Sirach 28

1He that seeketh to revenge himself, shall find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins in remembrance.

2Forgive thy neighbour if he hath hurt thee: and then shall thy sins be forgiven to thee when thou prayest.

3Man to man reserveth anger, and doth he seek remedy of God?

4He hath no mercy on a man like himself, and doth he entreat for his own sins?

5He that is but flesh, nourisheth anger, and doth he ask forgiveness of God? who shall obtain pardon for his sins?

6Remember thy last things, and let enmity cease:

7For corruption and death hang over in his commandments.

8Remember the fear of God, and be not angry with thy neighbour.

9Remember the covenant of the most High, and overlook the ignorance of thy neighbour.

10Refrain from strife, and thou shalt diminish thy sins.

11For a passionate man kindleth strife, and a sinful man will trouble his friends, and bring in debate in the midst of them that are at peace.

12For as the wood of the forest is, so the fire burneth, and as a man’s strength is, so shall his anger be, and according to his riches he shall increase his anger.

13A hasty contention kindleth a fire and a hasty quarrel sheddeth blood and a tongue that beareth witness bringeth death.

14If thou blow the spark, it shall burn as a fire: and if thou spit upon it, it shall be quenched: both come out of the mouth.

15The whisperer and the double tongue is accursed: for he hath troubled many that were at peace.

16The tongue of a third person hath disquieted many, and scattered them from nation to nation.

17It hath destroyed the strong cities of the rich, and hath overthrown the houses of great men.

18It hath cut in pieces the forces of people, and undone strong nations.

19The tongue of a third person hath cast out valiant women, and deprived them of their labours.

20He that hearkeneth to it, shall never have rest, neither shall he have a friend in whom he may repose.

21The stroke of a whip maketh a blue mark: but the stroke of the tongue will break the bones.

22Many have fallen by the edge of the sword, but not so many as have perished by their own tongue.

23Blessed is he that is defended from a wicked tongue, that hath not passed into the wrath thereof, and that hath not drawn the yoke thereof, and hath not been bound in its bands.

24For its yoke is a yoke of iron: and its bands are bands of brass.

25The death thereof is a most evil death: and hell is preferable to it.

26Its continuance shall not be for a long time, but it shall possess the ways of the unjust: and the just shall not be burnt with its flame.

27They that forsake God shall fall into it, and it shall burn in them, and shall not be quenched, and it shall be sent upon them as a lion, and as a leopard it shall tear them.

28Hedge in thy ears with thorns, hear not a wicked tongue, and make doors and bars to thy mouth.

29Melt down thy gold and silver, and make a balance for thy words, and a just bridle for thy mouth:

30And take heed lest thou slip with thy tongue, and fall in the sight of thy enemies who lie in wait for thee, and thy fall be incurable unto death.

1Qui vindicari vult, a Domino inveniet vindictam, et peccata illius servans servabit.

2Relinque proximo tuo nocenti te, et tunc deprecanti tibi peccata solventur.

3Homo homini reservat iram, et a Deo quærit medelam :

4in hominem similem sibi non habet misericordiam, et de peccatis suis deprecatur.

5Ipse cum caro sit reservat iram, et propitiationem petit a Deo : quis exorabit pro delictis illius?

6Memento novissimorum, et desine inimicari :

7tabitudo enim et mors imminent in mandatis ejus.

8Memorare timorem Dei, et non irascaris proximo.

9Memorare testamentum Altissimi, et despice ignorantiam proximi.

10Abstine te a lite, et minues peccata.

11Homo enim iracundus incendit litem, et vir peccator turbabit amicos, et in medio pacem habentium immittet inimicitiam.

12Secundum enim ligna silvæ sic ignis exardescit : et secundum virtutem hominis sic iracundia illius erit, et secundum substantiam suam exaltabit iram suam.

13Certamen festinatum incendit ignem, et lis festinans effundit sanguinem : et lingua testificans adducit mortem.

14Si sufflaveris in scintillam, quasi ignis exardebit : et si exspueris super illam, extinguetur : utraque ex ore proficiscuntur.

15Susurro et bilinguis maledictus, multos enim turbabit pacem habentes.

16Lingua tertia multos commovit, et dispersit illos de gente in gentem.

17Civitates muratas divitum destruxit, et domus magnatorum effodit.

18Virtutes populorum concidit, et gentes fortes dissolvit.

19Lingua tertia mulieres viratas ejecit, et privavit illas laboribus suis.

20Qui respicit illam non habebit requiem, nec habebit amicum in quo requiescat.

21Flagelli plaga livorem facit : plaga autem linguæ comminuet ossa.

22Multi ceciderunt in ore gladii : sed non sic quasi qui interierunt per linguam suam.

23Beatus qui tectus est a lingua nequam, qui in iracundiam illius non transivit, et qui non attraxit jugum illius, et in vinculis ejus non est ligatus :

24jugum enim illius jugum ferreum est, et vinculum illius vinculum æreum est;

25mors illius mors nequissima : et utilis potius infernus quam illa.

26Perseverantia illius non permanebit, sed obtinebit vias injustorum, et in flamma sua non comburet justos.

27Qui relinquunt Deum incident in illam, et exardebit in illis, et non extinguetur, et immittetur in illos quasi leo, et quasi pardus lædet illos.

28Sepi aures tuas spinis : linguam nequam noli audire : et ori tuo facito ostia et seras.

29Aurum tuum et argentum tuum confla, et verbis tuis facito stateram, et frenos ori tuo rectos :

30et attende ne forte labaris in lingua, et cadas in conspectu inimicorum insidiantium tibi, et sit casus tuus insanabilis in mortem.

1ὁ ἐκδικῶν παρὰ κυρίου εὑρήσει ἐκδίκησιν καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ διατηρῶν διατηρήσει

2ἄφες ἀδίκημα τῷ πλησίον σου καὶ τότε δεηθέντος σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου λυθήσονται

3ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ συντηρεῖ ὀργήν καὶ παρὰ κυρίου ζητεῖ ἴασιν

4ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον ὅμοιον αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔχει ἔλεος καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ δεῖται

5αὐτὸς σὰρξ ὢν διατηρεῖ μῆνιν τίς ἐξιλάσεται τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ

6μνήσθητι τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ παῦσαι ἐχθραίνων

7καταφθορὰν καὶ θάνατον καὶ ἔμμενε ἐντολαῖς

8μνήσθητι ἐντολῶν καὶ μὴ μηνίσῃς τῷ πλησίον

9καὶ διαθήκην ὑψίστου καὶ πάριδε ἄγνοιαν

10ἀπόσχου ἀπὸ μάχης καὶ ἐλαττώσεις ἁμαρτίας

11ἄνθρωπος γὰρ θυμώδης ἐκκαύσει μάχην καὶ ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλὸς ταράξει φίλους καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον εἰρηνευόντων ἐμβαλεῖ διαβολήν

12κατὰ τὴν ὕλην τοῦ πυρὸς οὕτως ἐκκαυθήσεται καὶ κατὰ τὴν στερέωσιν τῆς μάχης ἐκκαυθήσεται κατὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἔσται καὶ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον ἀνυψώσει ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ

13ἔρις κατασπευδομένη ἐκκαίει πῦρ καὶ μάχη κατασπεύδουσα ἐκχέει αἷμα

14ἐὰν φυσήσῃς εἰς σπινθῆρα ἐκκαήσεται καὶ ἐὰν πτύσῃς ἐπ' αὐτόν σβεσθήσεται καὶ ἀμφότερα ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου ἐκπορεύεται

15ψίθυρον καὶ δίγλωσσον καταράσασθε πολλοὺς γὰρ εἰρηνεύοντας ἀπώλεσεν

16γλῶσσα τρίτη πολλοὺς ἐσάλευσεν καὶ διέστησεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος

17καὶ πόλεις ὀχυρὰς καθεῖλεν καὶ οἰκίας μεγιστάνων κατέστρεψεν

19γλῶσσα τρίτη γυναῖκας ἀνδρείας ἐξέβαλεν καὶ ἐστέρεσεν αὐτὰς τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν

20ὁ προσέχων αὐτῇ οὐ μὴ εὕρῃ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐδὲ κατασκηνώσει μεθ' ἡσυχίας

21πληγὴ μάστιγος ποιεῖ μώλωπα πληγὴ δὲ γλώσσης συγκλάσει ὀστᾶ

22πολλοὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ πεπτωκότες διὰ γλῶσσαν

23μακάριος ὁ σκεπασθεὶς ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὃς οὐ διῆλθεν ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτῆς ὃς οὐχ εἵλκυσεν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐδέθη

24ὁ γὰρ ζυγὸς αὐτῆς ζυγὸς σιδηροῦς καὶ οἱ δεσμοὶ αὐτῆς δεσμοὶ χάλκειοι

25θάνατος πονηρὸς ὁ θάνατος αὐτῆς καὶ λυσιτελὴς μᾶλλον ὁ ᾅδης αὐτῆς

26οὐ μὴ κρατήσῃ εὐσεβῶν καὶ ἐν τῇ φλογὶ αὐτῆς οὐ καήσονται

27οἱ καταλείποντες κύριον ἐμπεσοῦνται εἰς αὐτήν καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκκαήσεται καὶ οὐ μὴ σβεσθῇ ἐπαποσταλήσεται αὐτοῖς ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς πάρδαλις λυμανεῖται αὐτούς

28ἰδὲ περίφραξον τὸ κτῆμά σου ἀκάνθαις

29τὸ ἀργύριόν σου καὶ τὸ χρυσίον κατάδησον καὶ τοῖς λόγοις σου ποίησον ζυγὸν καὶ σταθμὸν καὶ τῷ στόματί σου ποίησον θύραν καὶ μοχλόν

30πρόσεχε μήπως ὀλίσθῃς ἐν αὐτῇ μὴ πέσῃς κατέναντι ἐνεδρεύοντος