ἀτραπῷ· οὕτως ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ δίγλωσσος.

¹⁰ἴσθι ἐστηριγμένος ἐν συνέσει σου, καὶ εἷς ἔστω σου ὁ λόγος.

¹¹γίνου ταχὺς ἐν ἀκροάσει σου καὶ ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ φθέγγου ἀπόκρισιν.

¹²εἰ ἔστι σοι σύνεσις, ἀποκρίθητι τῷ πλησίον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἡ χείρ σου ἔστω ἐπὶ στόματί σου.

¹³δόξα καὶ ἀτιμία ἐν λαλιᾷ, καὶ γλῶσσα ἀνθρώπου πτῶσις αὐτῷ.

¹⁴μὴ κληθῇς ψίθυρος, καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ σου μὴ ἐνέδρευε· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῷ κλέπτῃ ἐστὶν αἰσχύνη, καὶ κατάγνωσις πονηρὰ ἐπὶ διγλώσσου.

¹⁵ἐν μεγάλῳ καὶ ἐν μικρῷ μὴ ἀγνόει.

¹Set thy heart upon thy goods; and say not, I have enough for my life.

²Follow not thine own mind and thy strength, to walk in the ways of thy heart:

³And say not, Who shall control me for my works? for the Lord will surely revenge thy pride.

⁴Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go.

⁵Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add sin unto sin:

⁶And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners.

⁷Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.

⁸Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity.

⁹Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so doth the sinner that hath a double tongue.

¹⁰Be stedfast in thy understanding; and let thy word be the same.

¹¹Be swift to hear; and let thy life be sincere; and with patience give answer.

¹²If thou hast understanding, answer thy neighbour; if not, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

¹³Honour and shame is in talk: and the tongue of man is his fall.

¹⁴Be not called a whisperer, and lie not in wait with thy tongue: for a foul shame is upon the thief, and an evil condemnation upon the double tongue.

¹⁵Be not ignorant of any thing in a great matter or a small.