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Sirach 10

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1 κριτὴς σοφὸς παιδεύσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡγεμονία συνετοῦ τεταγμένη ἔσται 2 κατὰ τὸν κριτὴν τοῦ λαοῦ οὕτως καὶ οἱ λειτουργοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἡγούμενον τῆς πόλεως πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτήν 3 βασιλεὺς ἀπαίδευτος ἀπολεῖ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ πόλις οἰκισθήσεται ἐν συνέσει δυναστῶν 4 ἐν χειρὶ κυρίου ἡ ἐξουσία τῆς γῆς καὶ τὸν χρήσιμον ἐγερεῖ εἰς καιρὸν ἐ{P'} αὐτῆς 5 ἐν χειρὶ κυρίου εὐοδία ἀνδρός καὶ προσώπῳ γραμματέως ἐπιθήσει δόξαν αὐτοῦ

1 A wise ruler, a folk well disciplined; firm sits prudence on the throne. 2 Like king, like court; like ruler, like subjects. 3 Royal folly is a people’s ruin; where prudence reigns, there cities thrive most. 4 God’s will it is, then, that rules a nation; when the time comes, he will give it the prince it needs, 5 granting prosperity where he will; no scribe bears office but has divine authority stamped on his brow.

1

Judex sapiens judicabit populum suum,
et principatus sensati stabilis erit. 2
Secundum judicem populi, sic et ministri ejus:
et qualis rector est civitatis, tales et inhabitantes in ea. 3
Rex insipiens perdet populum suum:
et civitates inhabitabuntur per sensum potentium. 4
In manu Dei potestas terræ:
et utilem rectorem suscitabit in tempus super illam. 5
In manu Dei prosperitas hominis,
et super faciem scribæ imponet honorem suum.

6 ἐπὶ παντὶ ἀδικήματι μὴ μηνιάσῃς τῷ πλησίον καὶ μὴ πρᾶσσε μηδὲν ἐν ἔργοις ὕβρεως

6 Forget the wrong done, nor enrol thyself among the doers of it.

6

Omnis injuriæ proximi ne memineris,
et nihil agas in operibus injuriæ.

7 μισητὴ ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὑπερηφανία καὶ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων πλημμελὴς ἡ ἀδικία 8 βασιλεία ἀπὸ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος μετάγεται διὰ ἀδικίας καὶ ὕβρεις καὶ χρήματα 9 τί ὑπερηφανεύεται γῆ καὶ σποδός 10 ὅτι ἐν ζωῇ ἔρριψα τὰ ἐνδόσθια αὐτοῦ

7 Before God and man alike pride is hateful, and the wrong the Gentiles do is foully done; 8 wrong and crime and outrage and treacherous shift, that he punishes by passing on the sceptre of empire into new hands; 9 but worse sin is none than avarice. See how man, for all his pride, is but dust and ashes! 10 This love of money is of all things the most perverse; what does the miser but sell his own soul? As well be bowelled alive!

7
Odibilis coram Deo est et hominibus superbia,
et execrabilis omnis iniquitas gentium. 8
Regnum a gente in gentem transfertur propter injustitias,
et injurias, et contumelias, et diversos dolos. 9
Avaro autem nihil est scelestius.
Quid superbit terra et cinis? 10
Nihil est iniquius quam amare pecuniam:
hic enim et animam suam venalem habet,
quoniam in vita sua projecit intima sua.

11 μακρὸν ἀρρώστημα σκώπτει ἰατρός 12 καὶ βασιλεὺς σήμερον καὶ αὔριον τελευτήσει 13 ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἀποθανεῖν ἄνθρωπον κληρονομήσει ἑρπετὰ καὶ θηρία καὶ σκώληκας

11 Why be tyrannies short-lived? Why, it is a wearisome thing to the physician, a long illness, 12 so he is fain to cut it short, and the king that reigns to-day will be dead to-morrow. 13 And what is the new kingdom he inherits? Creeping things, and carrion beast, and worm.[1]

11
Omnis potentatus brevis vita;
languor prolixior gravat medicum. 12
Brevem languorem præcidit medicus:
sic et rex hodie est, et cras morietur. 13
Cum enim morietur homo,
hæreditabit serpentes, et bestias, et vermes.

14 ἀρχὴ ὑπερηφανίας ἀνθρώπου ἀφίστασθαι ἀπὸ κυρίου 15 καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν ἀπέστη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀρχὴ ὑπερηφανίας ἁμαρτία καὶ ὁ κρατῶν αὐτῆς ἐξομβρήσει βδέλυγμα 16 διὰ τοῦτο παρεδόξασεν κύριος τὰς ἐπαγωγὰς καὶ κατέστρεψεν εἰς τέλος αὐτούς 17 θρόνους ἀρχόντων καθεῖλεν ὁ κύριος καὶ ἐκάθισεν πραεῖς ἀν{T'} αὐτῶν 18 ῥίζας ἐθνῶν ἐξέτιλεν ὁ κύριος καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ταπεινοὺς ἀν{T'} αὐτῶν 19 χώρας ἐθνῶν κατέστρεψεν ὁ κύριος καὶ ἀπώλεσεν αὐτὰς ἕως θεμελίων γῆς 20 ἐξῆρεν ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπώλεσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν 21 22 οὐκ ἔκτισται ἀνθρώποις ὑπερηφανία οὐδὲ ὀργὴ θυμοῦ γεννήμασιν γυναικῶν

14 Pride’s beginning is man’s revolt from God, 15 when the heart forgets its Maker; and of all sin pride is the root. Leave it, or curses thou shalt have in full measure, and be ruined at the last. 16 Such humiliation the Lord has in store; vanished utterly is yonder confederacy; 17 proud thrones cast down, to make room for the oppressed, 18 proud nations withered from the root, and humbler rivals planted instead! 19 Whole nations of the world the Lord has overthrown, rased them to the ground; 20 shrivelled and vanished away, they have left no trace of their passage. 21 The proud forgotten, the humble kept in memory; such was the Lord’s will. 22 Pride was never made for man’s estate; never child born of woman had anger’s mood for its birthright.

14
Initium superbiæ hominis apostatare a Deo: 15
quoniam ab eo qui fecit illum recessit cor ejus,
quoniam initium omnis peccati est superbia.
Qui tenuerit illam adimplebitur maledictis,
et subvertet eum in finem. 16
Propterea exhonoravit Dominus conventus malorum,
et destruxit eos usque in finem. 17
Sedes ducum superborum destruxit Deus,
et sedere fecit mites pro eis. 18
Radices gentium superbarum arefecit Deus,
et plantavit humiles ex ipsis gentibus. 19
Terras gentium evertit Dominus,
et perdidit eas usque ad fundamentum. 20
Arefecit ex ipsis, et disperdidit eos,
et cessare fecit memoriam eorum a terra. 21
Memoria superborum perdidit Deus,
et reliquit memoriam humilium sensu. 22
Non est creata hominibus superbia,
neque iracundia nationi mulierum.

23 σπέρμα ἔντιμον ποῖον σπέρμα ἀνθρώπου σπέρμα ἔντιμον ποῖον οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον σπέρμα ἄτιμον ποῖον σπέρμα ἀνθρώπου σπέρμα ἄτιμον ποῖον οἱ παραβαίνοντες ἐντολάς 24 ἐν μέσῳ ἀδελφῶν ὁ ἡγούμενος αὐτῶν ἔντιμος καὶ οἱ φοβούμενοι κύριον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ 25 πλούσιος καὶ ἔνδοξος καὶ πτωχός τὸ καύχημα αὐτῶν φόβος κυρίου 26 οὐ δίκαιον ἀτιμάσαι πτωχὸν συνετόν καὶ οὐ καθήκει δοξάσαι ἄνδρα ἁμαρτωλόν 27 μεγιστὰν καὶ κριτὴς καὶ δυνάστης δοξασθήσεται καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῶν τις μείζων τοῦ φοβουμένου τὸν κύριον

23 There are two breeds of men; one fears God and wins renown, the other passes his commandments by, and is forgotten. 24 Let clansmen honour a chieftain’s rank; it is humble fear wins the divine regard. 25 For riches and renown, as for the lowly born, there is one boast worth having, the fear of God. 26 Honest poverty never despise, nor flatter, for all his wealth, the evil-doer; 27 prince nor ruler nor nobleman can win any higher title than the fear of God.

23

Semen hominum honorabitur hoc, quod timet Deum:
semen autem hoc exhonorabitur, quod præterit mandata Domini. 24
In medio fratrum rector illorum in honore:
et qui timent Dominum erunt in oculis illius. 25
Gloria divitum, honoratorum, et pauperum,
timor Dei est. 26
Noli despicere hominem justum pauperem,
et noli magnificare virum peccatorem divitem. 27
Magnus, et judex, et potens est in honore:
et non est major illo qui timet Deum.

28 οἰκέτῃ σοφῷ ἐλεύθεροι λειτουργήσουσιν καὶ ἀνὴρ ἐπιστήμων οὐ γογγύσει

28 Of his master’s sons a prudent servant shall yet be master. Only the fool, that is ill trained, takes punishment amiss; and a fool will never rise to greatness.

28
Servo sensato liberi servient:
et vir prudens et disciplinatus non murmurabit correptus,
et inscius non honorabitur.

29 μὴ σοφίζου ποιῆσαι τὸ ἔργον σου καὶ μὴ δοξάζου ἐν καιρῷ στενοχωρίας σου 30 κρείσσων ἐργαζόμενος καὶ περισσεύων ἐν πᾶσιν ἢ περιπατῶν δοξαζόμενος καὶ ἀπορῶν ἄρτων 31 τέκνον ἐν πραΰτητι δόξασον τὴν ψυχήν σου καὶ δὸς αὐτῇ τιμὴν κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτῆς 32 τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίς δικαιώσει καὶ τίς δοξάσει τὸν ἀτιμάζοντα τὴν ζωὴν αὐτοῦ

29 Do not boast of thy fine craftsmanship and then, in time of urgent need, stand idle;[2] 30 better fall to work and have a full belly than keep thy pride and go fasting. 31 Abate thy pride, keep body and soul together; value thy life as it deserves. 32 There is no excusing the man who is his own enemy, no worth in the man who thinks his life worth nothing.

29
Noli extollere te in faciendo opere tuo,
et noli cunctari in tempore angustiæ. 30
Melior est qui operatur et abundat in omnibus,
quam qui gloriatur et eget pane. 31
Fili, in mansuetudine serva animam tuam,
et da illi honorem secundum meritum suum. 32
Peccantem in animam suam quis justificabit?
et quis honorificabit exhonorantem animam suam?

33 πτωχὸς δοξάζεται δ{I'} ἐπιστήμην αὐτοῦ καὶ πλούσιος δοξάζεται διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ 34 ὁ δεδοξασμένος ἐν πτωχείᾳ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ ποσαχῶς καὶ ὁ ἄδοξος ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ ἐν πτωχείᾳ ποσαχῶς

33 One man, that little wealth has, may boast of his skill and the fear of God, another man of his riches. 34 Grow he rich, the poor man shall boast indeed; that other, grow he poor, has good cause to fear his poverty.

33
Pauper gloriatur per disciplinam et timorem suum:
et est homo qui honorificatur propter substantiam suam. 34
Qui autem gloriatur in paupertate, quanto magis in substantia!
et qui gloriatur in substantia, paupertatem vereatur.

[1] vv. 7-13: A comparison of the Latin with the Greek suggests that the order of these verses differed in different manuscripts of the original, and their sense cannot be certainly established. It seems likely that in verses 11-13 the physician referred to is Providence.

[2] This seems, in view of the context, the best account to give of a verse which is difficult in the Latin, and in the Greek almost untranslatable.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd