| 1 ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος δανιεῖ τῷ πλησίον καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τηρεῖ ἐντολάς 2 δάνεισον τῷ πλησίον ἐν καιρῷ χρείας αὐτοῦ καὶ πάλιν ἀπόδος τῷ πλησίον εἰς τὸν καιρόν 3 στερέωσον λόγον καὶ πιστώθητι με{T'} αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὑρήσεις τὴν χρείαν σου 4 πολλοὶ ὡς εὕρεμα ἐνόμισαν δάνος καὶ παρέσχον κόπον τοῖς βοηθήσασιν αὐτοῖς 5 ἕως οὗ λάβῃ καταφιλήσει χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρημάτων τοῦ πλησίον ταπεινώσει φωνήν 6 καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀποδόσεως παρελκύσει χρόνον καὶ ἀποδώσει λόγους ἀκηδίας καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αἰτιάσεται 7 ἐὰν ἰσχύσῃ μόλις κομίσεται τὸ ἥμισυ καὶ λογιεῖται αὐτὸ ὡς εὕρεμα 8 εἰ δὲ μή ἀπεστέρησεν αὐτὸν τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκτήσατο αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν δωρεάν 9 κατάρας καὶ λοιδορίας ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ καὶ ἀντὶ δόξης ἀποδώσει αὐτῷ ἀτιμίαν 10 πολλοὶ οὐ χάριν πονηρίας ἀπέστρεψαν ἀποστερηθῆναι δωρεὰν εὐλαβήθησαν 11 πλὴν ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον καὶ ἐ{P'} ἐλεημοσύνῃ μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν 12 χάριν ἐντολῆς ἀντιλαβοῦ πένητος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς αὐτὸν κενόν 13 ἀπόλεσον ἀργύριον δ{I'} ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλον καὶ μὴ ἰωθήτω ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀπώλειαν 14 θὲς τὸν θησαυρόν σου κα{T'} ἐντολὰς ὑψίστου καὶ λυσιτελήσει σοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον 15 σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις σου καὶ αὕτη ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως 16 ὑπὲρ ἀσπίδα κράτους καὶ ὑπὲρ δόρυ ὁλκῆς κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ 18 |
1 Heart full of kindness and hand full of comfort will keep the commandment, Lend to thy neighbour. 2 Neighbour must borrow easily when he needs, must repay readily when his need is over. 3 Keep thy bond, deal faithfully, and thou shalt never lack. 4 Out upon the man that treats loan as treasure trove, and is a burden to his benefactor! 5 What, kiss the hand that gives, and make humble promises of repayment; 6 then, when the debt falls due, ask for grace, and complain peevishly of hard times? 7 Pay grudgingly when pay thou canst, offer but half the sum, and count it a windfall for the lender? 8 Or, if thou canst not, disown the debt and make an enemy of him, 9 rewarding thy benefactor not with due honour, but with angry curse and reproach? 10 What wonder if many refuse to lend, not churlishly but for fear of wilful wrong? 11 Yet I would have thee patient with needy folk; do not keep them waiting for thy charity; 12 befriend them, as the law commands, nor ever send them away in their misery empty-handed. 13 It is thy brother, thy friend that asks; better lose thy money than leave it to rust in a vault. 14 Lay up store for thyself by obeying the commandments of the most High; more than gold it shall profit thee; 15 the good deed treasured in poor men’s hearts shall ransom thee from all harm, 16 shall more avail than stout shield or lance 18 to ward off thy enemies. |
1
Qui facit misericordiam fœneratur proximo suo:
et qui prævalet manu mandata servat. 2
Fœnerare proximo tuo in tempore necessitatis illius:
et iterum redde proximo in tempore suo. 3
Confirma verbum, et fideliter age cum illo:
et in omni tempore invenies quod tibi necessarium est. 4
Multi quasi inventionem æstimaverunt fœnus,
et præstiterunt molestiam his qui se adjuverunt. 5
Donec accipiant, osculantur manus dantis,
et in promissionibus humiliant vocem suam: 6
et in tempore redditionis postulabit tempus,
et loquetur verba tædii et murmurationum,
et tempus causabitur. 7
Si autem potuerit reddere, adversabitur:
solidi vix reddet dimidium,
et computabit illud quasi inventionem: 8
sin autem, fraudabit illum pecunia sua,
et possidebit illum inimicum gratis: 9
et convitia et maledicta reddet illi,
et pro honore et beneficio reddet illi contumeliam. 10
Multi non causa nequitiæ non fœnerati sunt,
sed fraudari gratis timuerunt. 11
Verumtamen super humilem animo fortior esto,
et pro eleemosyna non trahas illum. 12
Propter mandatum assume pauperem,
et propter inopiam ejus ne dimittas eum vacuum. 13
Perde pecuniam propter fratrem et amicum tuum,
et non abscondas illam sub lapide in perditionem. 14
Pone thesaurum tuum in præceptis Altissimi,
et proderit tibi magis quam aurum. 15
Conclude eleemosynam in corde pauperis,
et hæc pro te exorabit ab omni malo. 16
Super scutum potentis, et super lanceam: adversus inimicum tuum pugnabit. 18 |