Sirach 29

1He that showeth mercy, lendeth to his neighbour: and he that is stronger in hand, keepeth the commandments.

2Lend to thy neighbour in the time of his need, and pay thou thy neighbour again in due time.

3Keep thy word, and deal faithfully with him: and thou shalt always find that which is necessary for thee.

4Many have looked upon a thing lent as a thing found, and have given trouble to them that helped them.

5Till they receive, they kiss the hands of the lender, and in promises they humble their voice:

6But when they should repay, they will ask time, and will return tedious and murmuring words, and will complain of the time:

7And if he be able to pay, he will stand off, he will scarce pay one half, and will count it as if he had found it:

8But if not, he will defraud him of his money, and he shall get him for an enemy without cause.

9And he will pay him with reproaches and curses, and instead of honour and good turn will repay him injuries.

10Many have refused to lend, not out of wickedness, but they were afraid to be defrauded without cause.

11But yet towards the poor be thou more hearty, and delay not to show him mercy.

12Help the poor because of the commandment: and send him not away empty handed because of his poverty.

13Lose thy money for thy brother and thy friend: and hide it not under a stone to be lost.

14Place thy treasure in the commandments of the most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold.

15Shut up alms in the heart of the poor, and it shall obtain help for thee against all evil.

16Better than the shield of the mighty, and better than the spear:

17It shall fight for thee against thy enemy.

18A good man is surety for his neighbour: and he that hath lost shame, will leave him to himself.

19Forget not the kindness of thy surety: for he hath given his life for thee.

20The sinner and the unclean fleeth from his surety.

21A sinner attributeth to himself the goods of his surety: and he that is of an unthankful mind will leave him that delivered him.

22A man is surety for his neighbour: and when he hath lost all shame, he shall forsake him.

23Evil suretyship hath undone many of good estate, and hath tossed them as a wave of the sea.

24It hath made powerful men to go from place to place round about, and they have wandered in strange countries.

25A sinner that transgresseth the commandment of the Lord, shall fall into an evil suretyship: and he that undertaketh many things, shall fall into judgment.

26Recover thy neighbour according to thy power, and take heed to thyself that thou fall not.

27The chief thing for man’s life is water and bread, and clothing, and a house to cover shame.

28Better is the poor man’s fare under a roof of boards, than sumptuous cheer abroad in another man’s house.

29Be contented with little instead of much, and thou shalt not hear the reproach of going abroad.

30It is a miserable life to go as a guest from house to house: for where a man is a stranger, he shall not deal confidently, nor open his mouth.

31He shall entertain and feed, and give drink to the unthankful, and moreover he shall hear bitter words.

32Go, stranger, and furnish the table, and give others to eat what thou hast in thy hand.

33Give place to the honourable presence of my friends: for I want my house, my brother being to be lodged with me.

34These things are grievous to a man of understanding: the upbraiding of houseroom, and the reproaching of the lender.

1Qui facit misericordiam fœneratur proximo suo : et qui prævalet manu mandata servat.

2Fœnerare proximo tuo in tempore necessitatis illius : et iterum redde proximo in tempore suo.

3Confirma verbum, et fideliter age cum illo : et in omni tempore invenies quod tibi necessarium est.

4Multi quasi inventionem æstimaverunt fœnus, et præstiterunt molestiam his qui se adjuverunt.

5Donec accipiant, osculantur manus dantis, et in promissionibus humiliant vocem suam :

6et in tempore redditionis postulabit tempus, et loquetur verba tædii et murmurationum, et tempus causabitur.

7Si autem potuerit reddere, adversabitur : solidi vix reddet dimidium, et computabit illud quasi inventionem :

8sin autem, fraudabit illum pecunia sua, et possidebit illum inimicum gratis :

9et convitia et maledicta reddet illi, et pro honore et beneficio reddet illi contumeliam.

10Multi non causa nequitiæ non fœnerati sunt, sed fraudari gratis timuerunt.

11Verumtamen super humilem animo fortior esto, et pro eleemosyna non trahas illum.

12Propter mandatum assume pauperem, et propter inopiam ejus ne dimittas eum vacuum.

13Perde pecuniam propter fratrem et amicum tuum, et non abscondas illam sub lapide in perditionem.

14Pone thesaurum tuum in præceptis Altissimi, et proderit tibi magis quam aurum.

15Conclude eleemosynam in corde pauperis, et hæc pro te exorabit ab omni malo.

16Super scutum potentis, et super lanceam : adversus inimicum tuum pugnabit.

17adversus inimicum tuum pugnabit.

19Vir bonus fidem facit pro proximo suo : et qui perdiderit confusionem derelinquet sibi.

20Gratiam fidejussoris ne obliviscaris : dedit enim pro te animam suam.

21Repromissorem fugit peccator et immundus.

22Bona repromissoris sibi ascribit peccator : et ingratus sensu derelinquet liberantem se.

23Vir repromittit de proximo suo : et cum perdiderit reverentiam, derelinquetur ab eo.

24Repromissio nequissima multos perdidit dirigentes, et commovit illos quasi fluctus maris.

25Viros potentes gyrans migrare fecit, et vagati sunt in gentibus alienis.

26Peccator transgrediens mandatum Domini incidet in promissionem nequam : et qui conatur multa agere incidet in judicium.

27Recupera proximum secundum virtutem tuam, et attende tibi ne incidas.

28Initium vitæ hominis, aqua et panis, et vestimentum, et domus protegens turpitudinem.

29Melior est victus pauperis sub tegmine asserum quam epulæ splendidæ in peregre sine domicilio.

30Minimum pro magno placeat tibi, et improperium peregrinationis non audies.

31Vita nequam hospitandi de domo in domum : et ubi hospitabitur non fiducialiter aget, nec aperiet os.

32Hospitabitur, et pascet, et potabit ingratos, et ad hæc amara audiet :

33transi, hospes, et orna mensam, et quæ in manu habes ciba ceteros.

34Exi a facie honoris amicorum meorum : necessitudine domus meæ hospitio mihi factus est frater.

35Gravia hæc homini habenti sensum : correptio domus, et improperium fœneratoris.

1ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος δανιεῖ τῷ πλησίον καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τηρεῖ ἐντολάς

2δάνεισον τῷ πλησίον ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ καὶ πάλιν ἀπόδος τῷ πλησίον εἰς τὸν καιρόν

3στερέωσον λόγον καὶ πιστώθητι μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὑρήσεις τὴν χρείαν σου

4πολλοὶ ὡς εὕρεμα ἐνόμισαν δάνος καὶ παρέσχον κόπον τοῖς βοηθήσασιν αὐτοῖς

5ἕως οὗ λάβῃ καταφιλήσει χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων τοῦ πλησίον ταπεινώσει φωνήν

6καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποδόσεως παρελκύσει χρόνον καὶ ἀποδώσει λόγους ἀκηδίας καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιάσεται

7ἐὰν ἰσχύσῃ μόλις κομίσεται τὸ ἥμισυ καὶ λογιεῖται αὐτὸ ὡς εὕρεμα

8εἰ δὲ μή ἀπεστέρησεν αὐτὸν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκτήσατο αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν δωρεάν

9κατάρας καὶ λοιδορίας ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ καὶ ἀντὶ δόξης ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν

10πολλοὶ οὐ χάριν πονηρίας ἀπέστρεψαν ἀποστερηθῆναι δωρεὰν εὐλαβήθησαν

11πλὴν ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον καὶ ἐπ' ἐλεημοσύνῃ μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν

12χάριν ἐντολῆς ἀντιλαβοῦ πένητος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτὸν κενόν

13ἀπόλεσον ἀργύριον δι' ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλον καὶ μὴ ἰωθήτω ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀπώλειαν

14θὲς τὸν θησαυρόν σου κατ' ἐντολὰς ὑψίστου καὶ λυσιτελήσει σοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον

15σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις σου καὶ αὕτη ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως

16ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδα κράτους καὶ ὑπὲρ δόρυ ὁλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ

19ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐγγυήσεται τὸν πλησίον καὶ ὁ ἀπολωλεκὼς αἰσχύνην ἐγκαταλείψει αὐτόν

20χάριτας ἐγγύου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ ἔδωκεν γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ σοῦ

22ἀγαθὰ ἐγγύου ἀνατρέψει ἁμαρτωλός καὶ ἀχάριστος ἐν διανοίᾳ ἐγκαταλείψει ῥυσάμενον

24ἐγγύη πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσεν κατευθύνοντας καὶ ἐσάλευσεν αὐτοὺς ὡς κῦμα θαλάσσης

25ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἀπῴκισεν καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἀλλοτρίοις

26ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἐγγύην καὶ διώκων ἐργολαβίας ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κρίσεις

27ἀντιλαβοῦ τοῦ πλησίον κατὰ δύναμίν σου καὶ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ ἐμπέσῃς

28ἀρχὴ ζωῆς ὕδωρ καὶ ἄρτος καὶ ἱμάτιον καὶ οἶκος καλύπτων ἀσχημοσύνην

29κρείσσων βίος πτωχοῦ ὑπὸ σκέπην δοκῶν ἢ ἐδέσματα λαμπρὰ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις

30ἐπὶ μικρῷ καὶ μεγάλῳ εὐδοκίαν ἔχε καὶ ὀνειδισμὸν παροικίας οὐ μὴ ἀκούσῃς

31ζωὴ πονηρὰ ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς οἰκίαν καὶ οὗ παροικήσεις οὐκ ἀνοίξεις στόμα

32ξενιεῖς καὶ ποτιεῖς εἰς ἀχάριστα καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις πικρὰ ἀκούσῃ

33πάρελθε πάροικε κόσμησον τράπεζαν καὶ εἴ τι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ψώμισόν με

34ἔξελθε πάροικε ἀπὸ προσώπου δόξης ἐπεξένωταί μοι ὁ ἀδελφός χρεία τῆς οἰκίας

35βαρέα ταῦτα ἀνθρώπῳ ἔχοντι φρόνησιν ἐπιτίμησις οἰκίας καὶ ὀνειδισμὸς δανειστοῦ