Глава 41

Corporal death is the natural destiny of all flesh. Fear not death, but sinful offspring and an inglorious name during life and after death. Be ashamed not of wisdom, but of foolishness. Sir.41:1 O death! how bitter is the memory of you for a man who lives quietly in his possessions, Sir.41:2 for a person who is not worried about anything and is happy in everything and is still able to eat. Sir.41:3 O death! Your sentence is a joy for a man who is in need and weak in strength, Sir.41:4 for the elderly and burdened with worries about everything, for those who have no hope and have lost patience. Sir.41:5 Do not be afraid of the death sentence: remember your ancestors and descendants. This is the judgment of the Lord on all flesh. Sir.41:6 So, why do you turn away from what is pleasing to the Most High? whether ten, a hundred, or a thousand years - Sir.41:7 in hell there is no study about the time of life. 6–7. It is unwise to turn away from what is pleasing to the Almighty, especially since sooner or later the law of death will inevitably be realized, and in hell, the afterlife of a person, where there is no measurement of time, what matters is not the number of years a person has lived (whether ten, a hundred, or a thousand years), but how a person lived these years. Sir.41:8 Children of sinners are disgusting children and associate with the wicked. Sir.41:9 The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish, and disgrace will spread along with their tribe. Sir.41:10 A wicked father will be reproached by his children, because for his sake they suffer disgrace. Sir.41:11 Woe to you, wicked people who have forsaken the law of the Most High God! Sir.41:12 When you are born, you are born into a curse; and when you die, you receive a curse as your inheritance. Sir.41:13 Whatever is from the earth will return to the earth: so the wicked will be cursed into destruction. 13. How everything that is from the earth will return to the earth; so all those evil deeds and deeds of sinners, which are branded with a curse even at the moment of their occurrence, will inevitably lead stubborn wicked people to their destruction. Sir.41:14 People mourn over their bodies, but sinners and bad names will be blotted out. Sir.41:15 Take care of your name, for it will remain with you longer than many thousands of gold: Sir.41:16 The days of a good life have a number, but a good name endures forever. Sir.41:17 Observe, children, instruction in the world; but hidden wisdom and unseen treasure - what good are they? Sir.41:18 Better is a man who hides his foolishness than a man who hides his wisdom. Sir.41:19 So be ashamed of what I will say, 17–19. Be truly bashful: bashful where you should be ashamed - when doing something morally shameful or unreasonable; and have the courage not to be ashamed where there is no shame, while observing the laws of good morality and the rules of prudence. Sir.41:20 For not all modesty is good to observe, and not everything is approved by everyone in truth. Sir.41:21 Be ashamed before your father and mother of fornication, and before your ruler and ruler of lies; Sir.41:22 before the judge and the prince - crimes, before the congregation and the people - iniquities; Sir.41:23 before a comrade and friend - lies, before neighbors - thefts: Sir.41:24 Be ashamed of this before the truth of God and His covenant. Be ashamed of leaning your elbows on the table, of deception when borrowing and giving; Sir.41:25 Be ashamed of remaining silent before those who greet you, of looking at a dissolute woman, of turning your face away from a relative, Sir.41:26 taking away a share and a gift, thinking about a married woman, courting your maid, Sir.41:27 And do not come near her bed; Sir.41:28 Before your friends, be ashamed of reproachful words, and after you have given, do not reproach, Sir.41:29 repeating rumors and divulging secret words. And you will be truly bashful and gain the favor of every person.