Jesus Sirach 27

1Through poverty many have sinned: and he that seeketh to be enriched, turneth away his eye.

2As a stake sticketh fast in the midst of the joining of stones, so also in the midst of selling and buying, sin shall stick fast.

3Sin shall be destroyed with the sinner.

4Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown.

5As when one sifteth with a sieve, the dust will remain: so will the perplexity of a man in his thoughts.

6The furnace trieth the potter’s vessels, and the trial of affliction just men.

7Be the dressing of a tree sheweth the fruit thereof, so a word out of the thought of the heart of man.

8Praise not a man before he speaketh, for this is the trial of men.

9If thou followest justice, thou shalt obtain her: and shalt put her on as a long robe of honour, and thou shalt dwell with her: and she shall protect thee for ever, and in the day of acknowledgment thou shalt find a strong foundation.

10Birds resort unto their like: so truth will return to them that practise her.

11The lion always lieth in wait for prey: so do sins for them that work iniquities.

12A holy man continueth in wisdom as the sun: but a fool is changed as the moon.

13In the midst of the unwise keep in the word till its time: but be continually among men that think.

14The discourse of sinners is hateful, and their laughter is at the pleasures of sin.

15The speech that sweareth much shall make the hair of the head stand upright: and its irreverence shall make one stop his ears.

16Is the quarrels of the proud is the shedding of blood: and their cursing is a grievous hearing.

17He that discloseth the secret of a friend loseth his credit, and shall never find a friend to his mind.

18Love thy neighbour, and be joined to him with fidelity.

19But if thou discover his secrets, follow no more after him.

20For as a man that destroyeth his friend, so also is he that destroyeth the friendship of his neighbour.

21And as one that letteth a bird go out of his hand, so hast thou let thy neighbour go, and thou shalt not get him again.

22Follow after him no more, for he is gone afar off, he is fled, as a roe escaped out of the snare: because his soul is wounded.

23Thou canst no more bind him up. And of a curse there is reconciliation:

24But to disclose the secrets of a friend, leaveth no hope to an unhappy soul.

25He that winketh with the eye forgeth wicked things, and no man will cast him off:

26In the sight of thy eyes he will sweeten his mouth, and will admire thy words: but at the last he will writhe his mouth, and on thy words he will lay a stumblingblock.

27I have hated many things, but not like him, and the Lord will hate him.

28If one cast a stone on high, it will fall upon his own head: and the deceitful stroke will wound the deceitful.

29He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that setteth a stone for his neighbour, shall stumble upon it: and he that layeth a snare for another, shall perish in it.

30A mischievous counsel shall be rolled back upon the author, and he shall not know from whence it cometh to him.

31Mockery and reproach are of the proud, and vengeance as a lion shall lie in wait for him.

32They shall perish in a snare that are delighted with the fall of the just: and sorrow shall consume them before they die.

33Anger and fury are both of them abominable, and the sinful man shall be subject to them.

1[Propter inopiam multi deliquerunt: et qui quærit locupletari avertit oculum suum.

2Sicut in medio compaginis lapidum palus figitur, sic et inter medium venditionis et emptionis angustiabitur peccatum:

3conteretur cum delinquente delictum.

4Si non in timore Domini tenueris te instanter, cito subvertetur domus tua.]

5[Sicut in percussura cribri remanebit pulvis, sic aporia hominis in cogitatu illius.

6Vasa figuli probat fornax, et homines justos tentatio tribulationis.

7Sicut rusticatio de ligno ostendit fructum illius, sic verbum ex cogitatu cordis hominis.

8Ante sermonem non laudes virum: hæc enim tentatio est hominum.

9Si sequaris justitiam, apprehendes illam, et indues quasi poderem honoris: et inhabitabis cum ea, et proteget te in sempiternum, et in die agnitionis invenies firmamentum.

10Volatilia ad sibi similia conveniunt: et veritas ad eos qui operantur illam revertetur.

11Leo venationi insidiatur semper: sic peccata operantibus iniquitates.

12Homo sanctus in sapientia manet sicut sol: nam stultus sicut luna mutatur.

13In medio insensatorum serva verbum tempori: in medio autem cogitantium assiduus esto.

14Narratio peccantium odiosa, et risus illorum in deliciis peccati.

15Loquela multum jurans horripilationem capiti statuet, et irreverentia ipsius obturatio aurium.

16Effusio sanguinis in rixa superborum, et maledictio illorum auditus gravis.

17Qui denudat arcana amici fidem perdit, et non inveniet amicum ad animum suum.

18Dilige proximum, et conjungere fide cum illo.

19Quod si denudaveris absconsa illius, non persequeris post eum.

20Sicut enim homo qui perdit amicum suum, sic et qui perdit amicitiam proximi sui.

21Et sicut qui dimittit avem de manu sua, sic dereliquisti proximum tuum, et non eum capies.

22Non illum sequaris, quoniam longe abest: effugit enim quasi caprea de laqueo, quoniam vulnerata est anima ejus:

23ultra eum non poteris colligare. Et maledicti est concordatio:

24denudare autem amici mysteria, desperatio est animæ infelicis.]

25[Annuens oculo fabricat iniqua, et nemo eum abjiciet.

26In conspectu oculorum tuorum condulcabit os suum, et super sermones tuos admirabitur: novissime autem pervertet os suum, et in verbis tuis dabit scandalum.

27Multa odivi, et non coæquavi ei, et Dominus odiet illum.

28Qui in altum mittit lapidem, super caput ejus cadet: et plaga dolosa dolosi dividet vulnera.

29Et qui foveam fodit incidet in eam: et qui statuit lapidem proximo offendet in eo: et qui laqueum alii ponit, peribit in illo.

30Facienti nequissimum consilium, super ipsum devolvetur, et non agnoscet unde adveniat illi.

31Illusio et improperium superborum, et vindicta sicut leo insidiabitur illi.

32Laqueo peribunt qui oblectantur casu justorum, dolor autem consumet illos antequam moriantur.]

33[Ira et furor utraque execrabilia sunt, et vir peccator continens erit illorum.]

1Because of need, many have sinned. And whoever seeks to be enriched, averts his eye.

2Like a post fixed in the middle of adjoining stones, so also will sin become wedged between selling and buying.

3Sin will be crushed with the one who sins.

4If you do not hold yourself steadfastly to the fear of the Lord, your house will be quickly overthrown.

5Just as the dust remains when one shakes a sieve, so will the doubt of a man remain in his thoughts.

6The furnace tests the potter’s vessels, and the trial of the tribulation tests just men.

7As the pruning of a tree reveals its fruit, so does a word reveal the thoughts in the heart of a man.

8You should not praise a man before he speaks; for such is the testing of men.

9If you pursue justice, you will obtain it. And you will be clothed with justice, as with a long robe of honor. And you will live with justice. And justice will protect you continually. And on the day of reckoning, you will find a strong foundation.

10Birds flock to their own kind. And truth will return to those who practice it.

11The lion lies in wait for its prey continually. So also do sins lie in wait for those who work iniquity.

12A holy man persists in wisdom like the sun. But a senseless man changes like the moon.

13In the midst of the senseless, retain a word for the proper time. But be continually in the midst of those who are thoughtful.

14The discussions of sinners are hateful, and their laughter is a delight in sin.

15The speech that swears many oaths will cause the hair of the head to stand upright; and its irreverence will cause the ears to be blocked.

16The shedding of blood is in the quarrels of the arrogant; and their evil talk is grievous to hear.

17Whoever discloses the secret of a friend breaks faith; and he will not find a friend for his soul.

18Love your neighbor, and be united with him faithfully.

19But if you disclose his secrets, you should not continue to follow after him.

20For like a man who destroys his friend, so also is he who destroys the friendship of his neighbor.

21And like someone releasing a bird from his hand, so have you abandoned your neighbor, and you will not obtain him again.

22You should no longer seek him, for he is now far away; he has fled like a roe-deer from a snare. For his soul has been wounded.

23You will no longer be able to bind his wound. For there may be a reconciliation from cursing.

24But to disclose the secrets of a friend is the hopeless act of an unhappy soul.

25One who winks with the eye fabricates iniquity, and no one will cast him aside.

26In the sight of your eyes, he will sweeten his mouth, and he will admire your talk. But at the very end, he will pervert his mouth, and he will offer a scandal from your own words.

27I have hated many things, but I have not done as he has done, and the Lord will hate him.

28Whoever throws a stone straight up will find that it falls on his own head. And a deceitful wound will return to wound the deceitful.

29And whoever digs a pit will fall into it. And whoever positions a stone against his neighbor will stumble over it. And whoever lays a trap for another will perish by it.

30Whoever sets in motion a wicked plan will find that it rolls back over him, and he will not know from which direction it will arrive.

31Mockery and derision are of the arrogant, and vengeance will lie in wait for them, like a lion.

32Whoever enjoys the fall of the just will perish in a snare, and grief will consume them before they die.

33Anger and fury are both abominable, and the sinful man will be held by them.