Siracide 10

1Le prince sage tient son peuple dans la discipline, et le gouvernement de l’homme sensé est bien réglé.

2Tel le chef du peuple, tels ses ministres ; et tel le gouvernement de la ville, tels tous ses habitants.

3Un roi ignorant perd son peuple, mais une ville prospère par l’intelligence des chefs.

4La souveraineté du pays est entre les mains du Seigneur, et il lui suscite en son temps le prince habile.

5Le succès d’un homme est dans la main du Seigneur ; c’est lui qui met sur le front du chef son autorité.

6Pour aucune injustice ne garde rancune à ton prochain, et ne fais rien au milieu des actes de violence.

7L’orgueil est odieux à Dieu et aux hommes ; et pour les deux, l’injustice est une iniquité.

8La domination passe d’un peuple à un autre, à cause de l’injustice, des injures et de la convoitise des richesses.

9Pourquoi s’enorgueillit ce qui est terre et poussière ? Car pendant sa vie je mets le trouble dans ses membres ;

10la maladie est longue ; le médecin se rit ; et le roi d’aujourd’hui mourra demain !

11Et quand l’homme est mort, il a en partage les larves, les bêtes et les vers.

12L’orgueil commence quand l’homme se sépare du Seigneur, et quand le cœur s’éloigne de Celui qui l’a fait.

13Car le commencement de l’orgueil, c’est le péché, et celui qui s’y attache répand l’abomination comme la pluie. C’est pourquoi le Seigneur envoie des châtiments prodigieux, et frappe les méchants d’une ruine complète.

14Le Seigneur renverse le trône des princes, et fait asseoir à leur place les hommes doux.

15Le Seigneur arrache les racines des nations, et plante les humbles à leur place.

16Le Seigneur bouleverse les contrées des nations, et en poursuit la destruction jusqu’aux fondements de la terre.

17Il en dessèche plusieurs et en extermine les habitants ; il efface leur mémoire de la terre.

18L’orgueil n’est pas fait pour l’homme, ni la colère insolente pour ceux qui naissent de la femme.

19Quelle race est honorée ? La race de l’homme. Quelle race est honorée ? Ceux qui craignent le Seigneur. Quelle race est méprisée ? La race de l’homme. Quelle race est méprisée ? Ceux qui transgressent les commandements.

20Au milieu de ses frères, leur chef est en honneur ; ceux qui craignent le Seigneur le sont de même à ses yeux.

21Riche, noble et pauvre, leur gloire est la crainte du Seigneur.

22Il n’est pas juste de mépriser un pauvre intelligent ; il ne convient pas d’honorer un pécheur.

23Le grand, le juge et le puissant sont en honneur, mais aucun d’eux n’est plus grand que celui qui craint le Seigneur.

24Les hommes libres sont les serviteurs de l’esclave prudent, et l’homme intelligent ne murmurera pas.

25Ne raisonne pas pour faire ton ouvrage, et ne te vante pas au temps de ta détresse.

26Mieux vaut l’homme qui travaille en toutes choses, que celui qui se promène, qui se vante et manque de pain.

27Mon fils, honore ton âme dans la douceur, et donne-lui le respect qu’elle mérite.

28L’homme qui pèche contre son âme, qui le regardera comme juste ? Qui honorera celui qui déshonore sa vie ?

29Le pauvre est honoré pour sa science, et le riche est honoré pour sa richesse.

30Mais celui qui est honoré dans la pauvreté, combien le serait-il davantage dans la richesse ? Et celui qui est sans honneur dans la richesse, combien plus le serait-il dans la pauvreté ?

1[Judex sapiens judicabit populum suum, et principatus sensati stabilis erit.

2Secundum judicem populi, sic et ministri ejus: et qualis rector est civitatis, tales et inhabitantes in ea.

3Rex insipiens perdet populum suum: et civitates inhabitabuntur per sensum potentium.

4In manu Dei potestas terræ: et utilem rectorem suscitabit in tempus super illam.

5In manu Dei prosperitas hominis, et super faciem scribæ imponet honorem suum.]

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

7Odibilis coram Deo est et hominibus superbia, et execrabilis omnis iniquitas gentium.

8Regnum a gente in gentem transfertur propter injustitias, et injurias, et contumelias, et diversos dolos.

9Avaro autem nihil est scelestius. Quid superbit terra et cinis?

10Nihil est iniquius quam amare pecuniam: hic enim et animam suam venalem habet, quoniam in vita sua projecit intima sua.

11Omnis potentatus brevis vita; languor prolixior gravat medicum.

12Brevem languorem præcidit medicus: sic et rex hodie est, et cras morietur.

13Cum enim morietur homo, hæreditabit serpentes, et bestias, et vermes.

14Initium superbiæ hominis apostatare a Deo:

15quoniam ab eo qui fecit illum recessit cor ejus, quoniam initium omnis peccati est superbia. Qui tenuerit illam adimplebitur maledictis, et subvertet eum in finem.

16Propterea exhonoravit Dominus conventus malorum, et destruxit eos usque in finem.

17Sedes ducum superborum destruxit Deus, et sedere fecit mites pro eis.

18Radices gentium superbarum arefecit Deus, et plantavit humiles ex ipsis gentibus.

19Terras gentium evertit Dominus, et perdidit eas usque ad fundamentum.

20Arefecit ex ipsis, et disperdidit eos, et cessare fecit memoriam eorum a terra.

21Memoria superborum perdidit Deus, et reliquit memoriam humilium sensu.

22Non est creata hominibus superbia, neque iracundia nationi mulierum.]

23[Semen hominum honorabitur hoc, quod timet Deum: semen autem hoc exhonorabitur, quod præterit mandata Domini.

24In medio fratrum rector illorum in honore: et qui timent Dominum erunt in oculis illius.

25Gloria divitum, honoratorum, et pauperum, timor Dei est.

26Noli despicere hominem justum pauperem, et noli magnificare virum peccatorem divitem.

27Magnus, et judex, et potens est in honore: et non est major illo qui timet Deum.

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

29Noli extollere te in faciendo opere tuo, et noli cunctari in tempore angustiæ.

30Melior est qui operatur et abundat in omnibus, quam qui gloriatur et eget pane.

31Fili, in mansuetudine serva animam tuam, et da illi honorem secundum meritum suum.

32Peccantem in animam suam quis justificabit? et quis honorificabit exhonorantem animam suam?

33Pauper gloriatur per disciplinam et timorem suum: et est homo qui honorificatur propter substantiam suam.

34Qui autem gloriatur in paupertate, quanto magis in substantia ! et qui gloriatur in substantia, paupertatem vereatur.]

1A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a prudent man shall be steady.

2As the judge of the people is himself, so also are his ministers: and what manner of man the ruler of a city is, such also are they that dwell therein.

3An unwise king shall be the ruin of his people: and cities shall be inhabited through the prudence of the rulers.

4The power of the earth is in the hand of God, and in his time he will raise up a profitable ruler over it.

5The prosperity of man is in the hand of God, and upon the person of the scribe he shall lay his honour.

6Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, and do thou nothing by deeds of injury.

7Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable.

8A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits.

9But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth and ashes proud?

10There is not a more wicked thing than to love money: for such a one setteth even his own soul to sale: because while he liveth he hath cast away his bowels.

11All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician.

12The physician cutteth off it short sickness: so also a king is today, and tomorrow he shall die.

13For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms.

14The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God:

15Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: be that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.

16Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them.

17God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead.

18God hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations.

19The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation.

20He hath made some of them to wither away, and hath destroyed them, and hath made the memory of them to cease from the earth.

21God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind.

22Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women.

23That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth God: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord.

24In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes.

25The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor:

26Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich.

27The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honour: and there is none greater than he that feareth God.

28They that are free shall serve a servant that is wise: and a man that is prudent and well instructed will not murmur when he is reproved; and he that is ignorant, shall not be honoured.

29Extol not thyself in doing thy work, and linger not in the time of distress:

30Better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself and wanteth bread.

31My son, keep thy soul in meekness, and give it honour according to its desert.

32Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul? and who will honour him that dishonoureth his own soul?

33The poor man is glorified by his discipline and fear: and there is a man that is honoured for his wealth.

34But he that is glorified in poverty, how much more in wealth? and he that is glorified in wealth, let him fear poverty.