Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 24
Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.
ΑΙΝΕΣΙΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΣ. - ῾Η σοφία αἰνέσει ψυχὴν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐν μέσῳ λαοῦ αὐτῆς καυχήσεται.
In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.
ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ῾Υψίστου στόμα αὐτῆς ἀνοίξει καὶ ἔναντι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καυχήσεται·
I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.
ἐγὼ ἀπὸ στόματος ῾Υψίστου ἐξῆλθον, καὶ ὡς ὁμίχλη κατεκάλυψα γῆν·
I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.
ἐγὼ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατεσκήνωσα, καὶ ὁ θρόνος μου ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης·
I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.
γῦρον οὐρανοῦ ἐκύκλωσα μόνη καὶ ἐν βάθει ἀβύσσων περιεπάτησα·
In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.
ἐν κύμασι θαλάσσης καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐν παντὶ λαῷ καὶ ἔθνει ἐκτησάμην.
With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?
μετὰ τούτων πάντων ἀνάπαυσιν ἐζήτησα καὶ ἐν κληρονομίᾳ τίνος αὐλισθήσομαι.
So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.
τότε ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ κτίστης ἁπάντων, καὶ ὁ κτίσας με κατέπαυσε τὴν σκηνήν μου καὶ εἶπεν· ἐν ᾿Ιακὼβ κατασκήνωσον καὶ ἐν ᾿Ισραὴλ κατακληρονομήθητι.
He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.
πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἔκτισέ με, καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπω.
In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion.
ἐν σκηνῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐλειτούργησα καὶ οὕτως ἐν Σιὼν ἐστηρίχθην·
Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.
ἐν πόλει ἠγαπημένῃ ὁμοίως με κατέπαυσε, καὶ ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἐξουσία μου·
And I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord’s inheritance.
καὶ ἐρρίζωσα ἐν λαῷ δεδοξασμένῳ, ἐν μερίδι Κυρίου κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ.
I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.
ὡς κέδρος ἀνυψώθην ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ ὡς κυπάρισσος ἐν ὄρεσιν ᾿Αερμών·
I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water.
ὡς φοῖνιξ ἀνυψώθην ἐν αἰγιαλοῖς καὶ ὡς φυτὰ ῥόδου ἐν ῾Ιεριχώ, ὡς ἐλαία εὐπρεπὴς ἐν πεδίῳ, καὶ ἀνυψώθην ὡς πλάτανος.
I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
ὡς κιννάμωμον καὶ ἀσπάλαθος ἀρωμάτων δέδωκα ὀσμὴν καὶ ὡς σμύρνα ἐκλεκτὴ διέδωκα εὐωδίαν, ὡς χαλβάνη καὶ ὄνυξ καὶ στακτὴ καὶ ὡς λιβάνου ἀτμὶς ἐν σκηνῇ.
As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.
ἐγὼ ὡς τερέμινθος ἐξέτεινα κλάδους μου, καὶ οἱ κλάδοι μου κλάδοι δόξης καὶ χάριτος.
As the vine brought I forth pleasant savour, and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.
ἐγὼ ὡς ἄμπελος βλαστήσασα χάριν, καὶ τὰ ἄνθη μου καρπὸς δόξης καὶ πλούτου. [
I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.
ἐγὼ μήτηρ τῆς ἀγαπήσεως τῆς καλῆς, καὶ φόβου καὶ γνώσεως καὶ τῆς ὁσίας ἐλπίδος, δίδομαι οὖν πᾶσι τοῖς τέκνοις μου, ἀειγενὴς τοῖς λεγομένοις ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ].
Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.
προσέλθετε πρός με οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντές μου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γεννημάτων μου ἐμπλήσθητε·
For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
τὸ γὰρ μνημόσυνόν μου ὑπὲρ τὸ μέλι γλυκύ, καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου ὑπὲρ μέλιτος κηρίον.
They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
οἱ ἐσθίοντές με ἔτι πεινάσουσι, καὶ οἱ πίνοντές με ἔτι διψήσουσιν.
He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.
ὁ ὑπακούων μου οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσεται, καὶ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσουσι.
All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.
ταῦτα πάντα βίβλος διαθήκης Θεοῦ ῾Υψίστου, νόμον ὃν ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν Μωυσῆς κληρονομίαν συναγωγαῖς ᾿Ιακώβ. [
Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.
μὴ ἐκλύεσθε ἰσχὺν ἐν Κυρίῳ, κολλᾶσθε δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν, ἵνα κραταιώσῃ ὑμᾶς, Κύριος παντοκράτωρ Θεὸς μόνος ἐστί, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν αὐτοῦ σωτήρ].
He filleth all things with his wisdom, as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.
ὁ πιμπλῶν ὡς Φεισὼν σοφίαν καὶ ὡς Τίγρις ἐν ἡμέραις νέων,
He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest.
ὁ ἀναπληρῶν ὡς Εὐφράτης σύνεσιν καὶ ὡς ᾿Ιορδάνης ἐν ἡμέραις θερισμοῦ,
He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, and as Geon in the time of vintage.
ὁ ἐκφαίνων ὡς φῶς παιδείαν, ὡς Γηὼν ἐν ἡμέραις τρυγητοῦ.
The first man knew her not perfectly: no more shall the last find her out.
οὐ συνετέλεσεν ὁ πρῶτος γνῶναι αὐτήν, καὶ οὕτως ὁ ἔσχατος οὐκ ἐξιχνίασεν αὐτήν·
For her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels profounder than the great deep.
ἀπὸ γὰρ θαλάσσης ἐπληθύνθη διανόημα αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ ἀβύσσου μεγάλης.
I also came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.
κἀγὼ ὡς διῶρυξ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ καὶ ὡς ὑδραγωγὸς ἐξῆλθον εἰς παράδεισον·
I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.
εἶπα· ποτιῶ μου τὸν κῆπον καὶ μεθύσω μου τὴν πρασιάν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγένετό μοι ἡ διῶρυξ εἰς ποταμόν, καὶ ὁ ποταμός μου ἐγένετο εἰς θάλασσαν.
I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.
ἔτι παιδείαν ὡς ὄρθρον φωτιῶ καὶ ἐκφανῶ αὐτὰ ἕως εἰς μακράν·
I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.
ἔτι διδασκαλίαν ὡς προφητείαν ἐκχεῶ καὶ καταλείψω αὐτὴν εἰς γενεὰς αἰώνων.
Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom.
ἴδετε ὅτι οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνῳ ἐκοπίασα, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτήν.