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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 5 2008, 1:30 PM EST (current) | joseph486 | 8 words deleted |
| Mar 5 2008, 1:28 PM EST | joseph486 | 1912 words added |
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SIRACH
from THE APOCRYPHA, The New English Bible The ways of wisdom
1. ALL WISDOM is from the Lord; wisdom is with him for ever. 2 Who can count the sand of the sea, the drops of rain, or the days of unending time? 3 Who can measure the height of the sky, the breadth of the earth, or the depth of the abyss? 4 Wisdom was first of all created things; intelligent purpose has been there from the beginning. 6 Who has laid bare the root of wisdom? Who has understood her subtlety? 8 One alone is wise, the Lord most terrible, seated upon his throne. 9 It is he who created her, surveyed and measured her, and infused her into all his works. 10 To all mankind he has given her in some measure, but in plenty to those who love him. 11 THE FEAR OF THE LORD brings honour and pride, cheerfulness and a garland of joy. 12 The fear of the Lord gladdens the heart; it brings cheerfulness and joy and long life. 13 Whoever fears the Lord will be prosperous at the last; blessings will be his on the day of his death. 14 The essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; she is created with the faithful in their mother’s womb, 15 she has built an everlasting home among men, and will keep faith with their descendants. 16 Those who fear the Lord have their fill of wisdom; she gives them deep draughts of her wine. 17 She stocks her home with all that the heart can desire and her storehouses with her produce. 18 Wisdom’s garland is the fear of the Lord, flowering with peace and health. 19 She showers down knowledge and ability, and bestows high honour on those who hold fast to her. 20 Wisdom is rooted in the fear of the Lord, and long life grows on her branches. 22 Unjust rage can never be excused; when anger tips the scale it is a man’s downfall. 23 Until the night time comes, a patient man restrains himself, and afterwards cheerfulness breaks through again; 24 until the right moment he keeps his thoughts to himself, and later his good sense is on everyone’s lips. 25 In wisdom’s store are wise proverbs, but godliness is detestable to a sinner. 26 If you long for wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will give it you in plenty. 27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline; fidelity and gentleness are his delight. 28 Do not disregard the fear of the Lord or approach him without sincerity. 29 Do not act a part before the eyes of the world; keep guard over your lips. 30 Never be arrogant, for fear you fall and bring disgrace on yourself; she Lord will reveal your secrets and humble you before the assembly, because it was not the fear of the Lord that prompted you, but your heart was full of hypocrisy. 2 MY SON, if you aspire to be a servant of the Lord, prepare yourself for testing. 2 Set a straight course, be resolute, and do not lose your head in time of disaster. 3 Hold fast to him, never desert him, if you would end your days in prosperity. 4 Bear every hardship that is sent you; be patient under humiliation, whatever the cost. 5 For gold is assayed by fire, and the Lord proves men in the furnace of humiliation. 6 Trust him and he will help you; steer a straight course and set your hope on him. 7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not stray or you will fall. 8 You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and you shall not miss your reward. 9 You who fear the Lord, expect prosperity, lasting happiness and favour. 10 Consider the past generations and see: was anyone who trusted the Lord ever disappointed? was anyone who stood firm in the fear of him ever deserted? did he ever neglect anyone who prayed to him? 11 For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and comes to the rescue in time of trouble. 12 Woe to faint hearts and nerveless hands and to the sinner who leads a double life! 13 Woe to the feeble- hearted! they have no faith, and therefore shall go unprotected. 14 Woe to you who have given up the struggle! What will you do when the Lord’s reckoning comes? 15 Those who fear the Lord never disobey his words; and all who love him keep to his ways. 16 Those who fear the Lord try to do his will; and all who love him steep themselves in the law. 17 Those who fear the Lord are always prepared; they humble themselves before him and say: 18 ’We will fall into the hands of the Lord, not into the hands of men, for his majesty is equalled by his mercy .’
3 CHILDREN, LISTEN TO ME, for I am your father; do what I tell you, if you wish to be safe. 2 It is the Lord’s will that a father should be honoured by his child and a mother’s rights recognized by her sons. 3 Respect for a father atones for sins, 4 and to honour your mother is to lay up a fortune. 5 A son who respects his father will be made happy by his own children; when he prays, he will be heard. 6 He who honours his father will have a long life, and he who obeys the Lord comforts his mother; 7 he obeys his parents as though he were their slave. 8 My son, honour your father by word and deed, so that you may receive his blessing. 9 For a father’s blessing strengthens his children’s houses, but a mother’s curse uproots their foundations. 10 Never seek honour at the cost of discredit to your father; how can his discredit bring honour to you? 11 A man is honoured if his father is honoured, and neglect of a mother is a disgrace to children. 12 My son, look after your father in his old age; do nothing to vex him as long as he lives. 13 Even if his mind fails, make allowances for him, and do not despise him because you are in your prime. 14 If you support your father it will never be forgotten, but be put to your credit against your sins; 15 when you are in trouble, it will be remembered in your favour, and your sins will melt away like frost in the sunshine. 16 To leave your father in the lurch is like blasphemy, and to provoke your mother’s anger is to call down the Lord’s curse. 17 My son, be unassuming in all you do, and those the Lord approves will love you. 18 The greater you are, the humbler you must be, and the Lord will show you favour. 20 For his power is great, and he is honoured by the humble. 21 Do not pry into things too hard for you or examine what is beyond your reach. 22 Meditate on the commandments you have been given; what the Lord keeps secret is no concern of yours. 23 Do not busy yourself with matters that are beyond you; even what has been shown you is above man’s grasp. 24 Many have been led astray by their speculations, and false conjectures have impaired their judgement. 26 Stubbornness will come to a bad end, and the man who flirts with danger will lose his life. 27 Stubbornness brings a load of troubles; the sinner piles sin on sin. 28 When calamity befalls the arrogant, there is no cure; wickedness is too deeply rooted in him. 29 A sensible man will take a proverb to heart; an attentive ear is the desire of the wise. 30 As water quenches a blazing fire, so almsgiving atones for sin. 31 He who repays a good turn is mindful of the future; when he falls he will find support.
4 My son, do not cheat a poor man of his livelihood or keep him waiting with hungry eyes. 2 Do not tantalize a starving man or drive him to desperation in his need. 3 If a man is desperate, do not add to his troubles or keep him waiting for the charity he asks. 4Do not reject the appeal of a man in distress or turn your back on the poor; 5 when he begs for alms, do not look the other way and so give him reason to curse you, 6 for if he curses you in his bitterness, his Maker will listen to his prayer. 7 Make yourself popular in the assembly, and show deference to the great. 8 When a poor man speaks to you, give him your attention and answer his greeting politely. 9 Rescue the downtrodden from the oppressor, and be firm when giving a verdict. 10 Be a father to orphans and like a husband to their mother; then the Most High will call you his son, and his love for you will be greater than a mother’s. 11 WISDOM RAISES her sons to greatness and cares for those who seek her.12 To love her is to love life; to rise early for her sake is to be filled with joy. 13 The man who attains her will win recognition; the Lord’s blessing rests upon every place she enters. 14 To serve her is to serve the Holy One, and the Lord loves those who love her. 15 Her dutiful servant will give laws to the heathen, and because he listens to her, his home will be secure. 16 If he trusts her, he will possess her and bequeath her to his descendants. 17 At first she will lead him by devious ways, filling him with craven fears. Her discipline will be a torment to him, and her decrees a hard test until he trusts her with all his heart. 18 Then she will come straight back to him again and gladden and reveal her secrets to him. 19 But if he strays from her, she will desert him and abandon him to his fate. 20 WATCH YOUR CHANCE and defend yourself against wrong, and do not be over- modest in your own cause; 21 for there is a modesty that leads to sin, as well as a modesty that brings honour and favour. 22 Do not be untrue to yourself in deference to another, or so diffident that you fail in your duty. 24 Never remain silent when a word might put things right, for wisdom shows itself by speech, and a man’s education must find expression in words. 25 Do not argue against the truth, but have a proper sense of your own ignorance. 26 Never be ashamed to admit your mistakes, nor try to swim against the current. 27 Do not let yourself be a doormat to a fool or curry favour with the powerful. 28 Fight to the death for truth, and the Lord God will fight on your side. 29 Do not be forward in your speech but slack and neglectful in your work. 30 Do not play the lion in your home or swagger among your servants. 31 Do not keep your hand open to receive and close it when it is your turn to give.
