| 40 |
ΣΟΦΙΑ ΣΕΙΡΑΧ | ECCLESIASTICUS - Brenton|RSV | Reference |
| 1 | Ἀσχολία μεγάλη ἔκτισται παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ,
καὶ ζυγὸς βαρὺς ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Αδαμ,
ἀφ' ἡμέρας ἐξόδου ἐκ γαστρὸς μητρὸς αὐτῶν
ἕως ἡμέρας ἐπιστροφῆς εἰς μητέρα πάντων·
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Much labour was created for every man,
and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam,
from the day they come forth from their mother's womb
till the day they return to the mother of all.
| The misery of human life. Sir.40.1-11 |
| 2 | τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ φόβον καρδίας,
ἐπίνοια προσδοκίας, ἡμέρα τελευτῆς.
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Their perplexities and fear of heart -
their anxious thought is the day of death,
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| 3 | ἀπὸ καθημένου ἐπὶ θρόνου ἐν δόξου
καὶ ἕως τεταπεινωμένου ἐν γῇ καὶ σποδῷ,
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from the man who sits on a splendid throne
to the one who is humbled in dust and ashes,
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| 4 | ἀπὸ φοροῦντος ὑακίνθινον καὶ στέφανον
καὶ ἕως περιβαλλομένου ὠμόλινον·
θυμὸς καὶ ζῆλος καὶ ταραχὴ καὶ σάλος
καὶ φόβος θανάτου καὶ μηνίαμα καὶ ἔρις.
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from the man who wears purple and a crown
to the one who is clothed in burlap;
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| 5 | καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀναπαύσεως ἐπὶ κοίτης
ὕπνος νυκτὸς ἀλλοιοῖ γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ·
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there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest,
and fear of death, and fury and strife.
And when one rests upon his bed,
his sleep at night confuses his mind.
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| 6 | ὀλίγον ὡς οὐδὲν ἐν ἀναπαύσει,
καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου ἐν ὕπνοις ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκοπιᾶς·
τεθορυβημένος ἐν ὁράσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ,
ὡς ἐκπεφευγὼς ἀπὸ προσώπου πολέμου·
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He gets little or no rest,
and afterward in his sleep, as though he were on watch,
he is troubled by the visions of his mind
like one who has escaped from the battle-front;
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| 7 | ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ ἐξηγέρθη,
καὶ ἀποθαυμάζων εἰς οὐδένα φόβον.
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at the moment of his rescue he wakes up,
and wonders that his fear came to nothing.
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| 8 | μετὰ πάσης σαρκὸς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους,
καὶ ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἑπταπλάσια πρὸς ταῦτα·
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With all flesh, both man and beast,
and upon sinners seven times more,
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| 9 | θάνατος καὶ αἷμα καὶ ἔρις καὶ ῥομφαία, ἐπαγωγαί,
λιμὸς καὶ σύντριμμα καὶ μάστιξ.
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are death and bloodshed and strife and sword, calamities,
famine and affliction and plague.
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| 10 | ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀνόμους ἐκτίσθη ταῦτα πάντα,
καὶ δι' αὐτοὺς ἐγένετο ὁ κατακλυσμός.
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All these were created for the wicked,
and on their account the flood came.
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| 11 | πάντα, ὅσα ἀπὸ γῆς, εἰς γῆν ἀναστρέφει,
καὶ ἀπὸ ὑδάτων, εἰς θάλασσαν ἀνακάμπτει.
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All things that are from the earth turn back to the earth,
and what is from the waters returns to the sea.
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| 12 | Πᾶν δῶρον καὶ ἀδικία ἐξαλειφθήσεται,
καὶ πίστις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα στήσεται.
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All bribery and injustice will be blotted out,
but good faith will stand for ever.
| The results of evil. Sir.40.12-17 |
| 13 | χρήματα ἀδίκων ὡς ποταμὸς ξηρανθήσεται,
καὶ ὡς βροντὴ μεγάλη ἐν ὑετῷ ἐξηχήσει·
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The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a torrent,
and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a rain.
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| 14 | ἐν τῷ ἀνοῖξαι αὐτὸν χεῖρας εὐφρανθήσεται,
οὕτως οἱ παραβαίνοντες εἰς συντέλειαν ἐκλείψουσιν.
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A generous man will be made glad;
likewise transgressors will utterly fail.
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| 15 | ἔκγονα ἀσεβῶν οὐ πληθυνεῖ κλάδους,
καὶ ῥίζαι ἀκάθαρτοι ἐπ' ἀκροτόμου πέτρας·
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The children of the ungodly will not put forth many branches;
they are unhealthy roots upon sheer rock.
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| 16 | ἄχι ἐπὶ παντὸς ὕδατος καὶ χείλους ποταμοῦ
πρὸ παντὸς χόρτου ἐκτιλήσεται.
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The reeds by any water or river bank
will be plucked up before any grass.
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| 17 | χάρις ὡς παράδεισος ἐν εὐλογίαις,
καὶ ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαμενεῖ.
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Kindness is like a garden of blessings,
and almsgiving endures for ever.
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| 18 | Ζωὴ αὐτάρκους καὶ ἐργάτου γλυκανθήσεται,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ὁ εὑρίσκων θησαυρόν.
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Life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker,
but he who finds treasure is better off than both.
| The joys of human life. Sir.40.18-27 |
| 19 | τέκνα καὶ οἰκοδομὴ πόλεως στηρίζουσιν ὄνομα,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γυνὴ ἄμωμος λογίζεται.
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Children and the building of a city establish a man's name,
but a blameless wife is accounted better than both.
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| 20 | οἶνος καὶ μουσικὰ εὐφραίνουσιν καρδίαν,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ἀγάπησις σοφίας.
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Wine and music gladden the heart,
but the love of wisdom is better than both.
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| 21 | αὐλὸς καὶ ψαλτήριον ἡδύνουσιν μέλη,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γλῶσσα ἡδεῖα.
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The flute and the harp make pleasant melody,
but a pleasant voice is better than both.
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| 22 | χάριν καὶ κάλλος ἐπιθυμήσει ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς σου,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα χλόην σπόρου.
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The eye desires grace and beauty,
but the green shoots of grain more than both.
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| 23 | φίλος καὶ ἑταῖρος εἰς καιρὸν ἀπαντῶντες,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα γυνὴ μετὰ ἀνδρός.
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A friend or a companion never meets one amiss,
but a wife with her husband is better than both.
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| 24 | ἀδελφοὶ καὶ βοήθεια εἰς καιρὸν θλίψεως,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ἐλεημοσύνη ῥύσεται.
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Brothers and help are for a time of trouble,
but almsgiving rescues better than both.
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| 25 | χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον ἐπιστήσουσιν πόδα,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα βουλὴ εὐδοκιμεῖται.
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Gold and silver make the foot stand sure,
but good counsel is esteemed more than both.
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| 26 | χρήματα καὶ ἰσχὺς ἀνυψώσουσιν καρδίαν,
καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα φόβος κυρίου·
οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ἐλάττωσις,
καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιζητῆσαι ἐν αὐτῷ βοήθειαν·
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Riches and strength lift up the heart,
but the fear of the Lord is better than both.
There is no loss in the fear of the Lord,
and with it there is no need to seek for help.
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| 27 | φόβος κυρίου ὡς παράδεισος εὐλογίας,
καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν δόξαν ἐκάλυψεν αὐτόν.
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The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing,
and covers a man better than any glory.
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| 28 | Τέκνον, ζωὴν ἐπαιτήσεως μὴ βιώσῃς·
κρεῖσσον ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ἐπαιτεῖν.
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My son, do not lead the life of a beggar;
it is better to die than to beg.
| Begging. Sir.40.28-30 |
| 29 | ἀνὴρ βλέπων εἰς τράπεζαν ἀλλοτρίαν,
οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ ὁ βίος ἐν λογισμῷ ζωῆς,
ἀλισγήσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐδέσμασιν ἀλλοτρίοις·
ἀνὴρ δὲ ἐπιστήμων καὶ πεπαιδευμένος φυλάξεται.
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When a man looks to the table of another,
his existence cannot be considered as life.
He pollutes himself with another man's food,
but a man who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that.
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| 30 | ἐν στόματι ἀναιδοῦς γλυκανθήσεται ἐπαίτησις,
καὶ ἐν κοιλίᾳ αὐτοῦ πῦρ καήσεται.
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In the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet,
but in his stomach a fire is kindled. | |
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