| 1 ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι κύριε βασιλεῦ καὶ αἰνέσω σε θεὸν τὸν σωτῆρά μου 2 ἐξομολογοῦμαι τῷ ὀνόματί σου 3 ὅτι σκεπαστὴς καὶ βοηθὸς ἐγένου μοι καὶ ἐλυτρώσω τὸ σῶμά μου ἐξ ἀπωλείας καὶ ἐκ παγίδος διαβολῆς γλώσσης ἀπὸ χειλέων ἐργαζομένων ψεῦδος καὶ ἔναντι τῶν παρεστηκότων ἐγένου βοηθὸς 4 καὶ ἐλυτρώσω με κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἐλέους καὶ ὀνόματός σου ἐκ βρυγμῶν ἕτοιμον εἰς βρῶμα 5 ἐκ χειρὸς ζητούντων τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ πλειόνων θλίψεων ὧν ἔσχον 6 ἀπὸ πνιγμοῦ πυρᾶς κυκλόθεν καὶ ἐκ μέσου πυρός οὗ οὐκ ἐξέκαυσα 7 ἐκ βάθους κοιλίας ᾅδου καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης ἀκαθάρτου καὶ λόγου ψευδοῦς βασιλεῖ διαβολὴ γλώσσης ἀδίκου 8 ἤγγισεν ἕως θανάτου ἡ ψυχή μου 9 καὶ ἡ ζωή μου ἦν σύνεγγυς ᾅδου κάτω 10 περιέσχον με πάντοθεν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ βοηθῶν ἐνέβλεπον εἰς ἀντίλημψιν ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐκ ἦν 11 καὶ ἐμνήσθην τοῦ ἐλέους σου κύριε καὶ τῆς ἐργασίας σου τῆς ἀ{P'} αἰῶνος 12 ὅτι ἐξαιρῇ τοὺς ὑπομένοντάς σε καὶ σῴζεις αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν 13 καὶ ἀνύψωσα ἀπὸ γῆς ἱκετείαν μου καὶ ὑπὲρ θανάτου ῥύσεως ἐδεήθην 14 ἐπεκαλεσάμην κύριον πατέρα κυρίου μου μή με ἐγκαταλιπεῖν ἐν ἡμέραις θλίψεως ἐν καιρῷ ὑπερηφανιῶν ἀβοηθησίας 15 αἰνέσω τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐνδελεχῶς καὶ ὑμνήσω ἐν ἐξομολογήσει καὶ εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς μου 16 ἔσωσας γάρ με ἐξ ἀπωλείας καὶ ἐξείλου με ἐκ καιροῦ πονηροῦ 17 διὰ τοῦτο ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι καὶ αἰνέσω σε καὶ εὐλογήσω τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου |
1 A prayer uttered by Jesus, son of Sirach. O Lord, my king, I give thee thanks, O God, my deliverer, I praise thee; 2 I extol thy name, for all the succour and protection thou hast given me, 3 saving my life from deadly peril, when calumny lay in wait, and lying tongues assailed me. In full sight of all that stood by thou didst come to my rescue; 4 roaring lions stood ready to devour me, and thou in that great mercy, that renowned mercy of thine, didst deliver me. 5 I was in the hands of my mortal enemies, shut in on every side by misfortune; 6 there were stifling flames all round me, and I stood in the heart of the fire uninjured. 7 I looked down into the deep womb of the grave, when foul lips brought lying accusations, and cruel king gave unjust sentence. 8 And still I would praise the Lord, long as I had breath to praise him, 9 though death’s abyss yawned at my very feet, 10 though I was cut off on every side, with none to aid me. Man’s help I looked for, and could not find; 11 yet I bethought me, Lord, of thy mercy, thy deeds of long ago; 12 if men will but wait for thee patiently, thou, Lord, dost deliver them, dost rescue them from the power of the heathen. 13 It was thou who hadst prospered my life on earth, and now, death ready to overwhelm me, 14 to the Lord, Father of the Master I serve,[1] I made my plea. Would he leave me unaided when I was in distress, when my enemies were triumphing over me? 15 I will extol thy name unceasingly, with grateful praise; my prayer did not go unregarded. 16 Thou didst rescue me from deadly peril, didst save me in the hour of defeat; 17 shall I not give thanks, shall I not praise and bless thy name? |
1 Oratio Jesu filii Sirach.
Confitebor tibi, Domine rex,
et collaudabo te Deum salvatorem meum. 2
Confitebor nomini tuo,
quoniam adjutor et protector factus es mihi, 3
et liberasti corpus meum a perditione:
a laqueo linguæ iniquæ, et a labiis operantium mendacium:
et in conspectu astantium factus es mihi adjutor. 4
Et liberasti me, secundum multitudinem misericordiæ nominis tui,
a rugientibus præparatis ad escam: 5
de manibus quærentium animam meam,
et de portis tribulationum quæ circumdederunt me; 6
a pressura flammæ quæ circumdedit me,
et in medio ignis non sum æstuatus; 7
de altitudine ventris inferi,
et a lingua coinquinata, et a verbo mendacii,
a rege iniquo, et a lingua injusta. 8
Laudabit usque ad mortem anima mea Dominum, 9
et vita mea appropinquans erat in inferno deorsum. 10
Circumdederunt me undique, et non erat qui adjuvaret:
respiciens eram ad adjutorium hominum, et non erat. 11
Memoratus sum misericordiæ tuæ Domine,
et operationis tuæ, quæ a sæculo sunt: 12
quoniam eruis sustinentes te, Domine,
et liberas eos de manibus gentium. 13
Exaltasti super terram habitationem meam,
et pro morte defluente deprecatus sum. 14
Invocavi Dominum patrem Domini mei,
ut non derelinquat me in die tribulationis meæ,
et in tempore superborum, sine adjutorio. 15
Laudabo nomen tuum assidue,
et collaudabo illud in confessione:
et exaudita est oratio mea, 16
et liberasti me de perditione,
et eripuisti me de tempore iniquo. 17
Propterea confitebor, et laudem dicam tibi,
et benedicam nomini Domini. |