1°35 INTRODUCTIO N TO ECCLESIASTI C U S

)

INTRO DUCTION TO

ECCLESIASTICUS'-----.)

Th is book forms part of the Greek Bible though it does not appear in theJewi sh Canon; it is therefore one of the deuterocanonica l books accepted bythe Church. It was written in Hebrew ; St Jerome and the rabbis (who quotefrom it) knew the book in its original language. About two -third s of th is Hebrewtext was d iscovered in 1896 in fragments of several lat e ma nuscripts ; theserepresent a rece nsion which differs co nsiderably from the Greek and is somewhatcorrupt. T he Ch urch recognises the canonicity on ly of the Greek text and fromthis our translation is made, though the He brew variants will be found in thefootnotes .

The Latin title Ecclesi asticu s (tiber ) is relatively recent (St Cyprian) ; itprobably calls attention to the fact that the Church adopted it for her officialuse a ltho ugh the Synagogue d id not. In Greek, cf. the subscriptio of 51:30, thebook was called 'W isdo m of Jesus Ben Sira ch' and the author is again na medin 50:27. Nowadays he is referred to as Ben Sira or Siracides (following theGreek form: Sirac h). In a forewo rd, vv. 1-34, the grandson of the a uthor tellshow he translated the book when he went to settle in Egypt in the 38th yearof King Euergetes, v. 27. This can only be Ptolemy VII Euergetes (170-11 7 B.C.) ,and the date corresponds to 132 B.C. Ben Sira himself pres umably lived andwro te a bo ut sixty years before his grandson, therefore about 190 B.C. A pas sagein the book confirms this date: Ben Sira's eu logy of the High Priest Simon,50:1-21, is based on personal remin iscence . This was Simo n II, who diedshortly after 200 B.C.

At this perio d Palestine had j ust co me und er the dominion of the Seleucids(198) . Hellenisation, th at is to say the imitation of Greek manners, wassuppo rted by a secti on of the ruling cla ss ; and soon afterwards Antioc husEpipha nes (175-163) was to atte mpt to impose it by force. Against thesedangerous innovations Ben Sira mar shals a ll th e forces of tradition. He isa scribe in who m the pursuit of wisdo m is coupled with zea l for the Law. He isdevoted to the Te mp le with its liturgy and ha s a high rega rd for the pr iestlyoffice; but the sacred books, too, are his spiritual nourishm ent; he has studiedthe Prophet s a nd above all the wisdom writings. He in his turn undertakesto teach wisdom to all who are eager for it, 33:18; 50:27, cf. the tra nslator'sprologue, vv. 7-14.

In fo rm , the bo ok resem bles its predecessors and mo dels. Apart from th esection hymning the glory of God in nature, 42: 15-43: 33, and in history,44: 1- 50:29, with the appendices of, respectively, a hymn of than ksgiving,51 : 1-12, and a poem on the q uest for wisdo m, 51:13-30, the book is no morelogically put together than Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. The most d iverse topicsare dea lt with, in no order and with some repetition; the topics are pre sent edin small groups of loosely connected maxi ms.

The doctrine, too, is tradi tional. The wisdom which Ben Sira commendscomes from Go d : it is rooted in the fear of the Lord : it forms the youthfulcha rac ter a nd br ings ha ppiness. On human destin y and the problem of retri ­bution Ben Sira shares the same uncertainty as Job and Ecclesiastes. Hebel ieves in retribution , he is aware of the tragic importance of the hour ofdea th , but he does not yet see how God can reward every man as his ac tiviti esdeserve, cf. Introduction to Wisdom Boo ks. On the natu re of divine wisdom,24:1-22, he elaborates th e noti ons of Proverb s and Job, cf. In troduction toWisdom Book s.

But Ben Sira 's or iginal contribut ion is to iden tify wisdom with the Lawof Moses, 24:23-24 (the wisdom poem in Bar uch 3:9-4:4 do es the same).Unlike his predecessors, he integra tes wisdom with the observance of the Law.Further, he iden tifies ob servance of the Law with a punc tilious performanceof rel igio us du ties, 35:1-10; he is a firm supporter of lit urgical wor ship.

In contrast with ea rlier sage s, Ben Sira medit ates on the history of sa lvation,44: 1-49:16. He reviews the grea t personalities of the Old Testament from Enochto Nehem iah. O n three of them, Solomon (even though he was the model ofsages), Reho boam and Jeroboa m, his verd ict is as severe as tha t passe d bydeut eron omic historians, and like them he condemn s all the kings en bloc excep tDav id, Heze kiah a nd Jos iah . But he dwells pr incipa lly on the sa intly figur esof the Old Tes tament a nd on the wonders G od work ed through them. He tellshow Go d made a covenant with Noa h, Abraham, Jacob, Mo ses, Aaron ,Phin ehas a nd David, em braci ng the whole nat ion but especially ensuring lastingpriv ileges to certa in fam ilies, and the pr iestly fa milies in part icular. For theauthor holds the deepe st respect for the pr iesthood : Aaron and Phinehas takeleading places in his ga llery of ance stor s, and his eulogy concludes with a longand enthusiastic tr ibute to Simon the reigning high prie st. He looks back onth e departed glories with a certain sadness, as he th inks of the presen t, and heprays as he thinks of judges and pro phet s ' that the ir bo nes may flower againfrom the tomb', 46:12; 49: 10, and tha t the y may have successors. He wrote onthe eve of the Maccabaean revolt; he may perha ps have lived to see it end andto think that his prayer had been hea rd .

Though in th is history of salvation Ben Sira gives prominence to the doctrineof the covenant, it is fairly correct to say th at he does not look forward toa messianic de liverance. True, in his prayer of 36: 1-17 he reminds God of hispromises, beggi ng him to take pity on Zion and reasse mble the tribes of Jacob,but if thi s is messia nism it is very vague. From start to finish the teac hing ofthe sages, being co ncerned .with the problems of the individual , remains clearl ydistinguished from the preaching of the prophet s, though som etimes riot farremoved .

Ben Sira is the last canonical representative of Jewish wisdom in Palestine.He is an outstand ing exa mp le of those has idim (the 'devout') of Judaism,cf. I M 2:42+, who were soon to defend their faith aga inst the persecutionsof Antiochus Epiphanes, and preser ve litt le islands of faith in Israel, in whichthe teaching of Ch rist could later take root. Though Ecclesiasticus was notaccepted into the He brew Canon, it is frequentiy quoted in the rabbinicalwritings; in the New Testament, the Epistle of St James bo rrows manyexpress ions from it, and it is, next to the Psa lms, the Old Testament book mostfrequently quoted in the Christian liturgy.

ow

/°3 7 ECCLE S I AST ICUS 1:24

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For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered?Her resourceful ways, who knows them?'

One onl y is wise, terrible indeed,seated on his throne, -t he Lord .'

He himself has created her , ' loo ked on her and assessed her,and poured her out on all his works

to be with all mankind as his gift,and he conveyed her to those who love him .

Jb 28:12- 23

Ws 11:20

J b 28:27

J I3:1-2

Ac 2:17f.JJ

002:26

TRANSLATOR 'S FOREWORD"

I. COLLECTIONS OF SAYINGS

ECCLESIASTICUS

0'4;6Pr 1:7 +

Ws 7:11

Jb 28;27

1;12Pr 3;2

Pr 8;18 -19

Pr 29;22

001 2:13

1:20 ;1 1:27Pr4:10

9: 16

e. Add . v , 7 'T o whom has th e knowledge ofwisdom bee n man ifes ted ? And who has understoodthe ab undance of her ways?'

f. The au tho r emp hasises th e un iqueness and sub­limity of God . W isdom is an anrtbute of God, theha llmark. o f h is crea tion, t he gift of God to man;th ou gh freq ue n tly personified in wisdom lite rat ure ,Pr 8:22 + , her e it is a cre a ted thing a nd cannot beide nti fied with God.

g. VuIK. adds 'i n the Ho ly Sp irit' .h. T he ' fea r of the Lor d' in the wisdom books

no lon ge r impli es physical fea r in presence of God'sterri fying powe r but rathe r reve re nce a nd devotedobedience .

I. Sy r. 'e ternal life ' .l . Add. v . 2l 'T he fear o f the Lord takes sin away,

he who perseveres turns away a nger".k . Text core.: ' Unj ust rage ca nno t be justified '

G reek .

in the hea vens ; her ways are the eternal laws' .F a . This foreword by the Greek. transla tor is notstric t ly a part of Si and is no t us ua lly co nsideredcano nical.

b . T he three-par t d ivision of t he Hebr. Bib le.cr. 1 M 12:9 + and List of Contents. So also vv, 8-10.24-25.

c . Probably Ptolemy VII Euergetes Physkon(170 - 117), The da te would therefore be 132 B.C.

d. Lit. 'a copy' ( v ar , 'oppo rtun ity' ) . P res umablythe refer en ce is 1O a COpy of th e G reek Bib le o r of aco llec tion o f wisdo m boo ks which the trans latorwante d to co mplete by add ing h is Rra ndfa the r's wo rk .I a. T h is first cha p ter is a series of va riat ions o nthe th emes enuncia ted at the beg inning of Pro

b. Th e te rm ' Lor d ' t Kyriosl in LXX usu all y ren~e~s

'Yahwe h', the ineffa b le na me of God. Ben Sir a stranslator uses it repea ted ly, eve n to tran slat e o the rdivi ne appe lla tions.

c. ' the dep th of th e a byss", Lar. , cf. Syr .; ' t heabyss an d wisdom' G reek .

d . Add. v, 5 'Wisdo m's so urce is the word of God

Patience and self-control

The rage of the wicked man cannot ju st ify him,"for the weigh t of his rage is his downfall.

The pati ent man will hold out till the time comes,but his joy will break out in the end.

He will hide his words till the t ime comes,and stor ies of his discernment will be on ma ny lips.

The fear of God"

The fear of the Lord is glory and pride,and happiness and a cro wn of joyfulness.

The fear of the Lord will gladd en the hea rtgiving hap piness and joy a nd long life.'

Wit h him who fears the Lord it will be well at the last ,and he will be blessed on the day of his death.

To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,she was created with the faithful in their mothers' womb;

she has mad e a nest among men, an age-old foundat ion,and to their offsp ring she will cling faith fully.

To fear the Lord is the perfect ion of wisdo m;she intoxicates them with her fruit s ;

she fills their whole house with their heart's desire,and their storerooms with her produce.

T he fear of the Lo rd is the crown of wisdom;it makes peace and health to flourish.

The Lo rd has looked on her a nd assessed her,he has sho wered do wn learn ing and d iscern ment,and exal ted the renown of those who hold her close .

To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom,and her branches are long life. '

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The mystery of wisdom"

All wisdom is from the Lord , I>

a nd it is his own for ever .T he san d of the sea and the raindrops,

and the da ys of eternity, who ca n assess them?The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth,

and the dep th of the abyss,' who can probe them?Before all ot her th ings wisdo m was crea ted,

shrewd understanding is ever lasting."

Many and wonderful are the gifts we have been granted by means of the 1

Law and the Prophets -a nd the others that followed them , b ' an ed uca t ion in jwisdom on which Israel is indeed to be complimented. •But it is no t eno ugh 4

mere ly for those who read the scriptures to be learned in them; -stud ent s should 5

also be ab le to be of use to people outside « by what they say and write. -So it ~

was that my grandfather Jesus, having devoted himself more and more to read ingthe Law -and the Prophets and -the oth er volumes of the fathers, -and havinggained ability enough in these matters, 'was brought to the point of himse lfwriting down some of the things that have a bea ring on education in wisdom,in order that those stud iously inclined and with obligations in these matters 13

might make all the more progress in living according to the Law.You a re the refo re asked -to read this book -w ith good will a nd atte ntion

and to sho w indul gence -i n those places where, notwithsta nding our effor tsat interpretat ion, we may seem -to ha ve failed to give an adeq uate renderingof this or that expression; - the fact is that yo u ca nnot find an equ ivalent •forthings ori ginally written in Hebrew when you co me to tra nslate them intoan other language ; -what is mo re, -yo u will find on exa minati on that the Law ~i

itself, the Prophets -a nd the other book s -d iffer con siderabl y in translation ~~

from what appears in the original text.It was in the thirty-eigh th year of the late King Euergetes,s -when after my U

arrival in Egypt I had alread y spent some time there, - that I fou nd a work" 29

of more tha n common instruction al wort h, -w hich co nvinced me of the urgency 30

of ap plying myself in my turn with pain s and diligen ce to the t ranslation of thebook tha t follows ; -a nd I spe nt much time a nd lea rnin g on it - in the cou rse of Hthis period, -to co mplete the Work and to publish the boo k - for the benefit Uespecially of those who, domiciled ab road, wish to study how to fit themselvesand their ma nners for living according to the Law .

24:8.9Pr 8;22

Ba 3;20­22

Pr 2;6 1Ws 8;2 1;9;4

Pr 30:4

;

2

Hum ility

My son , be gent le in ca rrying out yo ur business,a nd you will be bett er loved tha n a lavish giver.'

The greater yo u are, the more yo u sho uld behave humbly,and then yo u will find favou r with the Lord ; '

for great though the power of the Lord is,he accepts the homage of the humb le.h

Pr 17:6

Pr 3:34ze 2:3+

M ( 15:4-6

Pr 19:26

Ex 2 1:17 +Pr 19:26 ;

30:17

Pr 3:34M I20 :26-28Ph 2:5-8

G o 27:27f:48: 15-20 :49:3-27

Dt 33: 1-25

2 S 24:14

Mt2 1:28-31

Ex 20: 12 + ­Ep 6:1-3

Dt 5:16

3 a , Corr. fo llowing Hebr.: Greek ' he wh o showsobedience to th e Lord se ts h is mo ther at ease' . Addv. 7a ' He who fea rs the Lord respec ts h is fa ther' .

b, G reek li t. 'as masters' , pr o ba bly a mist a kenin terp re ta tio n of the Heb r . wo rd Adonai.

c . Heb r. 'A fat her 's b lessing pla n ts, a mother 'scu rse uproo ts what is plan ted ' .

d . C orr.: Gree k '(i n add itio n) to th e d isgrace' .e. Hebr. 'To cu rse one 's mother is to infuriate

o ne 's creat or ' .f. ' la vish ' Hebr. : 'beloved ' G ree k.g , Add . v. 19 ' Ma ny are the arrogant a nd

re no wned, bu t the humble are th ose to whom he re vea lshis secrets'.

h . T he verse ca lls attent ion to God's condesce n­sio n in welcom ing [he homage of the lowly . Hebr.' fo r gre at is the mer cy of God : he ma kes his sec re tsknow n to the hum ble' , cf . Pr 3:32 : Ps 25: 14.

E C CLESIASTICUS

Let us fall into the hands of the Lo rd, not into the hands of men ;for as his majesty is, so too is his mercy.

towards parents

Children, listen to me your father,do what I tell you, and so be safe ;

for the Lord hon ours the fath er in his children,and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons .

Whoever respects his father is atoning for his sins,he who ho no urs his mother is like someo ne am assing a fortune.

Whoever respects his father will be happy with children of his own,he sha ll be heard on the day when he pra ys.

Long life comes to him who hon ours his father ,he who sets his mother a t ease is showing obedi ence to the Lord.a

He serves his parent s as he doe s his Lord. b

Respect your fat her in deed as well as word,so that blessing may come on you from him ;

since a father's blessing makes the hou ses of his children firm,while a mother's curse tea rs up their fou ndations.'

Do not ma ke a boast of disgrace overtaking your fat her,your father' s disgrace reflects no hon ou r on you;"

for a ma n's honour derives from the respect shown to his fat her,and a mother held in dishono ur is a reproach to her childr en.

My son, sup port your fat her in his old age,do not grieve him dur ing his life.

Even if his mind should fa il. show him sympathy,do not despise him in your heal th and strength;

for kind ness to a fa ther shall not be forgottenbut will serve as reparat ion for your sins .

In the da ys of your affliction it will be remembered of you,like frost in sunshine, your sins will melt away .

The man who desert s his father is no better than a blasphemer ,and whoever angers his mother is accursed of the Lord. '

I. Fo r Ben Sira wisdom a nd obse rva nce of theLaw go toget her , 19:20 . Cr. 0012:13 . Her e, wisdo mis the rewa rd of o bserva nce.

m. Lit. ' be fo re me n ' some MSS and vers ion s .

2 a. A favo urite a .T. (heme. par ticul arl y in the Ps.

b. T he au tho r is seemi ngly comme ndi ng resistan ceunde r persecu tion : he co nde mns even a n Outwa rdsh ow of surrender, vv, 12b, I5, cf. 2 M 6:2 1-28 .

c . Following Svr.: G reek ' to the listless hea rt sinceit has no tru st ' .

d . Ben Sir-a does no t oppose lo ve to obedience :he ide ntifi es them . Lo ve is unselfis h: reward is nopri ma ry mon ve . T he a t titude is c ha racte ris tic o fBen Sira but is found elsew here in Jew ish so urces.Cf. for example Ptr t:e Abo th, 1:3: '00 not be like slaveswh o serve their master for the. sak e of rewar d . Be likes laves who serve their ma ster with ou t loo king forreward.'

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10 381:25 ECCLESIASTIC U S

Wisdom and ~tnessIn wisdo m's treasuries there a re lea rned sayings,

but reverence for God is loathsome to the sinner.If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,'

and the Lord will con vey her to you .For wisdom and instr uct ion mea n the fear of the Lord,

and what pleases him is fait hfulness and gen tleness.Do not be unsubmissive to the fear of the Lord,

do not pract ise it with a double heart.Do not act a part in publ ic, m

and keep a watch over your lips.Do not ra ise yourself up , in case you fall

and bring disgrace on yourself,for the Lord wou ld then reveal your secrets

a nd humiliate you before the whole communityfor not having attained the fear of the Lord,

and for having a hea rt full of deceit.

The fear of God in time of ordeal"

My son , if you aspire to serve the Lord,prepa re yourself for an ordeal.

Be sincere of heart, be steadfast,and do not be alarmed when disaster comes.

Cling to him and do not leave him,so that you may be honoured at the end of your days.

Whatever happens to you, accept it,and in the uncert ainties of your humble stat e, be pat ient,

since gold is tested in the fire,a nd chosen men in the furnace of humiliation .

Tr ust him a nd he will uphold you ,follow a st ra ight path a nd hope in him.

You who fea r the Lord, wait for his mercy ;do not turn aside in case you fall.

You who fear the Lord, trust him ,and you will not be baulked of your reward.

Yo u who fea r the Lord hope for good things,for everlasting happiness and mercy .

Look at the generations of old a nd see:who ever trusted in the Lo rd and was put to shame?

Or who ever feared him steadfastly and was left forsaken ?Or who ever called ou t to him, and was ignored?

Fo r the Lord is co mpass ionate and merc iful,he forgives sins, and saves in day s of distress.

Woe to faint hearts and listless hands, b

and to the sinner who treads two pa ths .Woe to the listless heart that has no faith,'

for such will have no protection.Woe to you who have lost the will to endure ;

what will you do at the Lord's visitation ?Those who fea r the Lord do not disdain his words,

and those who love him keep his ways.Th ose who fea r the Lord do the ir best to please him,

and those who love him find sat isfaction in his Law."Those who fear the Lord keep the ir hearts prepared

an d humble themselves in his presence.

Pr 15:B

Pr 5:14

2:12; 5:9Jm 3:6-S

Jo 14: 15.21.23

3b 4:7

Ps 22:4-5

Ps 37:25

Ex 34:6-7Ps 145:Sf

Jm 1:2-4R v 2:10

II1 P4:12

R v 3:21

R m 5:3Jm 1:2-4

Pr 3:5-6

ECCL ESIASTI C U S [040 1°4 1 ECCLESIAST ICUS s:r

4

' 511:24Lk 12:15-2 1

Ac 20:35

In 18:37

Lv 5:5N b S:71 K 2 1:27fPc 28: 13Jm 5:16

1 In 3:18

M t i :14

20:22

Jb 11:6On 2:21-22In 15:15

J Il 14:2 1

th e nat ion s' G reek.d. G ree k add s 't o hi m a nd gladde n hi m'. absent

fr o m Hebr.co . T he Hebr. makes W isdo m the sneaker in th is

passage, vv. 15- 19 , in imit at io n of Pr 1:22fand 8:1 f.f . T h is pas sa ge pos sibl y a lludes 10 ac tua l even ts :

in th e pre sence of the hellenisers. Jews were tem pt edto d isguise the ir fa it h a nd reli gio us pr acti ce. cr. I M I:12- 15 ; 2 M 4:11-16 . BUI the injunctions ar e va lid fora ll time s .

lie , ' M Y son' Heb r. and La t ,h . ' a t an opportune rtrne ' , Lit. ' a t a l ime 'o f

sa lva tio n' , meaning uncertain . ' a nd do not hid e yourwisdo m' fo llow ing Hebr.. G ree k 24 8 a nd Ler.: th eselast two add ' fo r beau ty' .

I. II wou ld be ea sie r to sto p if th an to co ncea l one'ss ins from God .

i . 'truth ' Greek ; ' justice ' Hebr. a nd lat.k , Va r. '3 dog' . which woul d mak e th e two line s

syno nym ou s inste ad of an rtt he tica l.

and the Lord loves those who love her.Whoever obeys her judges ar ight, c

and whoever pays attention to her dwell s secure .If he trusts himself to her he will inherit her,

and his descendants will remain in possession of her ;for though she takes him at first th rough winding ways,

brin ging fear and faint ness on him,plaguing him with her discipl ine until she can trust him,

and testing him with her ordeals,in the end she will lead him back to the strai ght road,"

and reveal her secrets to him.If he wanders away she will abandon him,

a nd hand him over to his fate. e

c . ' judges ar igh t' co rr. following H ebr . j ' judges

i . Aea tns t cur iosity (vv. 21- 24): (he Law is asu fficien t st udy fur th e wise man .

j , ' wil h ma ilers t hat are beyon d YOU' Hcbr. : ' wt rhunnecessary wo rks' Gr ee k.

k . Heb r. ' Fo r ma ny arc th e tho ught s of men ' .J. Add. v. 25 ' For lack of eyes you want for liaht :

if you arc w i tho u t k nowledge do no t uu em pr to

convince ' .m . Hebr. ' a nd whoever loves happ iness wil l be led

by it' .n . ' t he s inner' G reek; 'he who fre ts ' Hebr.o. T he text docs nOI make clear whe ther thi s mea ns

re turn ing good for good (cf. Hebr. ) or good for ev il.4 a . .'wido ws· Hebr. ; 'their mothers' G reek .

b. Wisd om is here per so nified as in Pr 1:23-25 :8:12-2 1: 9: 1-6. Her 'so ns' ar e th ose who pursue wisdo mand pu t it in to pra ct lce vcf. Lk 7:35.

Shame and human respect'My son," bide you r time and be on your guard against evil,

and have no ca use to be ashame d of yourself;for there is a sha me that leads to sin,

as well as a shame that is honourabl e and gracio us.Do no t show part iality, to your own det riment ,

or deference, to you r own downfall.Do not refrai n from speech at an opportune time ,

and do not hide your wisdom ;"for wisdom shall be recognised in speech.

and instruct ion by what the to ngue utte rs.Do not contradict the truth,

ra ther blush for your own ignorance.Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,

do not strive agai nst the current of a river. i

Do not grovel to a fool ish man ,do not show partiality to a man of influence.

Fight to the dea th for truth '; -and the Lord God will war on your side.

Do not be bold of tongue,yet idle and slack in deed;

do not be like a lion " at home ,or a cowa rd before your servants.

Do not let your hands be outstretched to receive,yet closed when the time comes to give back .

Wealth and presumpt ionDo not give your heart to yo ur money,

or say, 'W ith thisI am self-sufficient' .

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Pride

Do not try to understand thin gs that are too difficult for you,or try to discover what is beyon d your powers .'

Concentrate on what has been ass igned you ,you have no need to worry over myste ries.

Do not meddle with matters that are beyond you; 'what you have been taught al ready exceeds the scope of the

human mind.For many have been misled by their own presumption!

and wrong-headed op inions have warped their ideas.'

A stubborn heart will com e to a bad end at last,a nd whoever loves danger will per ish in it. ",

A stubborn heart is weighed down with troubles,the sinner" heaps sin on sin.

There is no cure for the proud man 's malady,since a n evil growt h has tak en root in him.

The hear t of a sensible man will reflect on pa rabl es,a n attentive ear is the sage' s dream.

Charity to the poor

Water quenches a blazing fire,almsgiving atones for sins .

Whoever gives favou rs> in return is mindful of the future ;at the moment of his fall he will find support.

My son, do not refuse the poor a livelihood,do not tantalise the needy .

Do not add to the sufferings of the hungry,do not bait a man in distress.

Do not aggravate a heart already angry,nor keep the destitute waiting for your alm s.

Do not repulse a hard-pressed beggar ,nor turn your face from a poor man .

Do not avert your eyes from the destitute,give no man occasion to curse yo u;

for if a ma n curses you in the bitterness of his soul,his maker will hear his imprecation .

Gain the love of the co mmunity,bow your head to a man of autho rity.

To the poor man lend a n ear,and return his greeti ng courteously.

Save the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor,and do not be mean -spi rited in your judgements.

Be like a fat her to orphans,and as good as a husband to widows."

And you will be like a son to the Most High,whose love for you will surpass you r mother's .

Wisdom as educator

Wisdom brings up her own sons ,and cares for those who seek her."

Whoever loves her loves life,those who wait on her earl y will be filled with happiness.

Whoever holds her close will inherit hon ou r,a nd wherever he walks the Lo rd will bless him.

Those who serve her minister to the Ho ly One,

Ps 131: 1

6:27 -28

Pr 3:16-1 8

Ws 8:17-18

Pr 3:35

Ex 22:220 1 15:9

7:32-36: 29:8-13

0, 15:7-11

Tb4:10On 4:2 4

Tb 12:91 P4:8

Tb4:7

Pc 28:14Rm2:5

Ex 22:21

Ps 41: 1-3Lk 6:35

In 14:21,23

Jb 29:15-1 7

Pc 3:27-2 8 +

5:2 ECCLESIASTICUS 1°42 1°43 ECCLESIASTICUS

and to your dismay make your quarrel public,and a third kind of friend will share your ta ble,

but not stand by you in your day of trouble:when you are doing well he will be your second self,

ord erin g your servants about;"but if ever you ar e broug ht low he will turn against you

and will hide himself from you.Keep well clear of your enemies,

and be wary of your frien ds.A faithfu l friend is a sure shelter,

whoeve r finds one has found a rare treasure.A faithful friend is something beyon d price,

the re is no meas uri ng' his worth .A fait hfu l friend is the elixir of life,

and those who fea r the Lord will find one .Whoever fears the Lord makes true frien ds,

for as a man is, so is his friend.'

Apprenticeship to wisdom

My son, from your earl iest yout h choose instruc t ion,and till your hair is white you will keep finding wisdom.

Cu ltivate her " like the ploughman an d the sower,and wait for her fine harvest,

for in tilling her you will toil a littl e while,but very soon you will be eating her crops.

How very ha rsh she is to the undiscipli ned!The senseless man does not stay with her for long:

she will weigh on him like a heavy stone,'and he will lose no t ime in throwing her off;

for discip line ' is true to her name ,she is not accessib le to many .

Listen, son, a nd take my warning,do not reject my advice:

put your feet into her fetters,and yo ur neck into her harn ess;

give yo ur sho ulder to her yoke,do not be restive in her reins;

cou rt her with all your soul,and with a ll your might keep in her ways;

go after her an d seek her ; she will reveal herself to you;once you hold her, do not let her go.

Fo r in the end yo u will find rest in herand she will take the form of joy for you:

her fetters you will find are a strong defence,her harness, a robe of honour.

Her yoke will be a golden orna ment;'

Pr 1:9

Dt 6:5

Ws6:12

Pr 1:9M III:29

4:11- 12Jr 6:16Mt 11:29

Pr 24:7

Pr 8:18-19Ws7:14

51:13Pr 22:6

Pr 17:17 ; 18:24

Pr 18:1900 4:9-12

Pr 25:9-10

Pr 19:4,7

d. Hebr. 'in your misfort une he lea ves yo u' .e. Lit. 'weighing'.f. Us ually interpreted 'for his friend is as dear to

him as himself '. But equalt v probable is 'for his friendwill be inevita bly like himself. G od-fear ing ".

g . 'Cultiva te her'. Iit . 'come to her'.h. Hebr. ' to uchsto ne".i . 'disciplin e ' fo llowing Hebr. ; 'wisdom' Greek .

Probably a play o n musar, 'discipline', and musar.'se t a pa rt".

i. Tex t corr. fo llow ing Hebr.

S a. Like the 'foo l' who denies God's prov idence.Ps 53:1.

b. The sce ptic defies divine justice when it isapparently inactive .

c . 'avoid offences ' fo llo wing He br.: 'do no t beignorant' Greek.6 a. 'Do nO I give in' fo llowing Hebr. ; 'Do not exa ltyourself' Greek.

b. 'gobbles up' foll owing Hebr, ; 'do not swa llo w'G reek.

c . Lit , ' those who are at peace with yO U', orpossibly 'those who wish peace to yo u' . Cf. Heb r.'(he men of yo ur greeting'.

2829

2"27

3031

2526

2728

2930

2425

2324

222./

2122

2021

20

19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

I I

10

4

9II

8IV

1012

17

II13

14/ 6

1315

1214

1518

/

I

Do not be led by your appetites and ene rgyto follow the passio ns of your heart.

And do not say , 'W ho has aut hority over meT afor the Lord will cer ta inly be avenged on you.

Do not say, 'I sinned, and what ha ppened to me?' .for the Lord's for bea rance is long.

Do not be so sure of forgivenessthat you add sin to sin.

And do not say, 'His compassion is great,he will forgive me my many sins';

for with him a re both mercy a nd wrat h,and his rage bears heavy on sinners.

Do not de lay yo ur return to the Lord,do not put it off day after day ;

for suddenly the Lord's wrath will blaze ou t,a nd at the time of vengea nce you will be utterly dest royed.

Do not set yo ur hear t on ill-gotten gains,they will be of no use to you on the day of d isaster.

Straightforwardness and self-possession

Do not winnow in every wind,or walk along every by-way(such is the pract ice of the deceitful sinne r).

Be steady in your convictions,sincere in you r speech.

Be quick to listen,a nd deliberate in giving an answer.

If you understa nd the matter, give your neighbou r a n answer ,if no t, put your han d over yo ur mouth .

Both hon ou r a nd disgrace co me from tal king,a man' s tong ue ca n ca use his do wnfall.

Do not get a nam e for sca nda l-mongering,do not set trap s with your to ngue ;

fo r as shame lies in sto re for the thie f,so harsh con demn at ion awaits the deceit ful.

Avo id offences' in great as in small matters,a nd do not become a n enemy where you sho uld stay a friend ;

6 for a bad name will ea rn yo u shame and reproach,as happens to the deceit ful sinner.

Do not give ina to the promptings of yo ur tempe r,in case it gores you r soul like a mad bull;

in case it gobb les up" your leaves a nd you lose your fruits,a nd a re left like a withered tree.

An evil temper destroys the man who has itand ma kes him the laughing-stock of his enemies.

Friendship

A kindly turn of speech mul tiplies a ma n's friends,and a cour teous way of spea king invites ma ny a friendly reply.

Let your acq uai nta nces' be ma ny,but yo ur ad visers one in a thousand .

If you wan t to ma ke a friend , tak e him on tr ial,an d be in no hurry to t rust him ;

for o ne kind of fr iend is only so when it suits himbut will not sta nd by you in your da y of trouble.

Another kind of friend will fall out with you

M . 5:37Jm 5:12

16:11Ex 20:5-6

Ps 12:4Ws2:11

Pr 30:32

Pr 10:2

Pr 18:21Jm 3:6

Pr 15:1

37:1-6

37:7-15

12:8-9Pr 17: 17

J b 19:20

In 15:5-6

.eJm 1:19

7:16-17Is 55:6-7

Lk 12:35-40

008:11-14Rm 2:4 : 3:25

E C C LES I A STICUS

her reins , purple ribbons;you will wear her like a robe of honour,

you will put her on like a crown of honour.sIf you wish, my son, you can acquire instruction,

if you give yo ur mind to it, subtlety will be yours.If you love listening you will learn,

if you lend an ear, wisdom will be yours.Att end the gathering of elders ;

if there is a wise man there, attach yourself to him.Listen willingly to a ny discourse coming fro m God,

do not let shrewd proverbs escape you.If you see a man of understanding, visit him earl y,

let your feet wear out his doorstep.Reflect on the injunctions of the Lord,

busy yourself at a ll times with his commandments.He will strengthen you r mind ,

and the wisdom you desire will be granted you .

Miscellaneous advice

3:30-4: 10;29:8-13

0 1 14:29Ps 4 1:1

Lv 5:6 (sacri fices of reparat ion, or ' fo r sin ') ; Ex 29:27 ;Lv 7:32 ; D ( 18:3 ( the sh o uldc r-aift) . T he 's acr ifice of

sa nct ifica tio n' (Hcbr . 'of jus tice ' ) is p ro ba b ly t heob la t ion of Lv 2: 1-16,

g. The He br. goes on ' ho loca us t rneatf") a ndfree-wil l offerings, sa cr ifices of ius tice and sacredofferings".

h. The blessing given by God .I. O n the duty of bury ing the dead wort hily. cr.

2 S 21:10- 14; Jr 22:19 ; Is 34:3 : Tb 1:1 7·1 8 ; 12:12 . A ta la ter pe rio d , pr ayer s a nd sa crifices were also offeredfor them. 2 M 12:38-46 . But the Law seem s to ha vefo rbid den cert ain pagan r ites connec ted with th e dead,Dt 26:14 , cr. Ba 6:26 ; Si 30:18. Ben Sira does not goint o deta ils.

k. ' honour' Hebr. : 'g ladness' G reek .7 a. 'c an co me of i t' fo llowing Hebr.

b. Or possibly ' Do no t hesitate 1O marry a wisea nd good wife' , cf . v, 26.

c . ' Love .. like your ow n self ' Hebr . ; ' le t yourso ul lo ve' G reek ,

d . Heb r. ' a nd bet roth them from child hood '.e . ' yo u ha ve finis hed a grea t wor k' G reek; ' a nd

your ca res will va nish' Hebr.f. Ben Sira reveres the litu rgy a nd It S min ister s ,

d . c h. 50 , He re, re vere nce fo r the priest is ju xtap osedwith worship of the Lo rd . in th e sa me spirit as th osetexts to which v , 31 a lludes; N b 18:11-18. (first -Iru itsj ;

With all your soul hold the Lord in awe,and revere his priestsJ

With all your might love him who made you ,and do not abandon his min isters .

Fear the Lord and honour the pr iestand give him the porti on enjoined on you :«

first-fruits and sacrifices of reparation and the shou lder-gift ,the sacrifice of sanctification, and first-fruits of the holy things.

The poor and afflicted

Stretch your hand out also to the poor man ,that your blessing" may be perfect.

Be generous in your gifts to all the living,do not withhold your favour even from the dead .'

3032

UJ7

"

2931

.113J

"

32.10

1°45 ECCLES IASTICUS T3317 Be very humble,19

since the punishment for the godless is fire and worms. Jd 1 16: 172 M 9:9

18 Do not ba rte r a friend for profit,Is 66:24

20M k 9:48

19nor a real brother for the gold of Ophir.

21 Do not turn against a wise and good wife, b

20for her charm is worth more than gold .

D o not ill-treat a slave who is an honest worker, 33:25-3322 0 1 24: 14-15

2 1or a wage-earner who does his best for you.

Love an intelligent slave like your own self,' Ex 21:22J 0115:12-15

and do not deny him his freedom.

Children22 Have you catt le? Look after them ;24

if they are making you a profit, keep them. Pr 27:23

23 Have you children? Educate them, 30: 1-1325

make them bow the neck from chil dhoo d." Pr 13:24 +

24 Have you dau ghters? Take care of their bodies,26

but do not be over-i ndulgent. 42:9-11

25 Marry a daughte r off, and you have finished a great work; '27

bu t give her to a man of sense. I Co 7:36-38

26 Have you a wife to yo ur liking? Do not turn her out ;28

but if you dislike her, never trust her.

Parents27 With all your heart honour your father, Ex 20: 1229

never forget the birthpangs of your mother. Tb 4:4

28 Remember that you owe you 1 birt h to them;30

how can you repay them for what they have done for you?

Priests

109

10

II/2

9JJ

12IJ

IS16

1617

18

1314

1415

1°44

3132

3233

3l34

3435

35

36

37

Do no evil, and evil will not befall you ;shun wrong, and it will avoid you .

Son, do not sow in the furrows of wrong-doing,or you may reap it seven times over.

Do not ask the Lord for the highest place,or the king for a seat of honour.

Do no t par ade your virtue before the Lord ,or your wisdo m before the king.

Do not scheme to be a ppointed judge,. in case you a re not strong enough to stamp out injustice,In case you let yourself be swayed by a n influenti al man ,

and so risk the loss of your integrity.Do no t wrong the general body of citizens

and so lower yourse lf in popular esteem.

Do not be drawn to sin twice over,for you will not go unpunished even once.

Do not say, 'God will consider the great number of my gifts ;when I make my offer ings to the Most High God he willaccept them' .

Do not be impatient in prayer ;do not neglect to give alms.

Do not lau gh at a man when he is sad of hea rtfor he who brings him low can lift him high. '

Do no t draw up a lying indictment aga inst your brot her ,do no t do it against a friend either.

Mind yo u tell no lies,for no good can come of it. a

Do not make long-winded speeches in the gathering of elders,and do not repeat you rself at your prayers.

Do not shirk wearisome labour,or farm wor k, which the Most High created.

D o not swell the ranks of the sinners,remember that the wra th will not delav.

7

Q05:1M16 :7

5:7

Jm 1:6

3:30 +

G 0 4:7

I S 2:7L k 1:52

Ps 1:2

Ws 6:14

Pr 4:9

8:8Pr 13:20

Jb4:8Pr 22 :8

Ga 6:7-8

Pr 24:27

Lv 19:15

13:9-10Pr 25:6-7

Pr 21:27Am 5:21 +

ECCLESIA S TI C US 1047 ECCLESIASTICUS

37:12R m 12:15

M125 :35

38:20

Do not fail those who weep ,but share the grief of the grief-stricken.

Do not shrink fro m visiting the sick;in this way you will mak e yourself loved.

In everyth ing you do, ' remember your end,and you will never sin. s

3438

3539

3640

1720

1821

1922

Do not ask a fool for ad vice,since he will not be able to keep a confide nce.

In a stra nger's presence do not hing that sho uld be kept secret ,since you cannot tell what use he will make of it.

Do not open your heart to every man,or solicit favours fro m all comers. "

11:21Ps 37;73

Pr 2:16 ; 5:2+

Pr 29:3Lk 15:13

4 1:22-23P r 2: 16

Pr 23:27 ;29:3

Pr 7:6-27

Jb 31:1M 1 5:28

N b 5:14-15

rs 16:4-211 K 11:1-4Pr 31 :3

f . Hebr. 'a nd d o not dri ve away your good fo r tu ne ' ,9 a . Lit. ' to Shear , O n th e qu est ion of re tribu tio nin th is life . cf. Intr od uct ion to Wi sd om Books.

not gloat over the death of an ene m y',

d . One of t he tradit io na l attrtbutes o f wisdom:It makes a reliable offic ial.

e . Th e rabbis think highly o f t raditio n wh ich th eyca ll ' the spoken law', Cf. DL4:9; II : 19 : Ps 44: I : 78 :3f :Jb 8:8 ; 12:12 , Most bo o ks of th e Bib le form ed pan ofth e o ra l tradit ion bef ore being co mmitted to wri ting,T his is nota bly t rue o f the prover bs and maxims ofth e sag es ,

Do not be jealous of the wife you love,or teach her lessons in evil to your detriment.

Do not give yo ur so ul to a woman,for her to trample on your strength.

Do not keep compan y wit h a harl ot,in case you get entangled in her snares.

Do not da lly wit h a singing girl,in case yo u get caught by her wiles.

Do not sta re at a virgin,in case you and she incur the same puni shment.

Do not give your soul to whores,or you will ruin you r inheri tance.

Keep you r eyes to yourself in the stree ts of a town,do no t prowl about its unfrequented quarters.

Turn your eyes away from a handsom e wom an,do not sta re a t the beauty that belongs to someone else.

Woman's beau ty has led many astray;it kindles desire like a flame.

Never sit do wn with a married woman,or sit a t ta ble with her dr inking wine,

in case you succ um b to her charms,a nd in yo ur ardour you slide down to your ruin.

j. ' YOU do' fo llowing Hebr. ; Greek li t. 'your words' ,

k. Ben Si ra may have no sure or clear ide a of re­tributiou a fte r dea th but on several oc casions he em­phasises the imp or tan ce of th e last moment, cr. 11:26· 28.It may a lso be th at t he G reek transla tio n ha s movedfurther in thi s direct ion . for th e Hebr. has simp ly' in all yo ur acti ons co ns ide r t he end ', t.e . think o f th econsequ en ces of yo ur ac ts ; th e Greek is mor e ex plici tan d for ' the end ' reads ' yo ur las l mo ments ' t ta eschataSOil ). in vit ing re flection o n <t he las t t hings ' ,

8 a. By th e type o f cu rse so commo n in the Eas t.b. <guilt y' Hebr. : 'in chas t isemen ts ' G reek .c. Lit. ' D o no t gloat over a dead ma n' ; Vu lg . ' D o

Relations with men

Do not desert a n old friend;the new one will not be his match.

New friend , new wine;when it grows old, you drink it with pleasure.

Do not envy the sinner his success ;you do not know what turn his career will tak e.

Do not take pleasure in what please s the godless ;remember they will not go unpunished to their grave."

Keep your distance from the man who has the power to put to death,and you will not be haunted by the fear of dyin g.

If you do approach him, mak e no false move ,or he may take your life.

Women

4

45

912

13

10

9II

1012 14

/5

1013 II

16

II14 12

17

1215 13

18

1316 19

141 7

1518

1619

and commonsense

Do not try conclusions with an influen tial man ,in case you la ter fall into his clutches.

Do not qua rrel with a rich man ,in case he turns the sca les again st you ;

for gold has des troyed man y,a nd has swayed the hearts of kings.

Do not quarrel with a man of quick ton gue,do not pile logs on his fire.

Do not jest with a n ill-mannered man ,in case yo u hear your ancestry insult ed."

Do not revile a repenta nt sinner;remember that we a ll a re guilty ."

Do not despise a man in his old age ;after all , some of us too are growing old.

Do not gloat over a man's death ;,.remember that we a ll must die.

Do not ignore the talk of the wise,be con versant with their prove rbs,

since from these yo u will learn the theory a nd artof serving the grea t."

Do no t und errat e the ta lk of old men ,after all , they themse lves learn ed it from their fath ers ;«

from them you will learn how to think,and the art of the timely an swer.

Do not kindle the coal s of the sinner,in case you scorch yourself in his blaze.

Refuse to be drawn by an arrogant man.for fear he tries to trap you in your words.

Do not lend to anyone who is st ronger than you are­if you do lend, resign yourself to loss.

Do not stand surety beyond your means;if you do stand surety, be prepared to pay up.

Do not go to law with a judge,since judgement will be given in his favour.

Do not travel with a reckless fellow,in case he imposes on you ;

he will act as the whim takes him,and you will both be ruined by his folly .

Do not argue with a qu ick-t emp ered ma n,or travel with him through the wilderness ;

since blood counts for nothing in his eyes,and where no help is to be had , he will str ike you down.

Prudence

8

Tradition

Prudence

Col 4:6

29:4

Pr 10:15

6:33Pr 13:20

29:14 -20Pr6:1+

Pr 15:18

Mt 7:1-50R m 3:9-20I In 1:8- 10

Lv 19:32

Pr 22:24-25

Pr 14:35 : 16:13f

1048

20

1421

1522

1623

1724

1825

Qo 3:11

D 17:\ 0

10:22; 11:1

10:30

IS 16:72Co 10:10­

11

MI13:31-32

Pr 12:9

Jr 9:221 Co 1:31

Pr 11:29: 17:2

9: 16; 10:30

Jr 9:22-23

1 Co 1:26-3\2Co 10:171m 1:9

g. ' pro ud me n' cor r. : ' na tions ' Greek,

h. He br. (?) 't he man who fears the Lord is(ho no ured) still more' . Ad d . v. 21 'The fear of theLord is the beginn ing of adva ncement. but the beg inningof re jection is stu bb ornn ess and pride' .

i . Cf. St Pa ul's rema rks on slavery. Ga 3:28 : Col3:11; Phm 16.

I. Following He br., cr. Pr 12:9. Gr eek ' than aman who struts about , is proud , and without brea d ' .11 a . Heb r. 'Do not jeer at a man in rags , do no tmock an yone who is in t rouble' .

b. r.e . unseen and unforeseeable . On e tum of the

and humility

Do not try to be smart when you do your work,do not put on airs when you are in difficulties.

Better a hardworking man who has plenty of everyth ing,than a pretentio us man at a loss for a meal)

My son, be modest in your self-esteem,and value yourself at your prope r wort h.

Who can justify a man who runs himself down,or respect a man who despises himself?

A poor man is honoured for his wits,and a rich man for his wealth.

Honoured in poverty, how much the more in wealth !Dishonoured in wealth , how much the more in poverty!

go by appearances

The poor man 's wisdom keeps his head erect ,and gives him a place with the great.

Do not praise a man for his good looks ,nor dislike anybody for his appearance.

Small among winged creat ures is the beebut her produce is the sweetest of the sweet.

aDo not preen yourself on your fine clot hes,nor be swollen headed on your day of glory;

for the Lord's deeds are marvellous,though hidden from mankind. b

Pride was not created for men,nor furious rage for those born of woman .

ECCLES IASTICUS

deserving honour

What race deserves honour? The human race .What race deserves honour? Those who fear the Lord.

What race deserves contempt? The human race.What race deserves contempt? Those who break the commandments.

Among brothers the leader of them deserves honour,and those who fear the Lord deserve honour in his sight. h

Let rich and noble and poortake pride in fearing the Lord .

It is not right to despise a poor but intelligent man ,and it is not good to honou r a man who is a sinner.

Ruler , magistrate, influential man, all are to be honoured,but none of them is greater than him who fears the Lord.

A wise slave will have free men waiting on him,and the man of sense will not grumble. i

b . And thus a targ et for th e ar rows of the e nem y.But th e text is uncert ain . Heb r. 'on ne ts' .

c. F ollow ing He br. (or possibly 'a nswer'); ' watch 'Greek.

d. Text uncertain.10 a . 'un edu cated ' G reek ; ' undisciplined ' Hebr.

b. ' lawgiver ' G reek; 'sc ribe ' Hebr.c. H ebr. 'Do not pu nish'.d. 'be cause of iniustice .. . " Greek ; ' because of

do mineering prid e' Hebr .e . Following several Quota tions . G reek ' it cas ts

lis surs': Hebr. ' its gu ts are full of worms ' ..r. ' moc ks the doct or ' ; var . ' the doctor laughs at it' .

Do not

Frankness

1°49

Persons

2730

3 134

3033

2427

283/

2S28

2932

2629

2225

2326

2024

1923

1822

9

JOb10/2

1214

15

13

II13

16

15/8

1417

1720

21

1619

Realise that you are treadi ng among trip- lines,tha t you are strolling on the battlements. b

Cultivate- your neighbours as far as you can,and consult with wise men.

For conversation seek intelligent men ,let all your discuss ions bear on the law of the Most High .

Have virtuous men for your table companions ,and let your pride be in fearing the Lord.

Work from skilled hands will earn its praise,but a leader of the peop le must be shrewd of speech."

A phrase-maker is a terror to his town,a loose ta lker is detested.

ECCLESIASTICUS

The wise mag istrate will be strict with his people,and the government of a prudent man will be well-regulated.

As the magistrate is, so will his officials be,as the govern or is, so will be the inhabitants of his city.

An uneducated- king will be the ruin of his people,a city owes its prosper ity to the intelligence of its leading men.

The government of the ear th is in the hands of the Lord,he sets the right man over it at the right time.

A man's success is in the hands of the Lord,it is he who invests the lawgiver - with honou r.

pride

Do not resent' your neighbour's every offence,and never act in a fit of passion .

Pride is hateful to God and man ,and injustice is abhorrent to both .

Empire passes from nation to natio nbecause 01 injusti ce, arrogance and money .«

What has dust and ashes to pride itself on?Even in life its guts are repellent.'

A long illness mocks the doctor ; 'a king today is a corpse tomorrow.

Whe n a man comes to die,his inheritance will be creeping things, beasts of prey, worms.

The beginn ing of human pride is to desert the Lord,and to turn one 's heart away from one's maker.

Since the beginning of pride is sin,whoever clings to it will pour forth filth.

Fo r which reaso n the Lord inflicted extraordinary pun ishmentson them

and utterly overthrew them .The Lord has thrown down rulers' thrones,

and seated the humble in their place.The Lord has plucked up pro ud men " by the roots ,

and planted the lowly in their place.The Lord has overth rown the lands of the heathens

and destroyed them to the very foundations of the ear th.He has taken some of them away and destroyed them,

and blotted out their memory from the earth.

9:14

Government

10

Against

1:11 : 10:22

37:20

37:7- 15

37:12

Ws 6:24

J r 27:5

Pr 8: 15Is 11:2-5

Ws 7: 16

R m I3 :1

D18:14

11:5I S 2:4-8L k 1:52

33:12D n 2:35

1b 17:14Is 14: 11

Lv 19; 18MI 5:21-24 :18:2 1-22

17:32G n 2:7 : 18:

27

11:2 1-22Is 40:15-17

Many monarchs have been made to sit on the ground,'and the man nobody thought of has worn the crown .

Many influential men have been utterly disgraced,and prominent men have fallen into the power of others.

Deliberation and reflection

Do not find fault before making thorough inquiry;first reflect, then give a reprimand.

Listen before you answer,and do not interrupt a speech in the middle.

Do not wrangle about something that do es not concern you,nor inte rfere in the squabbles of sinners.

My son , do not ta ke on a great a mount 01 business ;if you mu ltip ly your interests, you are bo und to suffer for it ;

hur ry as fas t as you ca n, yet you will never arrive,"no r will yo u escape by run ning away.

A man la bours and toi ls and forges a head ,on ly to find himse lf the mo re out-distanced.

Trust in God alone

Another man is a poor creature begging for assistance,badly off for support , but rich in poverty,

and the Lord turn s a favourab le eye on him,sets him on his feet out of his a bject con diti on ,

and enables him to hold his head high,to the utter amazement of many.

G ood and bad, life and death,poverty a nd wealth, all come from the Lo rd. '

The Lord 's gift remains constant to the devout,"and his goodwill mea ns a good journey for ever.

A man grows rich by his sharpness and grabbing,and here is the reward he receives for it:

he says, ~I have found rest,and no w I ca n enjoy my goods' ;

but he does no t know how long this will last; g

he will have to leave his goods fo r others and die.Persevere at your duty, ta ke pleasure in doi ng it,h

and gro w old at your wor k.Do not be as tonished at the sinner's achi evement s:

trust the Lord an d keep to yo ur duty;since it is a trifle in the eyes of the Lord,

in a mom ent, suddenly to mak e a poor man rich .Th e devout man receives the Lord's blessing as his reward,

in a moment G od bri ngs his blessing to flower. 'Do not say, 'W hat are my needs,

what will be my profits in future?'And do no t say, 'I am self-sup por ting,

what losses can I suffer in future ?'In a time of profit, losses are forgotte n,

and in a time of loss, no one remembers profits.Yet it is a tr ifle for the Lord on the day a man dies

to repay him as his conduct deserves.A moment's adversity, a nd pleasures are forgotten;

in a man's last hour his deeds will stand revealed .'Call no man fortunate before his death ;

it is by his end> that a man will be known.'

1° 51

Distrust2931

3032

3 133

3234

3335

3436

10

6:5- 17

Pr 17: 17 : 19:4

Pr 26:24-26

Mt 5:45L k 6:35

D t 14:29

Mt 5:43-48Lk 14:12- 14

Pr 1:11

12: 10

G reek : 'a t the appointed tim e' Hebr.I. ' his deeus .. . ' Gree k; ' he sh ows what he is' He br,k. 'by his end ' Hebr.: ' in his child ren' G ree k.I. Ben Sir a th erefore ex pec ts a judgem ent an d an

a ppo rt ion ing of dese r ts on th e da y of dea th , cf. 7:36 +an d Introduction to Wisdom Books.

m. The proud ma n like a decoy bird insid e a tr apdeco ys his fellow into sin .

n . He br. ' he is in ambush to ren d him like a wol f '.o . Fo llo wing Hebr. ; Greek ' M aking evil of good,

he is on th e wa tch' .12 8. 'd evou t ' G reek: ' vir tuous' He br.

b. Hebr . ' I t is no use a man' s doing good to thewicked: he does no t eve n pe rform a good work ' .

c . Co n trast t he wo rd s of Jesu s. Mt 5:434 7.d. T he Hebr. o f. vv. 4-5 di ffers co ns iderab ly.e . ' hi s en em ies . . . ' G reek; 'e ven his enemy ma kes

friends' He br .

ECCLESIASTICUS

the wicked

Do not br ing every man home with you,for many are the traps of the crafty.

Like a decoy partridge in a basket, such is the proud man's heart;>like a spy he watc hes for your downfall ,>

The slan derer twists good into evil,vwill cast a slur on what deserves most praise.

A hearthful of glowing coals starts from a single spark,and the sinner lurks for the chance to spill blood.

Beware of a scoundrel and his evil contrivances,in case he pu ts a smea r on you for ever.

Bring a stranger hom e with you a nd he will star t trouble,and estrange you from your own fami ly.

for doing good

If you do a good turn, know for whom you are doing it,and your good deeds will no t go to waste .

Do good to a devout a man, and you will receive a reward,if not from him, then cer tainly fro m the Most High.

No good will co me to a man who persists in evil,or who refuses to give alm s. b

G ive to a devout man ,do not go to the help of a sinner.'

Do good to a humble man ,give nothing to a god less one.

Refuse him bread, do not give him an y,it might mak e him st ronger than you a re;

then you would be repaid evil twice overfor a ll the gocd you had done him."

For the Most High himself detests sinners,and will repay the wicked with a vengeance.

Give to the good ma n,and do not go to the help of a sinner .

wheel an d a ll co nd itions ar e re versed . C f. Ps 113:7[ ;1 S 2:8: Jb 12:17-19. Thi s is exemp lified in the sayi ngstha t fo llow .

c. Li L 'have sa t o n th e gro und', whi ch co uldpos sib ly be ta ken to mea n: ' ha ve been des ti tu te befor eth ey ca me to the th ron e' .

d. Heb r. ' if you do no t r un you will no t ac h ieve.if you do not seek . yo u will no t find ' .

e . Add. vv , 15- 16 ' Wisdo m , unders ta ndin g, andkn owled ge of the Law co mes fr om th e Lo rd, chari tyand th e doi ng of good wo rks co me fro m him . Fo llya nd da rkness were crea ted for sinne rs: for th ose wh otake pleas ure in ev il. evil gro ws o ld .'

f. ' d evo ut" G reek: 'vi rt uo us' Hebr .g . 'ho w lon g thi s will last' Greek : ' what awa its h im'

Hebr.h . ' d uty' Hebr. ; ' co vena nt' G reek . ' p leasu re'

Hebe : 'convers ion' (?) G reek .I, ' devo u t' Greek: 'virtuous ' Hebr. ' in a moment"

True and false friends

In pros perit y you can not always tell a true friend ,but in adversity you cannot mistake an enem y.

When a man is doing well his enemies are sad, 'when he is doing badly, even a friend will keep his distance.

Do not ever trust an enemy ;as bro nze tarn ishes, so does his mal ignity.

Rules

12

10

2122

2021

20

2224

2325

19

2426

2527

23

18

II

17

14

12

13

2628

2729

2830

1°5°ECCLESIASTICUS11:5

Zt>2:3 +

MI 6:25-26

Ps 3:3

Ps 127: 1-2Pr 11:24:

21:5

Pr 18:13

18:25In 16:21

38:24

1:13

Jb 1:21Is 45 :7

10:14

004:14:10:6-7

9: 11Pr 3:31: 23:

17

Jb 27:16-23Ps 49: 10. 17­

18002:21-23

Lk 12:16-21

5:1Lk 12:16-21

12: I I E CC LES I ASTICUS 1° 52 1° 53 ECCLE SIA STIC U S

happines.s

Happy the man who has not sinned- in speechand who need feel no remo rse for sins.

f . ' Beha ve tow a rds him . . . ' G reek ; Heb r, 'Behavetowards h im as a reveal er of secrets so th at he maydo no harm to you . and know th e com mo n ending ofjealousy' •

g. Fo llo wing Hebr. ; G reek ' he st ays a n ho ur withyOU ' ,

h. Waggin g the head is a gestur e of deri sion.Ps 22:7: 109:25 : Jb 16:4 : cf. M l 27:39. For 'cla pp inghands' cf. Ezk 25:6 ; Na 3:19. C f. Lm 2:15 .13 a. C la ssic co mparison, fo und earli er in Aesop.

b. Heb r. ' So lon g a s it se rves him he will mak e funof vo u: two. three t imes ove r he will sq ueeze yo u dr y' .

c . ' t hro ugh your ow n st upidity ' corr , fo llow ingSvr , a nd Lar. : ' thro ugh yo ur enjo yment' Greek. Hcbr.' Bewa re of losin g co nt ro l and of ac t ing lik e a foo l".

d . T he wo rds o f Jesu s in Lk 14:8- 10. a t first s i~ h t

sim ila r , a re ac tua lly in ma rked cont ras t to th is example

Pr 15:13

19:16; 25:8Jm 3;2

Pr 14:20

Pr 19:4.7

e. 'because you are walkin g . .. " G ree k ; 'do not gowith rascals ' Hebr . Add . v , 14 'When you hear th at,wake from your s leep; love the Lo rd all your life lon ga nd pray to him for your salv ation' ,

f . 'devout ' G reek: ' vir tuo us ' Hebr,g , 'slips' G reek: ' spea ks' He br.h . O r pe rhaps ' in proport ion to th e go d less ness

(that m ay go wi th it )" .i . ' inven ting . . ' G reek ( but text un cert airn ; He br,

'eenecuo n a nd concentra non: tho ug h ts of sa d ness'.14 3. Li t. ' has not s lip ped' . M any Psalms similarlyce leb rate th e happin ess of the pu re in heart , Ps 1; 32:119 : o f th e wise, Ps 4 1. of th e de vo ut , Ps 128. aso pposed 10 those who a re 'hap py' by this world 'sst a nda rds.

of worldl y wisdom.

Do not affect to treat him as an equal,do no t trust his flow of words;

since all this ta lking is express ly meant to test you ,under co ver of geniality he will be weighing you up.

Piti less is the man who is too free with his word s,he will not spare you either blows or chains.

Be wary , ta ke very great care,becau se yo u are walking with your own downfall .'

Every living thing loves its own sor t,and every man his neighbour.

Every creature mixes with its kind,an d man sticks to his own sort.

Ho w can wolf and lamb agree?­Just so with sinner a nd devout.!

What peace ca n there be between hyena and dog?And what peace between rich man a nd poo r?

Wild donkeys are the prey of desert lions ;so too, the poor are the quar ry of the rich.

The prou d man thinks humility abhorrent ;so too , the rich abominate the poor.

When the rich man stumbles he is supported by friends ;when the poor man falls, his friends push him away .

When the rich man slips, v there are many han ds to catch him,jf he talk s non sense he is congratulat ed.

T he poo r man slips, and is blamed for it,he may talk good sense, but no room is made for him.

T he rich man spea ks and everyone stops talking,and then they praise his discourse to the skies.

Th e poor man speaks and people say. 'W ho is this?'and if he staggers they push him down.

Wealth is good where there is no sin,poverty is evil, the godless say."

A man's heart moulds his expressionwhether for better or worse.

The mark of a good heart is a cheerful expression ;inventing pro verbs is weary work.'

14True

1822

1620

1923

2024

2632

2430

2226

2531

29

2328

2125

27

172 /

1519

1316

1215

1114

34

67

3

12

11

1819

13

14lJb

16

1615

1514

17

45

8II

78

10lJ

912

Even if he behaves humbly and comes bowing and scraping,maintain your reserve and be on your guard against him.

Behave towards him as if you were po lishing a mirror,you will find that his tarnish cannot last.!

D o not stand him beside youin case he thrusts you out and takes your place .

Do not seat him at your right hand,or he will be after your po sition,

and you will end up by admitt ing the tru th of my words,and feeling the sting in them.

Who feels sorry for a snake-charmer bitten by a snake,or for those who take risks with savage animals? ­

just so for someone consort ing with a sinne r,and being accomplice to his sins.

As long as you maintain your stand he will not reveal himsel f,«but if you once give way he will press his advantage.

An enemy may have sweetnes s on his lips,and in his heart a scheme to throw yo u in the ditch .

An enemy may have tears in his eyes,but if he gets a chance not even blood will sat isfy him.

If you meet with misfortune, you will find h im there before you ,an d, preten ding to help you , he will trip you up.

He will wag his head and clap his hands,"he will whisper a lot and his expression will cha nge.

your equals

Whoever to uches pitch will be defiled ,and anyone who assoc iates with a proud man will come to be

like him.Do not try to ca rry a burden too heavy fo r you,

do not associate with someone more powerfu l and wealt hythan yourse lf.

Why put the clay pot next to the iron cauldron?It will onl y break when they collide. a

The rich man wrongs a man and puts on ai rs,while the poor man is wronged and ap olog ises.

If you are useful he will exploit you,if you cannot keep up with him he will desert you .

Are you well olf?-he will live with you,he will clean you out without a single qualm.

Does he need yo u?- he will hood wink yo u,smile at you and ra ise your ho pes;

he will speak to you with smoot h wordsand say, 'I won der what you wou ld like? '

And he will put you to shame with his grand dinners,until he has cleaned you out two or th ree times over,and he will finish by making you ridiculous. b

When he sees you afterward s he will sn ub you ,and wag his head about you .

Take care you are not hoodwinkedan d thus humiliated through yo ur own stupidity."

When an influential man invites you, show relucta nce,an d he will press his invitation all the more.

Do no t thrust yo urself forward, in case you are pushed aside,but do not stand aloof, or you will be overlooked.«

Mix with

13

Pr 19:6

Qo 5:10

7:4Pr 25:6

Pr 18:23

Pr 23:1·3

Ps 140:4-5Pr 26:24·26

Jr 9:7

14:2 ECCLESIASTIC US 1054 1°55 ECCLESIASTICUS

00 5:9; 6:2 Envy and

b. From th ose who need h is help.-c. 'g reed ' co rr. (lit . ' t he evil ev e'}: ' wicked inj ustice '

Greek .d. Hebr. ' the mi ser fa lls (av id ly) o n br ead ' ,e, Proba bly the decree ass ign ing th e da le o f dea th

Cf. Is 28: 15. 18.f. He br. 'A ll men's deed s a rc destined to per-ish

a nd the wo rks of his hands will fo llo w him ' , i.e . intoco rruptio n. R v 14:13 transforms th is no tio n : ma n'swor ks follow him int o th e glor y at a new life .

g . C f. Ps 119, espec ially vv , l 5 , 23, 148, o n th ehap pin ess derived fro m medit a ting on th e Law . Her ethe ob jec t of stu dy is wisdo m , whic h is to be fo undno tab ly in the proverbs a nd maxim s of th e sages .

h. To p itc h h is tent t here .

0 13 0:15-20Jr 21:8

D L 11:26-2 8

Pr 19:3I Co 10:13..... J m 1: 13-14

Pr 8: 13

Ws 8: 10- ] 5

Pr 9:5

24:19-22J0 4:1 +

51:1]Ws 6:16 : 8:2

he sets his children in her shade, i

and camps beneath her branches;he is sheltered by her from the heat ,

and in her glor y! he makes his home.

Whoever fear s the Lord will act like this,and whoever gra sps the Lawn will obtain wisdom.

She will come to meet him like a mother,and receive him like a virgin br ide.

She will give him the bread of und erstanding to eat ,and the water of wisdom to drink.

He will lean on her and will not fall,he will rely on her and not be put to shame.

She will raise him high above his neighbo urs ,and in full assembly she will open his mouth.

He will find ha pp iness and a crown of joy,he will inherit an everlast ing name.

Foolish men will not gain possession of her,nor will sinful men set eyes on her.

She stands remote fro m pride, "and liar s can not call her to mind .

Praise is un seemly in a sinner' s mo uth,since it has not been put there by the Lo rd.

Fo r praise shou ld only be utte red in wisdom,and the Lord himself then prompts it.'

Ya hwe h . cr. Ex 16:10; 24:16 -1- . the .f l11'khUlh Cp resc nce ')o f the rabbinica l wr iti ngs .15 a. Jr 2:8 spea ks of four officia l f unct i on s: pr -iest .la wyer . p r ince. p rophet. T he m an wh o 'g rasps theLaw ' bel o ngs to the seco nd of these ctnsscs: he is th e'sc r ibe' or 'd oc to r o f the Law ' wh o beca me lucreas tngtyimp ortant in Juda ism , cr. Ezr 7:6 + .

b . ' p r ide ' G ree k : 'scoffe rs ' H ebr .c. ' in wisdom' G reek: ' in the mouth of the wise'

He br. ' t he Lo rd ' G ree k; ' the mast er" Hcbr .d . ' he is' following Hebr.: ' thou art' Greek ,c. ' to make h is own dec isions' (li t. ' in the ha nd of

h is ow n co unse l') G ree k; ' in the ha nd of h is ow ninclina tio n' Hebr. T his verse is a cla ss ic text for thed octrine of free will. The Hebr. adds 'a nd he hasha nded him over 10 the po wer of h is en em y", thus

o ffer ing a no ther explana tion of the or tgf n of evi l.i. Hebr. 'he makes his nest in he r bran che s' f. Heb r . ' If you wish. yo u can follo w th e co m ma nd­i . This 'g lo ry' (Hebr. ' ref uge ' ) possib ly refe rs to menr and ha ve the good sense 10 do his will ; if yo u

the cloud whi ch used to manifes t the pr esen ce of have faith in him , yo u too will live' .

Man is free

Do not say, 'T he Lord was responsi ble for my sinning',for he" is never the cau se of what he hate s.

Do not say , 'I t was he who led me ast ray',for he has no use for a sinner.

T he Lord hates all that is foul,a nd no one who fea rs him will love it either.

He himself mad e man in the beginning,and then left nim free to ma ke his own decisions.'

If you wish, you ca n keep the commandments.to behave fa ithfully is within your power. '

He has set fire a nd water befor e yo u;put out your han d to whichever you prefer.

Man has life and death before him ;whichever a man likes better will be given him.

13

4

6

14

12

161 7

11

1718

1516

10

26

27

15

14

16

/ 717/ 8

18

19

13

2022

10

12

II

22

1920

2123

2324

25

2425

Happy the man whose own soul does not accuse him,and who has never given up hope.

greed

Wealth is not the right thing for a niggardly man,and what use are possessions to a covetous one?

A man who hoards by stinting himself is hoa rd ing for others,and others will live sumptuously on his riches.

If a man is mean to himself, to whom will he be good?He does not even enjoy what is his own.

No one is mea ner than the man who is mean to himself,and this is how his wickedness pays him back.

If he does good at all, he does it without intendi ng to ,and in the end he himself revea ls his wickedness.

Evi l is the man who has a grudg ing eye,aver ting his face, " and ca reless of others ' lives.

The eye of the grasping man is not content wit h his portion,greed - shrivels up the soul.

The miser is gru dgin g of bread,"there is famine at his ta ble.

My son, treat you rself as well as you can afford,and bring worthy offer ings to the Lord.

Remem ber tha t death will not delay,and that the cove na nt of Sheol- has no t been revealed to you .

Be kind to your friend befo re you die,trea t him as genero usly as you can a fford.

Do not refuse yo urse lf the goo d thin gs of today ,do not let yo ur sha re of what is lawfully desired pass you by.

Will you no t ha ve to leave your fo rt une to ano ther,and the fruit of yo ur labour to be divided by lot?

The n give and receive, and take your ease,for in Sheol you cannot look for pleasure.

Every living thing grows old like a garment,the age-old law is ' Death must be' .

Like foliage growing on a bushy tree,some leaves fall ing, others growing,

so are the generations of flesh and blood:one dies , another is born.

Eve ry achi evement rots away and perishes,and with it goes its author.!

The happiness of the sage

Happy the man who medi tate s on wisdom,and reasons with good sense,

who studies her ways in his heart ,and ponders her secrets. g

He pursues her like a hunter,and lies in wait by her path;

he peeps in at her windows,and listens at her doors ;

he lodges close to her house,and fixes his peg in her walls;'

he pitches his tent at her side ,and lodges in an excellent lod ging;

00 1;4

002:24

Ws6:23

009;10

Pc 11:17

Pr 8:32-35

0 0 9:6H ab 2:13

... Rv I4 :13

Nb 16:33 +Ws 1:161s28:15

J b 27:16- 17Lk 12:16-21

Pc 13:22

Certainty of ret ribution

Do not say, ' I will hide from the Lord,who will remember me up there?

I sha ll certainl y not be noticed am ong so many ;what am I in the immensity of creation'l'v

Why look , the sky and the heavens above the sky,the deep a nd the earth tremble at his visitat ion.

T he moun ta ins an d the base of the earth toget herqua il and tremble when he looks at them.

But who bothers his head a bout suc h th ings?Who attempts to understa nd the way he moves?

The storm wind itself is invisible,and most of what he does goes undetec ted ."

'W ho will report whether ju stice has been done?Who will be expecting it? The covena nt is far away ."

reaped by the wicked

Do not long for a brood of wor thless children,and take no pleasu re in godles s sons.

However many you have, take no pleasure in them,unless the fear of the Lord lives among them.

Do not count on their having long life,do not put too much faith in their future ;

for better have one than a tho usand,better die childless than have godless ones. a

One man of sense can populate a city ,but the race of lawless men will be destroyed. "

My eyes have seen many such things,my ears have heard things still mo re impressive.

Fire will be kindled in a co mmunity of sinners;the wrath was kindled in a disobedient nation.

God did not pardo n the giants of oldwho, confident in their strength, rebelle d.

He did not spare the peo ple with whom Lot lived,whom he abhorred for their pr ide.

He had no pity on that people doomed to destruction,'who were wiped out in their sins ,

nor o n the six hundred thousand men on the marchwho ba nded toget her in their obstinacy."

Had there been even only one stubborn man ,it would have been as tonishing if he had escaped unpunished,

since mercy and wrath alike belong to the Lordwho is mighty to forgive and to pou r ou t wrath.

His mercy is great, but his severity is as great;he judges every man as his deeds deserve:

the sinner shall not escape with his ill-gotten gains,nor the devout man 's patience go for nothing.

He allows free play to his mercy ;'yet every man shall be trea ted as his deeds deserve.'

1° 571819 23

1920

Man in20 2421

25

26

27

Gn 1:27

G n 9:2

Gn l

G n 1:24-25

G n 3: \ 9P.104:29

G n 2:7Ps 8:500 3:20 ; 12:

7c«6:3

G n 1:28 +W. 9:2-3

00 3:20

42:2(}'25

Pr 1:23

G n2:17

Ws 13:1Rm 1:19-20

DI30:15·20

17: 11

I, T he sc ribe is speaking here. not Wisdom per .soni fled .

k, 'God created' cor r. from Hebr. : 'in the judge­ment" G reek . From here to 30:11 the Hebr. text isextant only in a few passages .

I. Refe rring to the de ter mined co urse of thestars and planets .17 a. The a ut hor follows th e order of Gn 1: creationof stars, p lants an d a ni ma ls, man .

b. ' h is ow n ' cor r.: ' their o wn' Greek,c. Add . v , 5 'They received the use of the five

powers from the Lo rd , as a six th was given to them ashare of in telli gence and as a seve n th reaso n, interpreterof his po wers ' . T his appears to be a gloss of S toic o rigin.

d . ' He shaped for them' corr. : 'Inclinat ion ' Greek.e. The Israelites believed th e heart to be the sea t

of reason.f. Lit . 'eye' .g . Add. v , 9 'a nd he granted them to proclaim

his word fo r ever'.

and is no t cer tain. On the mean ing of 'covenant' here.cr . 14:12 + . He be. for t h is line has ' Wha t hope isthere . for the decree is fa r away?'

ECCLES IASTICUS

Such are the thoughts of the man of little sense ,the rash misguided man who loves his illusions.

creation

Listen to me, my son, and learn kno wledge ,and give your whole mind to my words.'

I will expound discipline to a nicety,and proclaim knowledge with precisio n.

When God created ' his works in the beginning,he allotted them their portions as soon as they were made.

He determined his works for all time,from their beginnings to their distant futu re.

They know neither hunger nor weariness,an d they never desert their duties.

None has ever jostled its neighbour,they will never disobey his word.'

And afterwards the Lord looked at the earth,and filled it with his good things.

He covered its surface with every kind of animal,and to it they will return.

The Lord fashioned man from the earth, a

to consign him back to it.He gave them so many days ' determined time,

he gave them authority over everything on earth.He Clothed them with strength like his own,«

and made them in his own image.He filled all living things with dread of man,

making him master over beasts and birds .C

He shaped for them- a mouth and tongue, eyes and ear s,and gave them a heart to think with .'

He filled them with knowledge and understanding,and revea led to them good and evil.

He put his own light! in their heartsto show the m the magnificence of his works.s

They will praise his holy name,as they tell of his magnificent works.

He set knowledge befo re them, .he endowed them with the law of life. :

16 a . "the ir fut u re ' (lit. ' their place') : var . ' theirn umber'; Hebr. ' their end' . 'o ne' : the Hebr. a nd so meGreek MSS add ' doing th e will (of God)' . ' tho usa nd ' :some G reek MSS add 'sinners' .

b. 'man of sense ' Greek ; 'man who fears God'Hebr. ' will be des troyed ' Greek ; ' des t roys it ' He br.

c. T he former popula tion of Canaan.d , Rec alli ng Ex 12:37 or Nb 11:21. These men

died in th e wilderness and d id not reach · Canaan ,Nb 14:20-33.

e. Hebr. 'There is a wage for every ma n whopra c tises virtu e ' .

f . Add . vv. 1 5~1 6 ' God made Phara oh obstinat e sotha t he did not acknowledge h im, to m a ke h is worksknow n under heaven . H is merc y shows iLself to a llcrea tion . he divided his lig ht and his darkn ess am o ngmen ' (cf. M t 5:45 a nd Si 12:6).

e . As Adam and Ca in tr ied to hide from the sig htof God. Gn 3:10: 4:9.

h. Hebr. '20 Nor does he take notice of me; who isconcer ned abo u t my ways? 21 Should I sin . no eyesees me, if I tell a hidden lie, who kn o ws of it ?' Thediscour se of the sinner co n tinues on these lines to v , 22 ,vv, 18 a nd 19 being parent hetical.

I. T he o bjec tion seems to be that retribution de lays

4

87

76

65

\ 08

3031

119

28

292930

1415

19

21

20

1716

18

22

1011

17

12JJ

9JO

I I12

1314

67

445

78

1056ECCLESIASTICUS

For vast is the wisdom of the Lord ;he is almighty and all-seeing.

H is eyes are on those who fear him,he notes every action of man .

He never commanded anyone to be godless,he has given no one permission to sin.

15: 18

16Curses

W. 4:\

Jb 34:11

34:16P.34:1 5

5:6

Ex 34:6-7'

Jb 37:1-7Ps 18:7

W.3:1 9

Pr 17:21:19:13

Rm 11:33

G n6:1-7

G n 19:1-29

P.33:13-18

P. 139:7-12W.14: 16

J r 23:24A m 9:2· 3

21:9Nb 11:1: 16:

1-30

E x 34:lOf

The nothing ness of man

Wha t is man, wha t purpose does he serve?What is the good in him, an d what the bad?

I U S

Pr 20:25005: 1-6

r» 23:22-24005:3

Ws 11:23

17:2Ps 90:10

o. Prob ab ly the sta rs , cr. 16:28 : Is 24:2 1-23.18 a . Add. 'a nd th ere a re no o the rs beside s him .V. '3 He guides the wo rld w it h a tu rn (I f th e hand , allt h ings o bey his will ; for he is ki ng o f a ll and by h ispo wer se pa ra tes sac red thin gs from pro fane:

b . Wh en man has ex ha us ted his effo rts 10 kno wGod a nd his wo nders. he has nOI even s ta r red 10 un ­de rs ta nd. These ob servat ion s reca ll th ose o f 0 0. butth e co ncl usion drawn is entirel y differen t : for BenSira. th e weak ness of man serve s o nly 10 empha siseth c great ness of G od .

c. C f. 2 M 6:1 3-16 ; Ws 12:19-22. Luter Ju d ai smwas co ncern ed to jus tify instances of d ivine pun ish ment .G od 's a ll-em braci ng me rcy i n its ins t ruc tive aspe ct,

emp has ised here (v. 13c. d ). appear s fo r th e first t imein th e O .T . a t th is poin t.

d . A I this po in t (he d iscourse o n good behav iou ris res umed .

c . Sic kness is oft en represen ted as punishment fo rs in : a me nd ment a nd re pe nt ance as a mea ns of preven t­ing sic kness.

r. T he da y of deat h. cf. 1:13 . ra ther th an t he da yof ju d gem en t.

ECCLE SIA STI CU S

Ta ke the numbe r of a man 's days; a hundred yea rs is very long.Like a d rop of water from the sea, or a grain of san d,

such are these few yea rs compared with eternity.Fo r this reason the Lord shows them forb earance,

a nd pou rs out his mercy on them.He sees a nd recognises how wretch ed their end is,

and so he mak es his forg iveness the grea ter.Man's co mpass ion extends to his neighb our,

but th e co mpassio n of the Lord extends to every thing tha t lives ;rebuk ing, correct ing and teac hing,

bringing them bac k as a shepherd bri ngs his flock: 'He has compassion on those who accept correctio n,

and who ferve ntly loo k for j udgements

Reflection and foresight

Learn befo re you spea k,take care o f yo urself before you fall ill.

Examine yourself before j udgement co mes,a nd on the da y of visita tion you will find yourself acquitted.

Humble yourself before you fall ill,'a nd when yo u sin, repent.

Let not hing prevent your discharging a vow in good tim e,and do not wait till deat h befor e sett ing matters to rights.

Prepare yo urself before making a vow,and do no t be like a man who tempts the Lord.

Bear the wra th of the last days in mind,the time of vengea nce when G od averts his face. '

In a time of plent y remember times of famine,poverty and want in days of wealth.

h . T he Mo saic La w: t he Iot lowme verses refer toth e re vela tion o n S inai.

i. Add . vv. 16- 17a ' From chi ld hood thei r ways leadto e vil and they ca nnot c hange tha i heart of s to ne fora hea r t o f flesh . fo r in di vid ing t he nauons o f th e w ho leea rt h .. . · Possib ly a glos s deri ved fr o m Ezk 11:19 :~fl:26, and as sert ing the inab ility o f ma n to do good .The text it self seems less pessim ist ic .

I, Add. v, IR ' h is fir st -born who m he rea rs w i thdiscip lin e. bes to wing o n him the light of hi s love, no tdesc rti na him ' . In the days of Pe n Sira . Isra el hadno king . F urt he rmo r-e. op position 10 mo narc h ica lgo ver n me n t. alre ad y marked in a nt iq u ity (I S 8) , hada ll th e mo re gro unds for ex istence a t th e tim e of th eMncc aba can rev iva l.

k . Ad d. v, 2 1 ' bu t t he Lord is peed and know shi s crea tu res, he do cs no t des tro y or deser t them. b u tra ther spa res them'.

I. Add. 'd istr tbu ttng repe n ta nce 10 his 'ions a ndda ugh ter s ' .

rn . When an d wha t t hc re tri bu tio n will be is nutclea r.

n. Add . ' for he will b ri ng you out of da rkness tot he liah t of hea lth ' .

The art of giving"

My son, do not tem per your favours with disparagement,nor an y of your gifts with words that hur t.

Docs not dew relieve the heat?In the same way a word is worth more than a gift.

Why surely, a word is bett er than a goo d present,but a generous man is ready with bot h.

A foo l will offer no th ing bu t insul t,and a grudg ing man 's gift makes the eyes sma rt.

' ° 59

25

15

16

24

2 1

23

1x

22

19

20

17

14

IIy

98

10

12/II

/IIJ12

13

1311

3029

28(27)

IS13

2928

252/

222621

14

12

1210

2420

27(26)

23/9

20/ 7

1714

/ 5191b

22/8

3 110

321/

I

242

354

1058ECCLES I AST ICU S

He established an eterna l covenan t with them,and revealed his judgements' to the m.

Their eyes saw his glorious majesty,a nd the ir ears heard the glory of his voice .

He said to them, 'Beware of all wrong-do ing' ;he gave each a com ma ndment con cern ing his neighbou r.

greatness of God

He who lives for ever created all the universe.The Lord alone will be found righteous.a

He has given no one the powe r to proclaim his works,and who can fathom his mag nificent deeds?

Who can assess his magni ficent strength,and who can go fu rther and tell of his merci es?

Not hing can be added to the m, nothing subtract ed,it is impossible to fathom the ma rvels of the Lord.

When a man finishes he is on ly beginn ing,and when he stops he is as puzzled as ever. b

17 : 12

Exhortation to repentance

Return to the Lor d and leave sin behin d,plead before his face and lessen your offence.

Come back to the Mo st High a nd turn away from iniquit y,"and hold in abhorrence all that is foul.

Who will prai se the Mo st High in Sheol ,if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?

To the dead , as to th ose who do not exist , prai se is unknown ,only those with life and health can praise the Lord.

How great is the mercy of the Lord,his pardon on all those who turn towards him!

Man canno t have everything,since the son of man is not immortal.

What is br ighter than the sun? Yet it suffers eclipse.Flesh and blood think of nothing but evil.

He surveys the a rm ies of the lofty sk y, vwhile all men a re no mo re than dust and ashe s.

The divine judge

Their ways are always under his eye,they cannot be hidden from his sight. i

Over each na tion he has set a govern or,but Israel is the Lo rd's own portion. '

All their works are as the sun to him ,and his eyes rest co nstantly on their ways .

Their iniqu ities are not hidden from him ,a ll their sins are before the Lord.k

A man 's almsgiving is like a signet ring to him ,he cherishes a man 's generos ity like the pupil of his eye.'

One day he will rise and rewa rd them,he will pay bac k their deserts on the ir own heads. '"

But to th ose who rep ent he permits return ,and he encou rages those who were losin g hope.

The

18

Ps 8:4

Ps 34:14

Ps 111:4

D ' 7:6+

42:210 0 3: 11

O n 4:31:12:7

10:9G n 18:27

014:1 1-12

Ps 139: 17f

Ps 6:5: 115:17

Is 38:1 8

37:3

G n 6:5: 8:21Jb 15:14· 16

:1

30:20

P r 17:28

f. C f. 1:16. IH. e tc.: Pr 1:7: 9:10 : 15:33 : Ps 111:10 :J b 2X:2H. Ad d. 'a nd t he kn owled ge of his om nirxu ence.2/ Th c serv an t w ho says (0 h is maste r: I will n ot dowhat yo u wan t, ev en i f he docs it la te r , ange rs the ma nwho keep s him ' .

g , Not all intelligence is wisd om : t here is viti a tedin teltc ct and sln tstcr shrewdness

h . 'wi ll wal k ' some MSS : 'does ev il' T ext. Reci ' tel ls yo u what hc docs' Sy r. ; and hi s smile' ('!)

Greek .

com mandmen ts is lifemvinz d iscip lin e. th o se w ho d ow ha t p leases him gat her f rom th e tree o f immort alit y, '

T here is the gift that afford s you no profit,and the gift th at repays you doubl e.

~. I.c . d ays whe n sin ap peals eve n 10 the wise .h . Al lu sion to collec t io ns o f w isdo m sayi nns like Proi. He br. ' for a two fo ld po vert y wi ll res ult ',

19 a. Hcbr. : G ree k ' A d run ken wor kma n will nevergrow r-ich ".

b. B ~' p rem atu re dea t h .c . ' in ev il': var. ' in hi s hea rt ' ,d. Add . ' By resistine pleasu re a man crow ns his

life. by mas tcrin u h is tongue a ma n sha ll li ve wit ho u tt rou bl e".

c , A dd , ' w ho is w i t ho ut ange r . / 8 T he fear o f thel or d is t he beainmnu of his clemency and w isd omwin s hi s a ffcc ri o n . / 9 T he k nowleduc o f t he lord 's

But how much better to rebu ke than to fume!The man who ac knowledges a faul t wards off pun ishment.

Like a eunu ch longing to take a girl's virginityso is he who uses force to a rgue cases.

There is the man who keeps quiet and is co nsidered wise,a nother incurs ha tred for ta lking too much .

There is the ma n who keeps q uiet, not know ing how to answer ,ano ther keeps qu iet, because he know s when to speak.

A wise man will keep quiet till the right mo ment ,but a ga rrulous foo l will always misju dge it.

The man who ta lks too much will get himself disliked,and the self-appointed oracle will make himself hated .

Paradoxes

There is the man who finds misfor tun e the saving of him,a nd the lucky find that may turn to loss.

42

3

10

12

10

4

20

14

13

11

15

16

16

17

17

18

/ 0 6 0 106/ ECCLESIAS TICUS 2 0 : 10

26 and wisdo m is ent irely constituted by the fulfilling of the Law.!22 But being learn ed in evil is not wisdom,19

2 7 and there is no shrewd judgement in the advice of sinners .23 There is a cleverness that is foul ,20

28 he who does not have wisdom is a foo l.24 Better be short of sense and full of fear ,21

29 than abound in sh rewdness and violate the Law.s25 There is an adr oit sort of cleverness promoting injustice,22

23 there is the ma n who will abuse favours to establish his case.26 There is the man who will walk" bowed down with grief,

30 when inwardly this is nothing but dece it:27 he hides his face and pretends to be deaf,24

3 1 a nd when you are off your guard he takes ad vantage of you .28 This ma n may th ink he lacks the power to sin,2j

32 but he will do wron g when he gets the cha nce.29 Yo u can tell a man by his appearance,26

33 you can tell a think ing man by the look on his face.30 A man's dress tells you what he does,'27

and a man 's walk tells you what he is.

Silence and speechI

20 There is the rebuke that is unt imely,28

and there is the man who keeps quiet , a nd he is the shrewd one.

ECC LES I AST I C U S

The time slips by between dawn an d du sk,all things pass swiftly in the presence of the Lord .

A wise man will be cautious in everything,and in sinful days - he will take care not to offend.

Every man of sense recog nises wisdom,and will respect anyone who has found her.

Those who understand sayings have themselves grown wiseand have poured out apt proverbs ."

18:26

19

Self-controlDo not follow your lusts,

restra in you r desires.If you allo w yourse lf to satisfy your desires,

this will mak e you the laughing-stock of your enemies.Do not indulge in luxuri ous living,

nor get involved in such society.'Do not beggar yourself by banqueting on cred it

when there is noth ing in your pocket.Behave like that and you will never grow rich; «

he who despises trifles will sink down little by little.Wine and women corrupt sensible men,

the customer of whores loses all sense of sham e.Grubs and worms will have him as their legacy,

and the man who knows no shame shall lose his life. b

Against loose talk

Being too ready to trust shows shallowness of mind ,by committi ng sin a ma n does wro ng to himself.

Taking pleasure in evil' earn s condemnation,by hating gossip a man avoids evil."

Never repea t what yo u are toldand you will come to no harm ;

whethe r to friend or foe, do not talk about it,unless It would be sinful not to, do not reveal it ;

you would be hea rd out, then mistru sted ,and in due course you would be hated.

Have you heard something? Let it die with you .Courage! It will not bu rst you !

A fool will suffer birthp angs over something told him,like a woman la bouring with child .

Like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the th igh,such is a piece of news inside a fool.

Do not trust everything you hear

Question you r fr iend , he may have done nothing at all,and if he has done anything, he will not do it aga in.

Question your neighb our, he may have said nothing at all ,and if he has said any thing, he will not say it aga in.

Question yo ur friend, for slander is very common,do not believe all you hea r.

A man some times makes a slip, without mean ing what he says ;and which of us has never sinned by speech?

Question you r neighbour before you th rea ten him,and leave scope for the Law of the Mos t High. '

True and false wisdom

Wisdom consists ent irely in fearing the Lord ,

Lv 19:17

0 0 7:2 1

Pc 31:3 -5H04:11

22:21-22

Pc 25:9- 10

Pc 23:20-2 1

Pc 5:5 : 7:26f : 9:18

Take a man who, out of false sha me, makes promises to a friend,and so makes an enem y for nothing. Pr 13:14; 18:

4

37:3Gn 4:7

Mt 7:13

16:6

Pc 12:1

Pr 5:4

21:18

b. ' for you r own tomb ' var . and svr.: 'for thewin ter' Tex t. Rec.

c. vu tg, 'but at the end are hell , darkness .torment" .These two ver ses affi rm the cert ainty of re tribut ion.To the C hrist ia n mind the y sugges t the punishment ofhell, cf. Is 50: II ; 66:24.

d . 'h is instincts' Sve.: ' his unders ta nd ing (of thelaw)' Greek.

e. 'The hear t' Svr., Lat .: 't he ent rails' Hebr.f. Following Svr. : ' the wastrel bears it and it

dist)leases him' Greek.

ECCLESIASTICUS

20 a. Mean ing uncertain .b. Follow tnz Syr . and Lar.: 'fo r he has ma ny eyes

instead of one' Gree k.c. T ra ns lation unce rtai n . Syr , ' Li ke a fat shee p's

tail ea te n witho ut sa lt such is an un seas on a ble word' .d . T he scr ibe's wisdom is prima rily a know ledge

o f how to get on in life . especially through winning thef avou r of the infl uent ial.

21 a. 'paWt:es ' svr.: 'r iches ' Greek.

My son, have you sinned? Do not do it again,and ask forgiveness for your previous faults.

Flee fro m sin as from a snake,if you approach it, it will bite you;

its teeth are lion's teeth,they deprive men of their lives.

All law-breaking is like a two -edged sword,the wounds it inflicts are beyond cure.

Panic and violence make havoc of palaces,«similarly, deso lation overtakes the houses of the proud.

A plea from a poor man's mout h goes straight to the ear of God,whose judgement comes without delay .

Whoever resents reproof walks in the sinner's footsteps ;the man who fea rs the Lord bears repentance in his heart .

The glib speaker is known far and wide ,but when he makes a slip the thinking man detects it.

To bu ild your house on other people's moneyis like collecti ng stones for your own tomb. b

A meet ing of lawless men is like a heap of tow:they will end in a blaz ing fire.

The sinner's road is smoothly paved,but it ends at the pit of Sheol. c

The wise man and the fool

Whoever keeps the Law will master his instincts;"the fear of the Lord is made perfect in wisdom.

The man who lacks intellige nce ca nnot be tau ght,but inte lligence can increase a man's bitterness.

T he wise man's knowledge will increase like a flood ,and his advice is like a living spring.

The heart' of a fool is like a bro ken jar,it will not hold an y kno wledge.

If a cultured man hea rs a wise saying,he prais es it an d ca ps it with anot her;

if a n imbecile hears it, he laughs at it,!a nd tosses it behi nd his back.

The talk of a fool is like a load on a journey,but it is a pleasure to listen to an Inte lligent man.

The shrewd man's utterance will be eagerly awaited in the assembly,what he says will be given ser ious consi deration.

Th e wisdom of a foo l is like the wreckage of a house,the knowledge of a dolt is incoherent ta lk.

1063

Various sins

1720

1619

3

78

1821

1417

1316

910

1518

II12

13

1214

15

1011

2527

2729

2123

2325

3133

2224

1921

2426

2931

2022

2830

1820

2628

3032

1062

11

12

13

14

15

16

1617

1718

ECCLESIASTICUS

Lying is an ugly blot on a man ,and ever on the lips of the ignorant.

A thie f is preferable to an inveterate liar,but both a re heading for ruin.

Lying is a n abominabl e habi t,so tha t disgr ace is the liar 's for ever.

There is the honour that leads to hu miliation,and there are men in a low state who raise their heads.s

Wisdom concealed, and treasure undiscovered,what use is either of these?

Better a man who co nceals his follythan a man who conceals his wisdom.

man: his dignity and his dangers

A wise man ad vanc es him self by his words,a shrewd man will please princes!

He who tills the soil will have a full harvest ,he who pleases princes will secure pa rdon for his offences.

Pre sents and gifts blind wise men's eyesan d stifle rebukes like a muzzle on the mouth.

2 0 :11

Lying

There is the man who buys much for little,yet pays for it seven times over.

The wise man will win love by his words,while fools may shower favours in vain.

A stupid man's gift will bring you no advantage,his eyes look for seven times as much in return. b

He gives litt le and reviles much,he opens his mouth like the town crier,

he lends today and demands payment tomorrow;he is a detestable fellow.

The foo l will say, 'I have no friends,I get no grat itude for my good deeds;

those who eat my bread have malicious to ngues' .How often he will be laugh ed at, and by how many!

Inappropriate talk

Better a slip on the pavement than a slip of the to ngue;this is how ruin ta kes the wicked by surprise.

A coarse-grain ed man is like an indiscreet storyendlessly reto ld by the ignorant ."

The wise

4:21

Lk 1:52

Pr 13:5

Pr 12:12

Pr 14:35

Pr 26:7,9 A max im is rejec ted when coming from a fool ,since he does not utter it on the apt occasion.

Take a ma n who is prevented from sinni ng by poverty;no qualms of conscience disturb his rest.

Take a man who destroys himself ou t of false sha me,destroys himself for the sake of a foo l's opinion.

=41 :14' 15Mt 5:14-16

Pr 17:18: 18:16 ; 21:14

Take a man who, out of false shame, makes pro mises to a friend,and so makes an enemy for not hing. Pr 13:14; 18:

4

37:3Gn4:7

Mt 7:13

16:6

Pr 12;1

Pr 5;4

21: I 8

b. 'for your own tomb ' var , and Svr. : 'for thewinter' Text. Rec.

c. vu tz. ' but a t the end are hell, darkness, to rment'.T hese two verses affirm the cer taint y of re tribution.To the Christia n mind they SUggest the pun ishment ofhell . cf . Is 50:11; 66 :24 .

d . ' his instincts' Syr .; 'h is understandina (of thelaw)' Greek.

e. 'The heart' Ssr., Lar.: ' the ent ra ils' Hebr .f . Fo llowi ng Syr. ; 'the wastrel hears it and it

disp leases him' Greek.

ECCLESIASTICUS

20 a. Meanin g uncert ain .b. Followlna Svr. and Lar. : 'for he has many eyes

Instead of one' Greek .c. Tra nslat ion uncertain. SYr. 'Like a fat sheep's

tail eat en witho ut sa lt such is an unseaso na b le word ' .d. T he sc ribe's wisdom is pr ima rily a knowledge

of how 10 gel on in li fe. especially through winning thefavou r of the inftuent ial.

21 a. 'pa¥l=cs ' Syr.; 'riches' Greek.

/ 0 6 3

My son, have you sinned? Do not do it again,and ask forgiveness for your previous faults .

Flee from sin as from a snake,if you approach it, it will bite you;

its teeth are lion's teeth ,they deprive men of their lives.

All law-breaking is like a two-edged sword,the wounds it inflicts are beyond cure .

Panic and violence make havoc of palaces, >similarly, deso lation overtakes the houses of the proud.

A plea from a poor man's mouth goes straight to the ear of God,whose judgement comes without delay .

Whoever resents reproof walks in the sinner's footsteps;the man who fears the Lord bears repentance in his heart.

The glib speaker is known far and wide,but when he makes a slip the thinking man detects it.

To build your house on other people 's moneyis like collecting sto nes for your own tomb. b

A meeting of lawless men is like a heap of tow:they will end in a blazing fire.

The sinner's road is smoothly paved,but it ends at the pit of Sheo!. C

The wise man and the fool

Whoever keeps the Law will master his instincts;"the fear of the Lord is made perfect in wisdom .

T he man who lacks intelligence cannot be taught,but intelligence can increase a man's bitterness.

The wise man 's knowledge will increase like a flood,and his ad vice is like a living spring.

The heart ' of a foo l is like a brok en jar.it will not hold any knowledge.

If a cultured man hears a wise saying,he pra ises it and caps it with anot her;

if an imbecile hear s it, he laug hs at it,!and tosses it behind his back.

The talk of a foo l is like a load on a journey,but it is a pleasure to listen to an intelligent man.

The shrewd man's utterance will be eagerl y awaited in the assembly,what he says will be given serious consideration.

The wisdom of a foo l is like the wreckage of a hous e,the knowledge of a dolt is incoherent talk.

Various sins

2

1619

45

1821

78

1720

910

1316

I S18

1214

15

1417

to11

II12

13

2931

2325

2830

2224

2527

2426

1820

1921

2123

2022

2729

3032

2628

3133

/062

II

12

13

14

IS

16

1617

1718

ECCLESIASTICUS

The re is the ho nour that leads to humili ation,and there are men in a low state who raise their heads .a

Lying is an ugly blo t on a man ,and ever on the lips of the ignoran t.

A thief is preferable to an inveterate liar,but both are heading for ruin.

Lying is an abominabl e habi t,so that disgra ce is the liar's for ever.

Wisdom concealed, and treasure undiscovered,what use is either of these?

Better a man who concea ls his follythan a man who conceals his wisdom.

20:11

There is the man who buys much for little,yet pays for it seven times over.

The wise man will win love by his words,while fools may shower favours in vain.

A stupid man's gift will bring you no advantage,his eyes look for seven times as much in return. b

He gives litt le and reviles much,he opens his mo uth like the town crier,

he lends today and demands paym ent tomorrow;he is a detestable fellow.

The fool will say, 'I have no friends ,I get no gratitude for my good deeds;

those who eat my bread have mal icious tongues'.Ho w ofte n he will be laughed at, and by how many!

Inappropriate talk

Better a slip on the pavement than a slip of the tong ue;this is how ruin ta kes the wicked by surprise.

A coa rse-graine d man is like an indiscreet storyendless ly reto ld by the ignorant.'

Lying

The wise man: his dignity and his dangers

A wise ma n advances himself by his words,a shrewd man will please princes.d

He who tills the soil will have a full harvest,he who pleases prin ces will secure pardon for his offences.

Presents and gifts blind wise men's eyesand stifle rebukes like a muzzle on the mouth.

4:21

Lk 1:52

Pr 12:12

P r 14:35

Pr 13;5

Pr 26:7 .9 A maxim is rejected when coming fro m a fool,since he does not utter it on the apt occasion.

Take a man who is preve nted from sinning by poverty;no q ualms of conscience disturb his rest.

Take a man who destroys himself out of false shame,dest roys himsel f for the sake of a fool's opinion.

~4 1 : 1 4' 1 5MI5:14-16

Pr 17:18 : 18:16; 21:14

An unt imely remonstra nce is like music at a funera l,but a thrashing a nd correction are wisdom at all times. b

28:25Ps 14 1:3

Pr 1[ :13: 20:19 : 25:9

19:13-17

27:16-2[

Pr 27:3

22 :2 7

d . ti l. 'deco ra tio n of sa nd ' . Meaning uncer ta in .e. 'Pebb les' va r. : 'S takes' Te xt. Re c .f. Note {fie dee ply re lig ious Qual ity o f the pa ssa ge :

each 2000 reso lu t ion concludes with a prayer.

it is a lways effec t ive. wh ereas the lim e for verb al rebu kemu st be ca re fu lly chosen . Add. vv . 7-8 ; ' C h ild renwh o live a good life, withou t sho r tco mi ngs , mak e o nefor get th ei r paren ts ' humb le o rig in . C o n tempt uo us,ill -br ed a nd ha ugh ty ch ildren disgra ce th ei r fa mily 'snobili ty. '

c. T he ' foo l' is a man not sim ply wit ho u t wi ts butob st ina te, scep t ica l, licen tious .

EC C L ES IAST I CUS

Beware of him, or he will give you trouble,and will leave you soiled by contact with him.

Avoid him, and you will find resta nd not be exasperated by his folly.

What is heavier than lead,and wha t is its name if not 'fool'?

Sand, and salt , an d a lump of iro nare all easier to bear than a dolt.

A tie-beam bonded into a buildingwill not be dislodged by an ea rthqua ke;

so too, a hea rt resolved after due reflectionwill not flinch at the critical mom ent.

A heart founded on intelligent reflectionis like a stucco" decoration on a smooth wall.

Pebb les' placed on to p of a wallwill not sta nd up to the wind ;

no more can the heart of a fool frightened at his own thoughtssta nd up to fear.

g . This ver se echoes v . 19.II. ' is respectfu l in h is approach ' corr. fo llow in g

Hebr . ; ' is a bas hed before a face' G reek.i , Fo llo wing va r.: 'Th e lips of s trangers will be

gri eved by them' Te xt . Rec.i . ' h is enemy ' co rr . : 'Satan ' G reek . T he foolish

man is his own wors t ene my. The Greek readingsugge sts a d ifferen t int er p ret ati on : the foo lish manblam es the Te mpte r, cr. Jb 1:6 + . ins tead of his ow nwick ed self.22 a. ' is a treasu re to he r hus ba nd ' corr, fo llow ingLat . : 'w ill o bta in her husban d ' G reek .

b. T he sages advocate cor po ral punish me nlined ucation. Pr 13:24; 19:18; 22:15 : 23: 13-14 : 29 :15 ,17 :

Fr iendshipPrick an eye a nd you will draw a tea r,

prick a heart and you bring its feelings to light.Throw stones at birds and you scare them away,

revile a friend and you brea k up friendship .

If you have dr awn your sword on a fr iend ,do not despair ; there is a way bac k.

If you have opened yo ur mouth aga inst your friend,do not worry; there is hope for recon ciliati on ;

but insult, arroga nce, bet raya l of secret s, and the stab in the back ­in these cases an y friend will run away.

Win you r neighbour' s confidence when he is poo r,so that you may enjoy his later goo d fortu ne with him ;

sta nd by him in times of tro uble,in order to have yo ur share when he comes into a legacy.

Fire is heralde d by the reek of the furnace a nd smoke,so too bloodshed by insults.

I will not be as hame d to shelter a friend,nor will I hide from his face;

and if evil comes to me thr ou gh him,everyone who hear s about it will beware of him .

Vigilance/

Who will set a gua rd on my mouth,and a seal of pruden ce on my lips,

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2023

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E C C L E S I A S T I C U S

To the senseless fellow instruction is like fetters on his feet,like ma nacles on his right han d.

A fool laughs at the top of his voice,but a man of inte lligence quietly smiles .

To the shrewd man instruction is like a gold en ornament,like a bracelet on his right arrn.>

The foot of a fool goes strai ght into a house,but a man of much experience is respectful in his approach ;'

a stu pid man peep s ins ide through the door,a well-bred man waits ou tside.

Listening at doors is a sign of bad upbringing,a percept ive man would be ashamed to do so.

The lips of gossips repeat the words of others,'the words of wise men are carefully weighed .

T he heart of fools is exposed in their words ;the words of wise men reveal their hea rt.

When a god less man curses his enemy,'he is cu rsing himself.

The scandal-monger sullies himselfand earns the hatred of the neighbourhood.

2 I : 19

The idler

An idler is comparable to a stone covered in filth,everyone whistles at his disgrace.

An idler is comparabl e to a lump of dung,anyo ne pickin g it up shakes it off his han d.

Degenera te children

It is a disgrace to have fat hered a badly brought-up son ,and the birt h of a dau ghter is a loss.

A sensible dau ghter is a treasure to her husband,>but a shameless one is a grief to her father.

An insolent daughter puts fath er and mother to shame,and will be disowned by both.

Wisdom and folly

You are gluing the broken pieces of a pot together if you tryto teach a foo l,

you a re rousing a man who is beso tt ed wit h sleep.A foo l is the sa me as a drowsing man if you have to explain

anyt hing to him,when you have finished he will say, 'What is it all abo ut?'

Shed tears for the dead man, since he has left the light behind;shed tears fo r the fool ,' since he has left his wits behind;

Shed quieter tears for the dea d, since he is at rest ,for th e foo l, life is sadder than death.

Mourning for the dea d lasts seven days,fo r the fooli sh and ungodly all the da ys of their lives.

Do not waste man y words on a stupid man ,do not go near a dol t.

22

M 17 :6

Pr 17:2 1

"I

~ I

ECCLE S IA S TI C U S 1066 1067 EC C L ES IAST I CUS

Foul talk"

Swearing

Tb13:423

40 :15W,4:3

Pc 2:16 : 5:2­20: 6:24­35: 7:5

Pr 1:20-33 ; 8:1-36; 9:1-6

Jb 28Ba 3:9f

Pr 8:22f

Pr 15:3.11 ;17:3 ; 24:12

is d ivine wisdom it self, Pr 8:22 +.h. After creat io n G od co n tinues to wa tch over

the wor ld .I. Add . v. 28 'T o foll o w God is a great honour and

to be accepta b le to him is to len gth en o ne's days'.24 a. Subt it le in Greek 'Eu logy of W isdom' This isthe piv ot al chapter o f the bo ok , summtne up th e wholedoctri ne of wisdom : there are freq ue nt echoes of earlierb ib lical li terat ure but there is also a dev elopment.Even more th an in Pr , cf. P r 8:22+. wisdom is sh ownas be ing in union with God and yet dist inct fro m him.whic h cha rac ter ist ics will later be applied to the per sonof the Wo rd , 3 S a lso to the person of the Spi rit.cr. Ws 7:22 + . The litu rgy applies this passage. by'accommodation' , to the Bless ed Vitgin .

and a third draws down wrath:there is a desire that, blazing like a Furnace,

cannot be quen ched until it is slaked;there is the man who lusts For his own flesh:

he will not give up until the fire consumes him ;to a fornicator all food is sweet ,

and he will no t weary of it until he dies.T he man who sins against his own marriage bed ,

and says to himself, 'Who can see me?There is darkness all round me, the walls hide me,

nobody sees me; why should I worry?The Most High will not call my sins to mind' :

what he fears is the eyes of men ,he does not rea lise that the eyes of the Lord

are ten thousand times brighter than the sun,observi ng every aspect of human behaviour,

seeing into the most secret corners.All things were known to him before they were created,'

and are still, now that they are finished. h

This man will be pu nished in view of the whole town ,and will be seized where he least expects it.

23 8. 'ensnared' so me MSS; 'a ba ndo ned to' Tex t. Rec.b. T ranslatio n uncert ain .c. By not fulfill ing his oa th. T he a ut hor envisages

th ree case s in order of increasin g gravity: a sincere oathun ful filled . an oa th lightl y sworn. an ins incere oath.

d . T he co ntext shows that the refer ence is toimpuri ty in speec h. bu t the text itself is vague and thep recise sin un cert ai n .

e . ' when' followi ng Svr, ' YOU forget yo urse lf 'fo llow ing Svr .: '(God) forgets YOU' Lat. ;'YOUforget ( it)'Greek .

r. Numerical proverb. cf . Pr 30:15+ , but obscureas it stands.

I . This kn owledge of God. a ntecedent to creation.

adulteress

Similarly the woman who deserts her husband,and prov ides him with an heir by another man:

first, she has disobeyed the Law of the Most High;second ly, she has been False to her husband ;

and thirdly, she has gone whor ing in ad ulterya nd conceived children by another man.

She will be led before the assembly,an enq uiry will be held about her children.

Her ch ildre n will st rike no root,her branches will bear no fruit.

She will leave an accursed memory behind her,her sha me will never be wiped out.

And tho se who survive her will recognisethat noth ing is better than Fearing the Lord,and noth ing sweeter than adherence to the Lord's commandments.'

Wisdo m speaks her own praises ,in the midst of her peop le she glories in herself.

She opens her mouth in the asse mbly of the Most High ,she glories in herself in the presence of the Mighty One;

Discourse of Wisdom a

The22J 2

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to keep me from falling,and my tongue from cau sing my ruin?

Lor d, father and master of my life,do no t abandon me to the ir whims,do not let me fall becau se of them .

Who will lay whips to my th oughts,and the discipline of wisdom to my hea rt,

to be unmerciful to my errors,an d let none of my sins go unchecked

in case my errors multiply,and my sins increase in number,

and I Fall before my adversaries ,a nd my enemy gloats over me?

Lo rd, father and G od of my life ,do not give me proud eyes,

turn lust awa y from me,do not let lechery and lust grip me,

do not give me over to shameless desire.

Listen, children, to the inst ruction I ha ve to give;whoever keeps it will not be caught out.

The sinner is ensnared" by his own lips,bot h the abusive and the proud man are tripped by them.

Do not accustom your mouth to swearing,nor get int o the habit of naming the Holy One;

for just as a slave who is co nsta ntly overseenwill never be without brui ses, I,

so too the man who is continually swearing oaths and utt erin gthe name

will not be exempt From sin.A man Fore ver swea ring is Full of iniquity,

and the scourge will no t depart from his house.H he offends, ' his sin will be on him,

if he swears lightly, he sins twice over;if he swears a false oath, he will not be treated as innocent,

For his ho use will be filled with calamities .

There is a ma nner of ta lking that is Fraught with death;let it not be Found in the inheritance of Jacob,

for devo ut men will keep a ll that Far from them,they will not wallow in sin.

Do not hab ituate your mouth to coarseness and foul language,for this means sinfu l talk.

Remember your father and mot herwhen you are sitting among prin ces,

in case you forget you rself in the ir presence,'and behave like a Fool,

and then wish you had not been born,and curse the day of your bir th .

A man in the habit of using improper wordswill never break hims elf of it however long he lives.

Incest and adultery

Two kind s of men multipl y sins,!

P'141 :5

T b 13:4

P, 131:1

MI5:34f :23 :20fJm 5:12

Numerical proverbs

b There are nine things I can think of which strike me as happy,and a tenth which is now on my tongue:

10692838

2939

3040

4 /3142

43

3244

3346

3447

Ws4:8-9

Ezk 47:1-12

Is 11:9i n 7:38

Jb 32:7Pr 16:28

Is 58: 11I n 4:14

]r 2:8

n. T he sa ge whose wisdom is derived fro m divin ewisd om .25 3 , Followin g Syr. and La t .: Greek ' In three thingsI was pre- emi nent . a nd pre-eminent I rema ined befo reGod'-making this a d iscou rse delivere d by Wi sdom .

of lift: a nd of s tre ngth' , a C hris tia n glos s allud ing toIn 14:6 an d ba sed o n the iden tifica t io n of W isdomwith C hris t.

[, W isd om 's d isco urse finish es a t t his po int. Th eaut ho r no w deve lop s his thesis on the identi ty ofW isdo m with th e La w.

k , Ad d . v , 24 ' Do no t cea se to be st ro ng in th eLord, cling to h im that he may s tre ngthe n yo u. T heLord A lmi~h ty alone is G od and ther e is no sav io uro ther than he .'

I. T hroughout , the a utho r is thin ki ng of theea r th ly Par adise and its four r ivers , G n 2; IOf, symbolicof fertility.

m. ' flo w like th e N ile ' carr.. cf. Svr.: 'sh ine like aIiRht ' Greek.

ECCLESIASTICUS

If you have gathered nothin g in your youth,how can you find any thing in your old age?

How fine a th ing: sound judgement with grey hai rs,and for greybea rds to know how to advise!

How fine a thing: wisdom in the aged,and con sidered advice coming from men of distin ction !

The cro wn of old men is ripe experie nce,the ir true glo ry, the fea r of the Lord .

The first man never managed to grasp her entirely,nor has the most recent one fully comprehended her;

for her thoughts are wider tha n the sea,and her designs more profound than the abyss.

And I,n like a condu it from a river,like a watercourse run ning int o a garden,

I said, ' I am going to water my orchard,I intend to irrigate my flower beds '.

And see, my conduit has grown into a river,and my river has grown into a sea .

Now I shall make d iscipline shine out,I shall send its light far and wide .

I sha ll pour out teach ing like prophecy,as a legacy to all future generations.

Observe that I have not toiled for myself alone,but for all who are seeking wisdom.

There are three things my soul delights in,and which are delightful to God and to men:"

co nco rd between broth ers, friendship betwee n neighbo urs ,and a wife a nd husban d who live happily together.

There a re three sorts of people my soul hates,and whose existence I consider an outrage:

a poor man swollen with pride, a rich man who is a liarand a n adulterous old man who has no sense.

b. Wi sdom is iden tified with th e spiri t o f Godhovering ove r the wa te rs . Go 1:2.

c. Th e pi llar o f clo ud in th e de ser t. wh ich in th eo ldes t texts manifested th e presen ce of God .

d . Wisd om was present a t eve ry act of th e crea tion.e. ' I have he ld sway' o ne Greek MS. Syr .• Lar. :

' I have o b ta ined possessio n ' Te xt. Ree .f. For Be n Sira the Te mp le wo rs hip in Jeru sa lem

is o ne mor e ac h ieveme nt of W isdom. ei the r bec ause itex presses th e d ivine per fectio n in the same way as th eor der o f the uni verse doc s, o r else becau se thi s worshipis laid d ow n in de ta il in th e La w which itsel f, 24:23f,is Wisdom .

g ' Enaed t' var.: 'on the sho res' T ext. Rec.h. W isdom plays her pa rt in pu bli c worsh ip ,

24: 10 I ; hence of a ll t he no ta b le perfumes mentioned ,she is la stly co mpa red 10 the incense o f the liturgy.

l , Add. v, 18 ' I am the mot he r of pure lo ve, o f fear ,o f know ledge , a nd of hol y bope : I a m bestowed o n a llmy ch ild ren, fro m a ll etern ity on th ose a ppoi n ted byhim ' . In p lace of the las t phrase the Lat in read s' In me is all grace of way a nd of tr ut h , in me a ll ho pe

Proverbs

Old men

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ECCLESIASTICUS

'I came forth from the mou th of the Most High,and I covered the earth like mist . b

I had my tent in the heights,and my throne in a pillar of cloud. C

Alone I encircled the vault of the sky,and I walked on th e bottom of the deeps. d

Over the waves of the sea and over the whole earth,and over every people and nation I have held sway.'

Among all these I searched for rest,and looked to see in whose territory I might pitch camp.

Then the creator of all things instructed me,and he who created me fixed a place for my tent.

He sa id, " Pitch yo ur tent in Jacob,make Israe l your inheritance".

From eternity, in the beginning, he created me,and for etern ity I sha ll remain.

I min istered before him in the holy tabernacle."a nd thus was I established on Zion .

In the beloved city he has given me rest,and in Jerusalem I wield my authority.

I have ta ken root in a privileged people,in the Lord's prope rty, in his inheritance.

I have gro wn tall as a cedar on Leba non,as a cypre ss on Mount Hermo n;

I have grown ta ll as a palm in Engedi,vas the rose bushes of Je richo;

as a fine olive in the plain,as a plane tree I have grown tal l.

I have exhaled a perfume like cinna mo n a nd acacia,I have breathed out a scent like choice myrrh,

like galban um, onycha a nd stac te,like the smoke of incense in the tabernacle .'

I have spread my bra nches like a terebinth,and my branches a re glor ious and graceful.

I am like a vine putting out grace ful shoots,my blossoms bear the fru it of glory and wealt h.'

Approach me, you who desire me,and tak e your fill of my fruit s,

for memories of me are sweeter than honey,inheriting me is sweeter than the hone ycom b.

T hey who eat me will hun ger for more,they who dr ink me will thirst for more.

Whoever listens to me will never have to blush,whoever acts as I dictate will never sin .'

Wisdom and the Law}

All this is no other than the book of the covenant of theMost High God,

the Law that Mo ses enjoined on us,a n inhe ritance for the communities of Jacob. "T hat is what makes wisdom brim like the Pishon,'

like the Tigris in the season of fruit ,what ma kes understanding brim over like the Euphrates,

like the Jordan at har vest time;a nd makes discipline flow like the Nile, '"

like the Gi hon at the t ime of vintage.

Ex19 : 1-1­Ba4:1

15:3Pr 9:5

Is 55:2M I I I:28

In 6:3'

Ps 19: 10

M.5:6I n 4:13-14

Ps 132:8Ba 3:37

Gn 2:11

Jos 3:15

0133:4

Ba 3:37

Pr 8:23

Gn 2:13

Ws 7:25

Gn 1:2

Ba 3:29

Ex 13:21-22

Jb 22:14Pr 8:27

Ex 30:7f.34f

T here are three things my hea rt dreads ,and a fourth which terr ifies me:"

slander by a whole town, the gat hering of a mob,and a false accusation-these are all worse than death;

but a woman jealous of a woman means heartbreak and sorrow,a nd all this is the scourge of the tongue."

A bad wife is a badl y fitting ox yoke , C

t rying to master her is like grasp ing a scorpion.A drunken wife will goad anyone to fury,

she makes no effort to hide her degradation.

A woman's wantonness shows in her bold look,and can be recog nised by her sidelong glances.

Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control,or she will abuse any indul gence she receives.

Keep a strict watch on her shameless eye,do not be surprised if she disgraces you.

Like a th irsty traveller she will open her mouthand drink any water she comes across;

she will sit in fro nt of every peg,a nd ope n her qu iver to any arrow .

Th e grace of a wife will charm her husband,her acco mplishments will ma ke him the stro nger."

A silent wife is a gift from the Lord,no price can be put on a well-trai ned character.

A modest wife is a boo n twice over,a chaste character cannot be weighed on scales.

Like the sun rising over the mountains of the Lordis the beauty of a good wife in a well-kept house.

Like the lamp shining on the sacred lamp-stand'is a beautiful face on a well-proportioned body.

Like golden pillars on a silver baseare shapely legs on firm-set heelsJ

ECCLESIAS TICUS

Ps 144:12

Pr 6:25

26:18

f , Fo llo wing so me MSS and Lat. Add . vv , 19-27:19 MY son , preserve the bloom of your youth

and do no t waste your strength on strangers . (cf.Pr 5: 9-10).

20 Search. th e wh ole plain for a fertile field ,sow yo ur own seedthere. trusting in your own good

stock.21 Th us you r offs pring will survive,

they will grow great , co nfident of their breedi ng.22 A woman for hire is not worth spitting at,

but a lawfu l wife is as stro ng as a tower.21 A god less wife is assigned to a transgressor as

his fortune,but a devout wife give n to the man who fears the

Lord .24 A shame less wife takes pleasu re in d isgracing herse lf,

a mo dest wife is diffident even with her husband .25 A headst rong wife is no more respected than a do g,

but one with a sense of shame fears the Lord.26 A wife who respe cts her husband will be acknow­

ledged wise by all ,but one who proudly desp ises him will be kno wn by

all as wicked.Ha ppy the husband of a good wife ,for the num ber of his days will be doub led

( = 26:1).27 A loud-mouthed, gossip ing wife is like a trumpe t

sou nding th e charge ,and any man sadd led with one spends his life in

the turmoil of war.

26 a. 'terrifies me' : va r. 'is fo r me a subjec t of prayer'.b. Following Svr. : 'and the scourge of the ton gue

tha t falls on all alike' Greek .c . Which rubs and slips back and fo rth on the

crea ture's neck, causing gal ls and pa in.d . Li t. 'fanen his bo nes'.e . Probably alluding to the seven -branched lamp­

stand, I M 4:49,50 .

b. Either in the literal. cr. Lv 19: 19 ; 0 122:10. or.prefer ably, in the metap horical sense (ef. 2 Co 6:14)o f an ill-assorted co uple . T his line has been restoredfoll owing SYT. (and Heb r.D : it is abse nt from Greek .

c. ' good sense'; V uIR. '3 friend ',

d. Add. v , 12 'The fear of the Lord is the beginningof lovi ng him but it is by faith that a ma n begins tocling to hi m' ,

e . 'po ison' corr .: 'head ' Greek.r. 'bear ' : var . 'sac k', He br . 'chan ges the appearance

of her husb and and makes him look like a bea r'.K. Lit. 'in spite of himself' one MS ; 'as he lis tens'

Te xt. Rec .h . Allud ing lO the firs t sin. St Paul also recalls the

guilt of Eve . 2 Co 11:3: 1 Tm 2:14. b u t cf. Rm 5:12.1. Lit. 'freedom 10 speak ', seve ral MSS; others

omit '[0 speak '.j, Li t. 'if she will not walk acc ordi ng to your hand'.k . Lit . 'separa te her from yo ur flesh ', cf. Gn 2:24 ;

Ep 5:31. The Mosa ic Law, Dt 24: 1-4, allo wed divorce,cf . Mt 19:3-9p .

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25 :8 ECCL ES I A S TIC U S 1°7°

a man whose joy is in his children, JO

he who lives to see the downfall of his enemies ;ha ppy the man who keeps house with a sens ible wife; 8

Jl

he who does not toil with ox and donkey ;"14:1 he who has never sinned with his tongue;

he who does not serve a man less worthy than himself ;ha ppy the man who has acquired good sense s 9

12

and can find attent ive ears for what he has to say;ho w great the man is who has acquired wisdom ; 10

13

but no one excels the man who fear s the Lord.The fear of the Lo rd surpasses everyth ing; 11

14

wha t can compare with a ma n who has mastered that ?" 15

Women

Any wound rather than a wou nd of the heart! IJ17

Any spite rather than the spite of woman!Any evil rather than a n evil caused by an enemy! 14

18

Any vengeance rat her than the vengeance of a foe! 19

There is no poison' wo rse than the poison of a sna ke, 1522

there is no fu ry wo rse than the fury of an ene my. 23P r 21:9,19; I would sooner keep house with a lion or a drago n 1625:24; 27:

II15 than keep house with a spiteful wife.

A woman's spite changes her appearance 1724

and makes her face as grim as any bear's. 'When her husband goes out to dinner with his neighb ou rs, 18

25

he ca nnot help ' heaving bitte r sighs .

No wickedness come s any where near the wickedness of a woma n, 1926

maya sinner's lot be hers!

As climbing up a sandhill is for elderly feet 2027

such is a garrul ous wife for a qui et husband.D o not be ta ken in by a woman's beauty, 21

28

never lose your head over a woman.

Bad temper, insolence and shame hold sway 2229

where the wife supports the husband.Low spirits, gloomy face, stricken heart: 23

31

such the achievements of a spiteful wife.Slack hands and sagging knees 32

indicate a wife who make s her husband wretched.

G n 3: 1·6 Sin began with a woman, 24Rm 5:12 33

1Co 15:22 and thanks to her we all must die. hI Tm 2:14

Do not let water find a leak, 2534

do not allow a sp iteful woman free re in for her tongue.'If she will not do as you tell her, ' 26

35

get r id of her. k 36Pr 31:lOr 26 Ha ppy the husba nd of a really good wife ;

Pr 12:4 the number of his days will be do ubled .A perfect wife is the jo y of her husband,

he will live out the yea rs of his life in peace.A good wife is the best of por tions ,

reserved for those who fea r the Lo rd;rich or poor , they will be glad of heart, 4

cheerful of face, whatever the season.

26:28 ECC LES I AST IC U S 1 0 7 2 1073 ECCLESIASTICUS 28:8

Depressing things

There are two thin gs which grieve my heartand a thi rd arouses my ang er:

a warri or wasting away through poverty,intelligent men treated with contempt,

a man turn ing back from virtu e to sin-the Lord marks this man ou t for a violent death.

In a shaken sieve the rubbish is left behind.so too the defects of a man appear in hi; talk.

The kiln tests the wor k of the potter,the test of a man is in his conversation.

The orcha rd where the tree grows is j udged on the qua lity of its frui t,simi larly a ma n's words betray what he feels."

Do not praise a man before he has spoken,since this is the test of men.

M 17 :16

Commerce

27

Speech

It is difficult for a merchant to avoid doing wrongand for a salesman not to incur sin .

Man y have sinned for the sake of pro fit,"he who hopes to be rich must be ruthless. b

A peg will st ick in the joint between two stones,and sin will wedge itself' between selling and buy ing.

If a man does not hold earnestly to the fear of the Lord,his House will soo n be overthrown.

2825

26

27

2928

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45

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1921

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24

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2629

2730

2831

2932

and as yo u let a bird slip through your fingers,so you have let your friend go, and will not catch him .

Do not go after him-he is far away,he has fled like a gazelle from the snare.

For a wou nd can be bandaged and ab use forgi ven,but for the man who has bet rayed a secret there is no hope.

Hypocrisy

The man with a sly wink is plott ing mischief,no one can d issuade him from it.

Ho ney-tongued to your face,he is lost in admiration at your words;

but beh ind your back he has ot her thi ngs to say,a nd make s your own word s so und offens ive.

I have found ma ny thin gs to hat e, bu t nothing to equa l this man,a nd the Lord hates him to o.

T he man who throws a stone in th e a ir, throws it on to his own head ;a treac hero us blow cuts bot h ways.h

The man who d igs a pit falls into it,he who sets a sna re will be cau ght by it.

On the ma n who does evil, evil will recoil,though where it ca me from he will not know.

Sarcasm and abu se a re the mark of a n ar rogant ma n,but vengeance lies in wait like a lion for him.

Th e trap will close on a ll who rejo ice in the do wnfall of the devou t,and pa in will ea t them up befo re they die. '

Ps 35:19Pr 6:13; 10:

10

Pr 26:25

Ps 7: 16 : 9:16Pr 26:2 7Oo IO:S

Quarrels

Avoid qua rre lling and you will sin less ;for a ho t-tem pered man pr ovokes quar rels,

Ex 23:4-5

M I 5:23-24:6:12p, 14­15

Pr 15:18

7:36 ; 38:20

M I 18: 23-35

Lv 19:17·18

h. Lit. 'a nd a treacherous blow distributes wounds' .i. T empo ra l retribution as maintained by [he tradi­

tio na l view. Cf. Jb 21:20-21.

sun' ,g . T ranslat ion uncertain .

27 a . 'for the sake of profi t' : var . ' fo r a trift.e' ,b . Lit. 'a verts his eyes', cf. Pr 28:27.c . ' wedge itse lf ' corr .; ' is crushed' Greek.d. Te xt corr.e. ' justice ' corr. : ' tru th' Greek , cr. 4:28. 'J ustice '

here means both the doi ng and [he rewa rd of good.f. v ura. 'T he hol y an d wise man is as fixed as the

ResentmentResentment and anger, these are foul things too ,

and bot h arc found with the sinner.He who exacts vengea nce will experience the vengea nce of the Lord,

who keeps str ict acco unt of sin.Forgive yo ur neighb our the hurt he does you,

and when you pray, your sins will be for given.If a man nu rses anger against another,

can he then demand compassion from the Lord?Show ing no pity for a man like himself,

ca n he then plead for his own sins?Mere creat ure of flesh, he cherishes resentment;

who will forg ive him his sins?Remember the last things, and stop hating,

remember dissol ut ion and death, and live by the commandments.Reme mber the com mandments, and do not bear your

neighbour ill-will ;remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook

the offence.

810

11

6

778

3033

1011

1314

1112

910

1213

1415

1617

IS16

1718

191820

A betrayer of secrets forfeits all esteemand will never find the kind of friend he wan ts.

Be fond of a friend and keep faith with him,but if you have bet rayed his secrets, do not pursue him any more'

for as a man destroys his enemy, ,so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbour,

If you pursue justice you will achieve itand put it on like a festal gown.

Birds consort with their kind ,justice comes home to those who practise it.'

The lion lies in wait for its prey,so doe s sin for those who do wrong.

The devout man 's conversat ion is wisdom at all times f

bu t the foo l is as changeabl e as the moon. '

Among stupid people look for you r opportunity to leave, 'but am on g thoughtful men take your time .

The conve rsation of foo ls is disgusting,raucous their laughter at their sinful orgies .

The talk of hard-swearing men makes your hair stand on endtheir brawls make you stop your ears . '

A quarrel between pro ud men leads to bloodshedtheir abu se is pain ful to hear. '

Virtue

Secrets22:22 +

007:3-6

? Jm 3: 1- 12 The tongue

A curse on the scandal-mo nger and the deceitful , 13Pr 16:28 he has ruined ma ny who lived in concord.

15

Tha t third tongue has sha ken man y," 14

and driven the m from nation to nation ;16

it has pulled down fort ified cities, 17

Iand overturned the houses of princes.

The third tongue has driven virtuous wives out of hou se a nd hom e, 1519

II

and dep rived them of the due reward for the ir hard work.Anyone who listens to it will never know peace of mind , 16

will neve r live in peace again .20

A stroke of the whip ra ises a wea l, 172 /Pc 25:15 but a stroke of the tongue break s bones.

Many have fallen by the edge of the swo rd, 18

but man y more have fallen by the ton gue.22

Ps 3 1:20 Hap py the man who has been sheltered fro m it, 19

and has not experienced its fury,23

who has not d ragged its yoke a bout,or been bound in its cha ins;

for its yoke is an iron yoke, 2024

its chains are bron ze chains ;the death it inflicts is a miserable death, 21

Sheol is prefera ble to it.25

Jm 3:6 It cannot gain a hold over the devou t, 22

the y are not burnt by its flame s.26

Those who desert the Lord will fall int o it, 23

it will flare up inextinguishably among them,1 7

it will be let loos e aga inst them like a lion,it will tear them like a leopard .

Look , fence your property round with a qui ckth orn hedge, 24

lock away your silver a nd gold;28

then mak e sca les and weight s for your words, 2522:2 7 and put a door with bolt s across your mou th.

29

Pr 13:3 Ta ke car e you tak e no false step through it, 26

in case you fall a prey to him who lies in wait.30

Securities

Tb 4:9 -11MI 6: 19-20Lk 16:9

8: 13Pr 6:1 --:-

Dt 15:11

Jrn 5:3

Mt 6:19-21Jm 5:3

3:30-4: 10 :7:32-36

T b 12:8-9M I 6: 19-21;

19:2 1

d. ' undeserved ly' Greek MSS. Svr .. Lat.: 'need­lessly ' Text. Rec.

c. 'no t o ut of malice' G reek MSS. Svr. , Lar. :'because of the wickedness (of those who borrow)'Text. Rec.

will make loans to his neighbour',c . Lit . 'as something fou nd',

EC C L ES I AST ICUS

and embarrass those who have corne to their rescue .U ntil he gets something, a man will kiss his neighbour's hand,

and refer to his wealth in respectful tones ;but when the loan fa lls due , he puts this off,

he repays with offha nd wor ds,and plead s the incon venience of the time .

Even if he can be made to pay, his credito r will barely recove r half,an d co nsider even tha t a windfa ll.

But otherwise he will be cheated of his mo ney,and undeservedly" gain himself an enemy;

the man will pay him back in curses and recriminati ons,and instead of respect will have contempt for him.

Many, not out of malice: refuse to lend ;the y are merely a nxio us not to be cheate d for nothing.

28 a. Either the third tong ue that interfe res in aQuarrel. or the tongue that ma kes three victims: theslanderer himself. the listener. the person slandereduhu s the Talmud),29 a . Lendin g (witho ut interes t) to Israelites is en­joined in the Law. Ex 22:24: Lv 25:35-36 : Dt 15:7- 11,cf . Mt 5:42 : Ps 37:2 1.26.

b. Fo llow ing Svr. : Greek 'He who shows mercy

1075

A good man will go surety for his neig hbour;a man has lost all shame if he fai ls him .

Do no t forget the favour your guarantor has don e you ;he has given his life for you.

A sinner is ca reless of his guaran tor's pros perity,an ung rateful ma n forge ts the one who saved him.

Go ing surety has rui ned man y prosperous menand rocked them like a wave of the sea .

It has dri ven powerful men from hometo wande r a mo ng fore ign nati on s.

The sinner who involves himself with gua ra ntees,in pursuit of a dea l, will find himself involved in lawsuits.

Corne to you r neighb ou r's help as far as you ca n,bu t ta ke care not to fall into the same plight.

Home and hospitality

Th e first thing in life is water, a nd bread, and clothing,and a house for the sake of pr ivacy .

Bett er a poor ma n's life und er a roof of planks,tha n lavish fare in the hou se of an other.

Generosity

Neve rtheless, be pat ient with those who are bad ly-off,do not keep them waiting on your generosity.

Fo r the commandment's sa ke go to the poor man 's help ,do not turn him awa y empty-handed in his need.

Better let your silver go on brot her or friend ,do not let it go to waste, rusting under a stone.

Invest your treasure as the Most High orders,and yo u will find it more profitable tha n gold.

Deposit genero sity in your sto reroomsand it will release you from every misfortune.

Better than stu rdy shield or weight y spea r,it will figh t fo r you against the enemy.

1925

II>n

2 1}7

2016

172)

2228

15/ 9

14/8

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1°74a sinner sows trouble between friends,

introducing discord among men at peace.The way a fire burns depends on its fuel ,

a quarrel spreads in proportion to its violence ;a man 's rage depends on his strength,

his fur y grows fiercer in proportion to his wealth .A sudden quarrel kindles fire,

a hast y dispute leads to bloodshed.Blow on a spa rk and up it flares ,

spit on it and out it goes ;both are the effects of your mouth.

ECCLESIASTICUS

Mak ing you r neigh bour a loan is an act of merc y, I,

to lend him a hel ping hand is to keep the comm andments.Lend to your neighbour in his time of need ,

and in you r turn repay your neighbou r on time.Be as good as yo ur word and keep faith with him ,

and you will find your needs met every tim e.Ma ny treat a loan as a wind fall , '

Loans"

29

8: 12

Pr 26:20-2 1

ECCLES IASTICUS 1076 1° 77 E C C L ES IAST ICUS 3I :10

Health

Pr 15:15

Jb 31:24Pr 28:20

20:4

D14:28P, 115:4-71,40:20+

fragments.r. Hebr. 'T he sleep of the heart serves as its food ' .g. 'benefits from' following Hebr . : 'gives heed to'

G reek.3 1 a. 'The worr ies of the dayt ime' Hebr . 'i nterferewit h slumber'; var. 'in vite slumber' .

b. Corr. follow ing Hebr.: ' the man who chasesafte r corru ption will be filled with it ' G reek.

c . He br. 'T hey put their hopes in pearls' .d . Lit. 'a st umbli ng block' . T he author is possibly

thin kin a of wealth as an idol 10 which ' sacrifice' isoffered. 'sacrifice to it '; va r. 'are obsessed with it' ;Hebr. ' i t is a snare for the fool".

e. In Hebr. <riches', I1Ul l1lllW fI . a word of Ara maicor tain often used in rabb inical li terature, and d. Mt 6:24 ; Lk 16:9.11.13 .

Do not aban don yourself to so rrow,do not torment yo urself with brooding.

Gla dness of hea rt is life to a man ,joy is what gives him length of days .

Beguile you r ca res," console your heart,chase sorrow far away;

for so rrow has been the ruin of many,and is no use to an ybod y.

Jealousy a nd anger shorten your days ,and wor ry brings premature old age. '

A genial hea rt makes a good tren cher ma n, "one who benefits from" his food.

The sleeplessness brought by wealth make s a man lose weight,the worry it causes drives away sleep.

Th e worries of the daytime interfere with slumber,«as a serious illness dr ives away sleep.

The rich ma n toil s, piling up money,a nd when he lea ves ofT, he stuffs himself with luxuries ;

the poor man to ils, his livelihood dw ind ling,and when he leaves ofT, is destitute.

The man who loves gold will not be reckoned virtuous,the man who chases af ter profi t will be ca ught out by it. b

Many have go ne to their ruin for the sake of go ld,tho ugh their dest ruction sta red them in the face;'

it is a sna re" for those who sacr ifice to it,and every foo l will be ca ught in it.

Ha ppy the rich ma n who is found to be blamelessand does no t go chasing aft er gold .'

Who is he, for us to co ngrat ula te him,since he has achieved wonders a mo ng his kind?

Who has been through this test and emerged perfect?He may well be pro ud of that!

Go od things lavished on a closed mouthare like food offerings put on a grave. b

What use is an offer ing to an idolwhich can ne ither eat nor smell?

How describe a ma n pursued by the Lord's displeasure?'He look s a nd sighs

as a eunuch em bracin g a virgin sighs.

b. 'on a gr ave": Heb r. ' in front of an ido l'.c. I.e . th e sick man who can take no food , cf'. Hebr.

'Th us it is wi th the man who has a fort une and cannotenjoy i t' .

d. Li t. 'Be nuilc your sour ; var. ' Det iuht your sour .e. A ll the G reek MSS put .'U:16- 36: 10 before

30:25-33 :ln . T he Svr . and LOl l. versions preserve theongtnat order which is also a ttested by the Hebr.

f. Tex t cor r . fo llo wing Lat.g. Text corr. follow ing Svr. : 'YOU are a stranger,

yOU provide dr ink without be tng tha nked ' G reek.h. Tex t co rr . . d. v. 23 b : 'the reproac h of the

household. the insul t of the debtor' G reek.30 a . Hebr , 'and a happy spiri t than pearls' .

Riches

Happiness

2527

25

10

2426

2324

2223

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19

18

2834

2632

2430

253 /

2733

2329

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10

15

13

12

16

17

14

Whether you have little or much, be con tent with it,and you will not be dubbed an intruder.t

It is a miserable life, going from house to house ;wherever you stay, not da ring to open your mou th ;

you are a stra nger, you know the taste of humi liation ,"not to mention the sound of embittering wor ds,

'Come along , stranger, lay the ta ble,if you have anything with you , give it to me to ea t' .

'Go awa y, stranger, make room for someone importan t ;my brother is coming to stay, I need the hou se.'

It is hard for a cultured manto hear himself begrudged hospitali tyand treated like an undischarged debtor. I<

A man who is strict with his son will reap the benefit,and be able to boast of him to his acquaintances.

A man who educates his son will be the envy of his enem y,and will be proud of him among his friends .

Even when the father d ies, he might well not be dead,since he leaves his likeness behi nd him.

In life he has had the joy of his company,dying , he has no anxieties.

He leaves an avenger against his enemies,and a rewarder of favours for his frien ds.

Better a poor ma n hea lthy and fitthan a rich man tor mented in body .

Health a nd st reng th a re bette r tha n any gold,a robust body than untold wealth."

No riches can out weigh bodily health,no enjoyment su rpass a cheerful hea rt.

Better death tha n a wretched life,and everlas ting rest than chronic illness.

A man who coddles his son will bandage his woun ds,his hear t will turn over at every shout.

A horse badly broken-in turns o ut stubborn,an unco ntrolled son turns out headstron g.

Pamper your child, and he will give yo u a fr ight,play with him, an d he will bring you sorrow.

Do not sha re his laughter , if you do no t wish to sha re his sorrowand to end by grin ding yo ur teet h.

Allow him no independence in chi ldhood.and do not wink at his mista kes.

Bend his neck in yout h,bru ise his ribs while he is a ch ild,

or else he will grow stubborn and disobedient,and hu rt you very deepl y.

Be strict with you r son , a nd persevere with him,or you will rue his insolence.

30Bringing up children

A man who loves his son will beat him frequent lyso tha t in after years the son may be his comfor t.

Pc 27:8

Jb 7:3

Tb9:6

Pc 13:24: 23:13. 14 :29:15

7:23 : 42 :5

31 : I I ECCLES IASTICUS 1 0 78 10 7 9 E C C L E S I A STICUS 32 : 16

Who has had the power to sin and has not sinnedto wro ng an other an d no t done it?! '

His fortune will be firmly basedand the assembly' will acclaim his generosity.

Pc 23:1-3.6-8 Dinner parties

Have yo u sa t down at a lavish table?Do not gape at it,do not say, 'What a feast !'

Remember how bad it is to have a greedy eye ;is anything in creation greedier than the eye?That is why it wa ters on eve ry occas ion."

D o not rea ch out for anything your hos t has his eye on,do not jostle him at the d ish.

Judge your fellow guest's needs by yo ur own,be tho ug htful in every way. i

Ea t wha t is offered yo u like a well brought-up person/do not wolf your food or yo u will ea rn dislike.

For po lite ness' sa ke be the first to stop ;do not act th e glutton, or you will give offence ,

and if yo u a re sitting with a large party,do no t help yourself before the ot hers do.

A little is qu ite enough fo r a well-b red person ;his brea thing is easy when he gets to bed .

A moderate diet ensures sou nd sleep,a man get s up earl y, in the best of spirits.

Sleeplessne ss, biliousness a nd gripea re wha t the glutton has to endure.

If you a re forced to ea t to o much,get up , go and be sick! an d yo u will feel better.

Listen to me my so n, do not disrega rd me,eventually yo u will see th e force of my words.

Be moderate ' in all yo ur act ivit iesand illne ss will never ove rtake you .

People praise the man who keeps a sple nd id table,and their o pinion of his munificence is so un d :

similarly, the man who keep s a mean table will be not oriousthroughout the town,

and their op inion of his meanness is not doubtful eith er.

The fea r of God!

T he man who fea rs the Lord will accept his correction ;those who eagerly look for him will win his favou r.

T he man who seeks the Law will be nourished by it, "the hypocrite will find it a st umbl ing-block .

T hose who (ear the Lo rd will have j ust ice done them,and mak e"their good deeds shine like a ligh t."

Pc 15:33 :18: 12

32 a. I.e. organiser of the feast, cf. 2 M 2:27; In 2:8 .b. On fes tal crowns . cf. Is 28:1·4 : Ws 2:8.c . Te rm for music. sing tng or any artis tic perform ­

ance: recited poe try. dramat ic interlude .d . 'whe n so meone else is speakin g' : Lat. (and

He br .") 'where there are old men '.e . Hebr . 'in the fear of Go d and in pove rty',f. The beginning of a secti on in whic h various

themes al ready tou che d o n are resumed , though inno logical order.

g . 'be nour ished by it' : Hebr. 'find it'.h. 'will have justice do ne them . . . Hght": Hebr.

'understand just ice and bring thei r thoughts out ofdarkness '.

Speak, young men, if you have to;but twice at most, and then onl y if questioned.

Keep to th e po int , say much in few wo rds;give the imp ression of knowi ng but not wanting to speak.

A mong eminent men do not behave as tho ugh yo u were th eir eq ual;do not mak e frivolou s remar ks when someo ne else is speak ing."

Lightning co mes befor e the thu nder ,favour goes ah ead of a modest ma n.

Rise in goo d time to ta ke your leave, do not bring up the rea r ;hurry home with ou t lo itering.

There amuse yo urself, and do what yo u have a min d to,but do not sin by arrogant tal k.'

And for all thi s bless him wh o made youand plies yo u with his good th ings.

Speak, old men , it is pro per that yo u should ;bu t kno w what yo u are tal king about, and do not interrupt

the music.'If en tertai nment is provided , do no t keep up a runnin g commentary,

a nd do not play the sage a t the wrong moment.A ca rbu ncle sea l on a preciou s sto ne,

such is a co nce rt of music at a wine feast.An eme rald sea l in a gold en sett ing,

such a re stra ins of mu sic wit h a vintage wine.

Have th ey made you president?" Do not let it go to yo ur head,behave like everyone else in the party,see that they are ha ppy and then sit down yo urself.

Having d ischarged yo ur duties, take your plac eand enjoy yo urself with th e ot hers,and receive th e crown for yo ur co mpetence. b

D o not reb uke your neighbour at a wine feast,do no t slight him when he is enjoying himself,

do not speak reproac hfu lly to him,or an noy him by reclaiming mo ney owing.

f. 'may well be proud of that' : lit. 'glory', Lat.'eve rlast ing glory', 'ano ther' Hebr. and Syr.

g . Here. no do ubt, the syna go gue . LaL 'Thewhole assem bly of the saints' .

h. 'on ever y occasion' carr . foll owin g He br. : 'onevery face' Greek . Hebr. for 13b, c 'G od has crea tednothing worse than the eye , that is why it is always onthe move' ,

i. Hebr. 'and think of wha t yo u yourself dislike' .i . 'well brough t up' fo llo wing Heb r.k. "go and be sick' He br. and Greek MSS ; 'in the

middle of the mea l ( ?)' Te xt. Rec .I. 'moderate' Heb r.: ' indus trious' Greek,

m . He br . ' Headaches, wo rmwood and sham e'.n. 'bravado' foll owin g Heb r. ( ?)

Banquets

3

1317

1418

II>20

15/ 0

12/ 6

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1014

913

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372939

Do no t pla y the va liant at you r wine,for wine has been th e un do ing of many.

The furnace proves the temper of steel,an d wine proves hearts in th e drinking bouts of braggarts .

Wine is life for manif drunk in mod erat ion .

W hat is life worth without wine?It wa s created to make men happy.

Drunk at th e right t ime and in the right amountwine mak es fo r a glad heart and a cheerful m ind,

Bitterness of soul comes of wine drunk to excess >out of temper or bravado. "

Drunke nness excites the stupid man to a fu ry to his own harmit reduces his strength while leading to blo ws. '

Wine

J . 9:13I T m 5:23

Pc 20: 1; 23:20-21 .29-35

Pc 31:4·7Is 5:22 : 28:

1-4

Ps 104:15

'I

Pr29:19

7:20

4~:5

Ps 26:3

42:5

W'6: 1

3J:33

i. T he synagogue where devou t Jews assemb led tobe tau ght.

k. On the strict treatment o f slave s . cf. Ex 21:20-2 1 ;a nd Mt 18:34 : Lk 12:46 . Neve rt he less . s lave s were no tent irely at the mercy of thei r masters : their righ ts we rela id down in detail by the Law: Ex 21:1-6,26· 27 :Lv 25 :46: D t 15:12-1 8. cf. vv. 30 . 31-33 of ou r pa ssage .Cf. t he att itud e of St Paul. Ep 6:9 : Co l 4: 1; Phm 16.

I. 'Yo u will know pea ce of mind' ; Hebr. ' lest hedemand rest '. ' leave his hands idl e': He br. ' if hera ises h is head ' .

m. ' he will id le '; Heb r. ' he will rebe l' .n . I .e. yo u ha ve bought h im with yo ur ha rd-earn ed

money. Bu t th e text is un certa in . He br . ' do no t bejeal ou s of yo ur own blood' (do not ill-treat h im ).

i. Hebr. an d Syr . add 's o . too , opposite light sta ndsda rknes s' .

E C C L ES I AST ICU S

By the blessing of the Lord I have come in first,and , like a vint ager, filled the winepress.

Observe that I have not to iled for myself only,but for all who seek instructio n.

List en to me, you princes of the peo ple,leaders of the asse mbly;' lend ear.

i. ' finds exc uses ': Hebr. 'does vio le nce to the law '.i . Hcb r. 'T he wise man do cs not co ncea l wisdom' .k . ' godless' foll ovv ing Heb r.: 's tra nger' G reek .I. O r 'and e nte rt a in no regre ts whe n yo u set a bout

doi ng any thing'.m , Hebr. ' 3 robber's road C )',n. Hebr . ' look to th e future' .o. 'W at ch you rself' fo llowi ng Hebt.: 'do not tr us t

you rse lf" G reek .33 a. W ith Hebr.: 'The wise man does not hate [helaw' Gree k.

b. Hebr. 'u nderstand th e wo rd of Yahweh'.c . ' and YOU will ge t a hea r in g' ; Hebr. ' and t hen ac t' .d . ' sarca stic ' ; LaI. 'a dulter o us' ,e . ' made more impor tan t ' ; Hebr. an d SYr. ' blessed '.r. ' wisdo m' He bt-, ; ' kno wledg e' Greek.g . ' to mo uld as' one Greek MS , La r.: ' a ll h is

wa ys (are) as ' G reek.h. Heb r. ' to set ue their fat e in h is sight ' .

Fodder, the stick and burdens for a donkey,bread , disciplin e and work for a slave.

Work your servant hard, and you will know peace of mind;leave his hands idle,' and he will start thin king of his freedom.

Yoke and harn ess will bow the neck,for a criminal slave the re is the rack an d to rtu re.

Keep him occupi ed, or he will id lc: «idlene ss teac hes a ll sorts of misch ief.

Keep him at his dut ies, where he should be,if he is disobed ient, clap him in iron s.

But do no t be over-exacting with a nyon e,and do not hing co ntrary to justice.

You have only one slave? Treat him like you rself,since you have acq uired him with bloo d."

Yo u have only o ne slave? Trea t him as a brother,since yo u need him as yo u need yourself.

If you ill-treat him and he runs away,which way will you go to look for him?

J0 8 [

Independence

Neither to son nor wife, bro the r nor friend,give power over yourself during your own lifetime.

And do not give you r prop erty to anyone else.in case yo u regret it an d have to ask for it back.

As long as you live and there is breath in you r body,do not yield power over yourself to anyo ne;

since it is better for your ch ildren to be your suppliants,than for yo u to have to look to the genero sity of your sons.

In all you do be the master,and do not spo il the hon our that is rightl y yours .

The day your life draws to a close,when death is approaching, is the time to distribute your

inheritance.

Slaves"

25

26

27

28

29

30

J I

3 2

33

22

2 1

24

23

20

19

18

17172l

1924

1822

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2122262327

4

[080EC C L E SIASTI CU S

The sinner waves reproof aside,he finds excuses to do what he wants. i

A sensible man never scorn s a suggestion ;'a pro ud and godless" man will be immune to fear .

Never act with out reflection,and you will have not hing to regret when you have done it .'

D o not venture on a rough road,for fear of stumbling over the sto nes.

Do no t be over confident on an even ro ad, m

and beware of your own children.«Wa tch yourself> in everything you do ,

this is what keeping the commandments means.

The man who trusts in the Law pays attention to the commandments, ~}

the man who has confidence in the Lord will come to no harm.If a man fears the Lord, evil will not come his way,

aga in an d aga in he will be rescued in his trials .The man who hates the Law is not wise,«

if hypo cri tical in observance, he is like a ship in a storm.A ma n of unde rstanding will put his faith in the Law, b

for him the Law is as dependable as an oracle.

Prepare wha t you have to say and you will get a hearing,'marshal your information before you answer.

The feelings of a fool are like a cart-wheel,his th oug ht revolves like a turning axle.

A rutting sta llion is like a sarcastic" friend;he neighs, whoeve r rides him.

Why is one day bette r tha n another ,when eac h day 's light throughout the year comes from the sun?

They have been different iated in the mind of the Lo rd,who has diversified the seasons and feasts ;

some he has made more importan t' a nd hallowed,others he has made ord inary days .

All men com e from the ground, 10

Adam himself was formed out of earth;in the fulness of his wisdom ! the Lord has mad e distinctions 11

between them ,and diversified their condi tions .

Some he has blessed and made more important, 12

some he has hallowed and set near him ;ot hers he has cursed and humil iated

by degradi ng them from their positions.Like clay in the hands of the potter 13

to mould as " it pleases him ,so are men in the hands of their Maker

to reward as he judges right."Opposite evil stands good, 14

opposite death, life ;so too , opposite the devout man stands the sin ner. i

Th is is the way to view all the work s of the Most High; 15

they go, in pa irs, by opposites.

I myself ha ve been the last to keep watch, 16

like a glea ner followi ng the vintagers.

33

Inequality

Pr 19: 16

J b 5:19Ps 1;9 1

Pr 12:21

42:24-25003: 1-8

Is 24:13J r 49 :9

39:25

10:14-1 5

Is 29: 16 I­R m 9:21

I S 2:6-8Lk 1:51-5 3

D,4:9Pr 13:3 : 16:

17; 22: 5

1 S 14:4 1+1 M 3:48 +

ECCLE SI .\ STICU S 1082 1083 ECCLESIASTICUS

i3524

TheII14

/ 5

12

1.1/6

1417

15IS

I h.'0

17u

what is the good of his washing?Just so with a man who fasts for hi s sins,

a nd then goes off and commits them a gain.Who will listen to hi s prayers?

W hat is the good of his self-abasement?

Ex 29: 18

45:16

Lv 2:1-3

DI26:1 -'-

2 Co 9:7

D t 14:22+

34:18-26

Lv 3: 1+

38:11Lv2:1+

Lv 7:1 1

DI 12:6 : 14:23: 26:1 2­i5

Dt 10:17Jb J4 : 19ws tr 7

Ex 22:2 1-23Pr 13: lO- l l

Pr 24:23 T

Jb 16:11> ,

45:16Lv 16:1 +

th e r-ich man 's prayer an d can neutralise it.

35 a, Ben Sirach is both a flr rn supporter of liturniculworship and a mora list who insi sts on the Law 'snrec cnts of justice a nd char ity . T hese two e nthus iasm sun ite at this po int: Ben Sira ma in ta ins that theobserva nce of the La w is itsel f a fulfilm en t of ritua lwor sh ip.

b. Lit , ' greases the alt ar ',c. Th e Hebr. margin adds 'T he ma n who gives

to the po or lends (0 God ; who will repay it bu t he:"cf. Pr 19:17.

d . ' 3 judge' : Heb r. 'a God of just ice ' .e . O r ' who d oes a service (for h is ne ighb our)' .r. W here God dwe lls. cf. Ps 68:34 : 104:3 , e tc .g. Lit. ' he is not co nso led' ; Hebr. ' it does no t

pause ' .

jus ti ce of G od

O ffer him no br ibe , he w ill not ac cept it ,do not put yo u r fa ith in an unvirtuous sacrifice;

s ince the Lord is a judge"w ho is no resp ect e r o f pe rsonages.

H e shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poo r man,he listens to th e ple a o f th e injured party.

H e does not ign ore th e orph a n 's sup p lica t ion,nor the w id o w's as sh e pours o u t her st ory.

D o the widow's tea rs not ru n down her cheeks,as she cries o ut ag a ins t the m a n who ca used them ?

The man wh o wi th his whole he art serves God ' will be accepte d ,hi s peti tions w ill carry to th e clouds.

The humble man 's prayer pie rces the c lo uds ,!until it arrives he is inconsol able, "

34 a. In th e O ."]". Go d som etimes uses d ream s 10 ca r ryhi s instructions (0 m an . Gn2S :IO-17 ; 3 1 : 1 0~ 1 3. 24 :

37:5- 1I : 4 1:1-36, etc. C f. Nb 12;6 . See als o M t 1:20-23 :2:13.22 . Hut recourse to dr eams as a n ord ina ry methodof d ivinat ion is censured by La w and Prophet s:J r 29:S : 005:6: Lv 19:26 : Dt 13:2-6 : 18:9- 14. as al soby Ben Siru , t ho un h he admits th e pos sibtlit v ofd ream s of aut hc nticull y divine o rigin . v . 6 .

b. 'Mirror an d' corr .: 'T he vis io n of ' G reek an d Syr ,c. The dream. like the mirro r. o n ly pre sent s an

ima ge : or perhaps: the dream reflects on ly wha t a ma na lre ady has in h is m ind . neither addi ng an ythi ng no rpr ov idi ng a ny assu rance , d . v. 4 .

d . Ltt , ' thus the hea rt of a wo ma n in lab o ur fan cies' .c. Ben Sira cont rasts dream s whic h deceive with

th e Law and wisdom that do nor .r. Th is ver se is apparen t ly expl ain ed by v. 24 .

The poo r man 's curse is as effec tive with the Lo rd as

The La w and sacrifices"

A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law;he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments.

By showing grat itude he makes an offering of fine flou r,by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise.

Withdraw from wickedness and the Lord will be pleased,withdraw from inj ustice and you make atonement.

Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord's presence ;fo r all these th ings are due under the commandment.

A virtuo us man's offering graces the altar, b

and its savour rises befo re the Most H igh.A virtuous ma n ' s sacrifice is acceptable,

its memorial wi ll not be forgotten .Honour the Lo rd w ith generosity,

do no t st int the first -fruits you bring.Add a smi ling face to a ll your gifts ,

a nd be cheerfu l as you dedicat e your tit hes .Give to the Most High as he has given to you,

generously as your means ca n afford ;for the Lord is a good rewarder ,

he will rew ard yo u se ven tim es ov er. '

46

758

710

1013

811

912

2631

1517

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2024

20

1923

1213

1821

2226

I I12

2 125

10

1314

/51416

17

4

2429

272328

2530

The sacr ifice o f a n o ffe ring un justl y acq u ired is a mock ery ;the g ifts o f im pio us men arc unacceptable.

T he Most Hi gh takes no plea su re in o ffe ring s from th e go d less ,m ult ip lying sa cr ifices will no t ga in h is pardon for s in.

O ffering sacrifice from the pro pe rty of t he pooris as bad a s s la ug hter ing a so n before his fath er ' s very eyes.

A meagre d iet is the very life of t he poor,he who with hold s it is a ma n o f b lood .

A man murders h is neighbou r if he robs him o f h is livel ih oodsheds b lo od if he withholds a n em plo yee 's wag es. '

If o ne man builds wh ile another pu lls down ,w ha t else d o the y ga in but tr o u b le."

If one man pray s a nd a nother ca lls d o wn a curse,w hos e vo ice w ill t he master listen to?

If a man was hes after touching a co rp se , and the n touches it aga in,

A much travelled man knows many t h ings,and a man of great exp erience will ta lk sound sense.

So m eo ne who has ne ver had his tri als knows lit tle 'but the travelled m a n is master of every s itua tio n ,

I have seen many th ings on my t ravels ,I have understood more than I can pu t into wo rds.

I ha ve o ften been in danger o f death ,bu t I have been spa red , and th is is w hv:

the spirit of th ose w ho fea r t he Lord can su rv ive,for th eir ho pe is in so meone w ith power to sa ve them.

T he ma n who fea rs the Lord w ill not be fa in t -heartedwill not be dau nted s ince the Lo rd is hi s hope. '

Happy th e so ul o f the ma n w ho fears the Lord .On wh o m doe s he rely? Who su p po rts him ?

T he eye s of the Lord wa tch ov e r tho se w ho lo ve him,he is thei r po werful protection a nd thei r st ro ng su ppo rt,

their scree n from the de sert win d , the ir she lter fro m the middav sun,a guard aga ins t stum bling, a n assu ra nce a gainst a fal l. -

He re vives the sp ir it and bri ghtens the eye s,he g ives he a ling, life a nd blessing.

Va in a nd decepti ve hopes are fo r the foo lish,and d rea m s p ut foo ls in a flutter.

As well clu tch a t shadows a nd chase the win das put a ny fai th in d rea m s.

Mi r ror a nd b d ream are si m ilar th ings:co nfront ing a face, t he reflect io n of that face . '

Wha t can be cle ansed by uncleanness ,wha t ca n be ver ified by falsehood?

Di vin a t io ns , augurie s and d reams a re no nse nse,li ke the delirious fa nc ies o f a pregnant wo man!

U nless se nt as emissar ies fro m t he M ost Hi gh ,d o not g ive th em a tho ug ht ;

fo r drea m s ha ve led many a st ra y,a nd those b uild ing the ir hopes on them have been di sappointed.

F u lfilling the Law requ ire s no suc h false hood ,an d wisdom is most pe rfect ly expressed by tr uthful lips .'

35: I " Sacr ifices

5 1:13

Jd t 16:16

T ra velling

Jb 14:4

D rea ms"

Nb 19:11

34

A m 5:2 1+

Lv 19:13

DI 24: 14- 15Jr 22 :13

15:19p ~ ~ 3 :1 S : 34:

15 : 94: "

T he stomach takes in all kinds of foodbut so me foods are better than others .

As the pal at e discerns the flavour of game,so a sh rewd ma n dete cts lying words. '

Ps 79 Prayer

Pr 27: 10

17:3 1: 2 1:11Gn 3:22; 4:7

6:6

Pr 20:6

6:5 -17

Pr 5:15+

Gn 4:12

G n 2:18

Pr 15:4

37:8

i. Lie 'e nters into a possession' . Aherna tively ' hasthe bes t of possessio ns' . Hebr. ' Acq u ire a wife. the firstof acqu isiti on s' .

i . ' 3 helper that suit s h im ' ; Hcb r . '3 for ti fied city' .k , H eb r , ' witho u t a wife a man is a tramp a nd a

wanderer ' .I, 'a man ca rryi ng weapons": Hebr. 'an armed

band ' .37 3 . 'a co mra de or 3 fricn d ' ; He br. 'a friend oncloves as o neself' .

b. 'why were yo u crea ted' corr. fo llowi ng Lat.c . Heb r. 'The bad fr iend takes advan tag e of go od

ch eer' ,d . ' tu rn s agai ns t hi m ' : Hebr. ' keeps his d istan ce'.c. Li t. 'out of co ncern fo r his stomach' . Vv. 4-5

co n tras t two kinds of friend : in dan ger on e runs a way.the other rema ins loy al. In Hebr. v, 5 ma kes thecont ras t dearer: 'T he good fr iend fight s the enem ya nd takes up arms ag a inst foes',

r. 'will o ffer ad vice ' : Heb r. 'wag his finger ' (val'.'s ay: See !') .

ea rt h?g, 'y o u r ser vants' severa l MS S and Hebr.; ' those

who pray [Q YOU' Text . Rec .h. ' lying words'; Hebr. ' false food ' ,

E C C L E S I AS T IC U S

A perverse heart ca uses sorrow,an experienced man knows how to pay him back.

A woman will accept any husband,but some daughters a re better than others.

A woman's beauty del ights the beholder,a man likes nothing better.

If her tongue is kind and gentle,her husband has no equal among the sons of men.

The man who takes a wife has the makings of a fortune,'a helpe r that suits h im, ' and a pillar to lean on.

If a property has no fence, it will be plu ndered.Wh en a man has no wife, he is aimless an d querulous."

Will anyo ne tru st a man carrying wea pons'who flits from town to town?

So it is with the man who has no nest,and lod ges wherever night overtakes him .

h. ' t he hordes o f t he arroeant" : Hebr. 'the sce p t reof pri de ' . 'o f the wicked" : H ebr. 'of wic kedn ess' .

i. ' in h is mercy ": Hebr. ' t hrough his sa lvat io n'.36 3. T his prayer reveals th e se nt ime nts of piou s Jewsa bo u t th e year 190 just befor e th e Ma ccabacan revol t.A messian ic no te . rare in St . is str uck here , as a lso inthe Psalm with whic h the Hebr. text end s. Si 5 1: 12 i- .

b. ' Ha ve me rcy on us' ; Hebr. 'S ave us' .c, Hcbr. ' Has ten the end , re member the appoin ted

tim e . For who is there to sa y to yo u: Wha t ar c yo udoinu?'

d . T he ho pe of 'ingatheri ng' , particular ly s t ro ngd uring the Exile , remai ned a cha rac te r is tic of Judaismlon g afte r the ex iles had returned. The Jews alwaysregarded the ir d isp ersio n abroad as a nasstne andunfo rtuna te phase , to whic h th e coming of the Me ssiahwou ld put an end.

c . 'Fill. .. pr a ise ' : Hebr, ' F ill Z io n with you rma jes ty' . 'sanctuary ' corr . fo llo wing Heb r.; ' peo ple'Gr eek.

r. T he exac t sense is un cert ain . T he aut ho r may bemea nin g Is rael as a wh o le, or the pa tr ta rchs. wh oaccord ing to an ancient mid ra sh were am on g the seventhing s crea ted be fore the wo rld. o r e lse cre a ted wisdo m,th e first-fruit o f c rea tio n (Pr S:22). Or per ha ps hebeli e ves that the Messiah or the messian ic k ingdom'crea ted before 311 things ' is short ly to a ppear o n

Any friend will say , ' I a m your friend to o',bu t some fr iends a re only fric nds in name.

Is it not a deadly so rrow,when a comrade or a friend:' turns enemy?

o evil inc lination, why were you created , "to cover the earth with deceit?

On e sort o f co mrade takes ad vantage of his friend 's good for tune:but in time of t rouble turns against him."

Ano ther sort of comrade sha res his friend 's hardships out of conce rn ,'when it comes to a fight, he springs to ar ms.

Do not forget thc friend who fought your battles,do not put him out of mind once you are rich.

Any adviser will offer advice, "but some are governed by self-interest.

Beware of a man who otTers ad vice,

Advisers

False friend s

Choosing2 123

78

27

2426

2527

2022

4

2224

2628

2325

56

768

9710

2325

20

23

21

18

1922

8I1

912

2224

2426

1013

t :14

1215

1417

16

19

17

1921

1316

1518

1820

ECCLESIAST ICUS35:18

36

nor will he des ist unt il the Most H igh takes notice of him,acquits the virt uo us and delivers j udgement.

An d the Lord will not be slow,nor will he be dilatory on their behalf,

until he has crushed the loins of the mercilessand exacted vengea nce on the na tions,

until he has elim inated the hordes of the arrogantand broken the sceptres of the wicked, '

until he ha s re pa id each as his dee ds deservean d human action s as their intentions mer it,

un til hc has j udged the case of his peopleand made them rejo ice in his mercy. '

Mercy is welcome in tim e of tr ou ble,like rain clouds in time of d rought.

for the deliverance and restoration of Israel-

Have mercy on us, b Master , Lord of all, and look on us,cast the fear of yourself over every nation .

Ra ise your hand aga inst the foreign nationsand let them see yo ur might.

As in their sigh t you ha ve pr oved you rself holy before us ,so now in o ur sigh t prove you rself great befo re them .

Let them acknowledge you , j ust as we have acknowled gedtha t th ere is no G od bu t yo u, Lord.

Send new po rten ts, do fres h won ders,win glory for your han d a nd your right ar m.

Rouse your fury, po ur out your rage ,destroy the opponent , anni hi lat e the enemy.

Hasten the day, remember the oath,and let men tell o f your mighty deeds. c

Let fiery wrath swallow up the survivor,an d destruct ion overtake th ose who use your people badly.

C rush the heads of hostile rulerswho say, 'There is nobody else but us!'

Gat her together a ll the tribes of Jaco b,resto re them their inheritan ce as in the beg inn ing ."

Have me rcy, Lord, on the peo ple who have invoked your name,on Israel whom you have treated as a first-born .

Show compassion on yo ur holy ci ty,on Je rusa lem the place of your rest.

Fill Z ion wit h songs of your praise,and yo ur sanctuary with your glo ry.r

Bea r witness to those you created in the begin ning,!and bring about what has been prophesied in your name.

Giv e those who wait for yo u the ir reward,an d let yo ur prophets be pro ved worthy of belief.

G ra nt, Lord , th e prayer of your servants,"in accorda nce with Aa ron 's blessi ng on your people,

so that a ll t he ea rt h's inha bita nts may ac knowledgethat you are th e Lord, the eve rlas ting God .

Discrimina tion

Ps 79:6

Ne9:32

Ps 79:6Jr 10: 25

Ne 9:32

Ex ~: 22Dl7:6

2 S S:9+

Ezk 28:22:~S: 2 3

0 13 2:391 K 8:43

1 Ch 1720J ~ .45: l ~

Nb 6:22 -27

M oderation

My so n, in the course of yo ur life test yo ur ccnstitut ion,and do not a llow it what you see is ha rmful to it ;

first find ou t what he wan ts hi mseIf-since his adv ice co inc ides with his own int ere st­

in case he has designs on you'and tells you , 'You are on the right road' ,

but stands well clear to see what will happen to you.'Do not consult a man who loo ks at you askance,

conceal yo ur plans from people jealous of you.Do no t consult a woman about her rival,

or a cowa rd about war,a merc hant about prices,

or a buyer a bout sell ing,a mea n man ab out grat itude,

or a selfish ma n about kindness,a lazy fellow about any so rt of wo rk,

or a casual work er about finishing a job,'an id le servant a bout a major un derta king­

do no t rely on these for an y advice .But consta ntly have recourse to a devout man;'

whom yo u know to be a keeper of the com ma ndments,whose sou l mat ches your own,

and who, if you go wron g, will be sympathetic.F inally, st ick to the ad vice yo ur own heart gives yo u,

no one can be truer to you than that ;since a man 's so ul ofte n for ewarns him bett er

than seven wa tchmen perched on a watchtower.And besides all this beg the Mos t H igh

to gu ide your steps in the tru th.

True a nd false wisdom

Reason must be the beginning of every act ivity,reflection mus t come befo re any undertaki ng.

Thoughts are rooted in the heart.and this sen ds out four branches:"

good and evil, life and deat h,and a lways mist ress of them all is the to ngue .

Th ink of a clever man who teach es ma ny people,but do es no good a t a ll to him self.

Think of a man, a ready enough speaker , yet he is detesteda nd will en d up by starving, '

no t hav ing wo n the favour of the Lord,a nd being dest itu te of a ll wisdo m.

T hink of a man who is wise in his ow n eyes,and the fruits of his understa nd ing a re, if you take his word

for it, cer tain . '"Th e tru ly wise will instruct his own people,

the frui ts of his understanding are certain. "This wise man will be filled with blessing,

a nd th ose who see him will ca ll him hap py.A man 's life lasts a number of days,

but the days of Israel a re beyon d co unting.The wise man will ea rn confidence among his peo ple,

his nam e will live for ever.

1 Co 3:2 ; 6:12; 10:23

H eb5 :12

35:2 -5

E x 15:23-25

th e d oct o r sho wed lad of fait h in God. Cf. 2 C h 16:12.Ben Sira cor rec ts t his view,

b. Th e ' ho no ur ' is per haps the ' hon o ra riu m ' .lIeb r. ' Be fr iendl y with a doctor' .

c . Hebr. 'The doc to r ha s hi s hea lin g art fro m th eMost H igh an d recei ves gifts from th e kin g' .

d . Hc br . 'a nd he s ta nds erec t in t he p rese nce ofgre a t me n' , cf. PI' 22 :29.

c . The G reek sugges ts th at th e au thor is givi ng ana tur a l exp la na tio n o f the mi ra cle a t M a rah. For 'itsvirtue ' H eb r. has ' h is <God 's) po wer '.

f. r.e.doc to rs .~, T he medi cine s of v, 4,h , Th e acti vitie s o f God do not cea se wit h cr ea tion ;

to men and t hings he gives a share of his po wer, th usd iffusi ng bene fits to th e who le world .

i. Tex t co rr . fo llo wing Hebr.I. T his pas sa ge ma y hav e ins pi red Jm 5:14f, b ut t he

ad vice give n by St James is of a diffe rent order.k . I.e . rna}' he fa ll sick. Th is does n ot seem to imp ly

an y ins ult to doctors; moreov er it is possi ble tha t Hebr.

ECCLESIAS TICUS

H onour the doctor with the honour that is his due'>in return fo r his services;fo r he too has been create d by the Lord .

Healing itself co mes fro m the Most H igh,like a gift from a king.'

The doctor's learning keeps his head hig h,he is rega rded with awe by po tentates ."

The Lord has brought medicines into existence from the earth ,and the sens ible man will no t desp ise them.

D id not a piece of woo d once sweeten the water,thus giving proof of its virt ue?"

He has also given men! learningso that they may glory in his might y wo rks.

He uses them " to hea l and to relieve pa in,the chemist makes up a mixture from them .

Thus there is no end to his act ivit ies,"and thro ugh him health extends across the world.

My son, when yo u are ill, do not be depressed,but pray to the Lo rd and he will heal you .

Renounce your faults, keep your hands unso iled,and cleanse yo ur heart from all sin.

Offer ince nse and a memo rial of fine flour ,a nd make as rich an offer ing as yo u can affo rd. i

The n let the docto r take over- the Lo rd crea ted him too->­and do not let him leave you, for you need him.

Sometimes success is in their han ds,since they in turn will beseech the Lord

to gran t them the grace to relieveand to hea l, that life may be saved)

If a man sins in the eyes of his Ma ker,may he fall unde r the care of the doctor."

J0 87

38 a . Po ssibl y some devout Jews thought co nsult ing

38

g. Text uncertain . Hebr . 'w hy wou ld tha t profi t

h im?'h. 'w hat will ha pp en to YOU'; He br. 'y our m is­

fo rtu ne' .I. ' a coward'; Hcb r. 'a lighti ng man ' , ' finishing

a job': Hcbr. ' the cost of gra in ' ,I. Corr. fo llow ing Hchr.; ' b u t a ma n wh o is a lways

frig hten ed ' G reek.k . Fo llo wi ng Heb r. : 'As a sign of cha nges of hea rt

four portions app ear ' G reek.J. Vv. 19-20 Hebr. 'T ake a man who is wise.

and acts wise ly o n be ha lf o f o t hers b ut on his o wn isa foo l. There is a wise ma n desp ised fo r what he sa ys ,he will be de p r ived of a ll ag ree able fo od .'

m. Heb r. ' and the frui t of h is kn o wledge is fo r h isbo d y' .

n . 'wi ll instruct his o wn people'; Hebe 'who is(wise) for his peapic ' . 'a re ce rta in '; Hebe ' a re fo rth em ' .

for ever yt hing do es not suit everybody,nor does every body take pleasur e in everything.

D o not be insatiab le over any delicacy,do not be greedy over food,

for overeating leads to sick ness,and gluttony brings on biliousness.

Many have died of glut to ny ;beware of this and you will prolong your life.

Medicine and illnessa

15

13

14

12

10

3134

3033

11

2932

283 /

18

1922

l fi2()

2023

2124

2225

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2427

2528

12/ 5

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273()

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13/7

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16

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1012

10911

/086ECCL ESIASTICUS3T9

9:1X

Pr t6 :9

Pr 18:2 1

Pr 20 :14

7:.14: 9: 15

38:16 ECCLESIA ST I C US 1088 EC C L E S I A S TI C U S

there wo uld be no sett ling, no travell ing .But they are not requ ired at the council,

the y do not hold high ra nk in the assembly.T hey do not sit on the judicial bench,

a nd have no grasp of the law."T hey are not remar kable for culture o r sound judgement ,

a nd are no t found among th e inve nto rs o f ma xirns.vBut the y give sol id ity to the cre ated wo rld,

while their prayer is co ncerned with what pertai ns to thei r trade.

Ws6: 14; 16:28

Is 11:2

Ps 1:2

44:12Ws 8:13

x, Lit. ' t he covenan t of jud gem ent ' , cf. 45 :17.y, 'i nventors of ma xims' cor r. ; 'maxims' G reek.

39 a, The terms 'law' , 'w isdo m' , 'prophecies' , appar­cnuv refer to the th ree sec tions of the scr ip tu res ,cf. Pro logue. 1.8-10,24-25.

b, T he sc ribe is custodian of the scr ipt ures , buta lso their int er preter to the people, cr. EZf 7:6 +. O nthe parabl e o r mashal, cr. In tr od uc t ion to W isdomBoo ks.

c. T he scr ibe is often a court offici al. minister. o rambassador.

t. T his pa ssage is not un lik e an a nc ien t Eg ypt iantext kn ow n as the Sa/ire on Trades.

u, 'd in'; va r , 't he iron wo rk' . ' batt ers'; lit . 'bends'co rr .

v, T ransla tio n uncertain .w. Li t. ' wrse' . C raftsma nsh ip is an elem entary form

of wisdo m. cf. Ex 35:30-36:1 ; 1 K 5:20; 7:13-14. Such'w isdo m' , however, ca nno t be co mpa red with that ofth e scr ibe, cr. Si 39: I-II .

39T he scholar

It is ot herwise with the ma n who devotes his soulto reflect ing on the Law of the Most High.

He researches into the wisdom of all the Ancients ,he occupies his ti me with the prophecies .a

He preserves th e d isco urses of fa mo us men ,he is a t ho me with the niceties of pa ra bles. b

He resea rches into the hidde n sense of proverbs,he po nders t he o bsc urit ies of pa ra bles.

He enter s th e serv ice of princes,he is seen in the presence o f ruler s.

He tr ave ls in fo reign co untries,"he has experienced human good and hum an evil.

At dawn and with a ll his hearthe resorts to the Lord who made him ;

he pleads in the pre sence of the Most Hig h,he ope ns his mouth in prayera nd makes entreaty for his sins.

If it is the will of the great Lord,he wi ll be filled with the spirit of understanding,

he will shower forth wo rds of wisdom,a nd in prayer give th anks to the Lord.

He will grow upright in purpose and learning,he will ponder the Lord 's hidden mysteries.

He will display the instruction he has received,ta king his pride in the Law of the Lord's covenant.

Ma ny will pra ise his understanding,and it will neve r be forgotten .

His memory will not d isappear,generation after generation his name will live.

sho uld be preferre d : ' A man sins in the eyes o f hisM a ker if he defies th e doc to r ' .

I. Wi th (he Jews, as wi th Orienta ls geuerallv. thefu ner a l ri tes were spec tac u lar a nd go verned by de ta iledru les. For vario us feat ures , cf. J r 9:17, 18 ; Am 5: 16;Ezk 24: 15-24 : MI9:23 : Mk 5:38 .

rn . Hcbr , 'a nd do not co ncea l yourself when the ybrea the their last (1)'.

n. 'Wail most ferve nnv": Hcbr , ' f ulfi l th e mo urningr ites ' .

0 , Seven day s. accord ing to 22: 12; bu t th ere mayhave bee n var io us gra des of fune ral so lemnity.

p, ' Le t grief . . . ": var . ' G rief continues with theca la mity ('?)' 'a life of grief' corr.: 'a poor man 's life'Gree k. Th e sim ilar adv ice of 1 Th 4: 13 has a verydifferent reason be hind it.

Q , O r ' be ar the future in m ind ' .r , ' rnv": va r. ' h is ' o r ' t he', The 'doo m' o r judicia l

ser nence condemning all to d ie , cf. G n 2: 17 : 3:3.4 ,T he text tra ns la ted here p u ts these wo rd s into themo uth o f the dead ma n.

s . ' m y'; Hebr . ' h is' .

34

38

68

39

37

33

8II

13

710

912

2728

2627

31

3Ii

3236

2425

16

2829

17

3135

30J3

2932

34

2526

23N

2021

1920

18

1819

T rades an d crafts'

Leisure is what gives th e scr ibe the o ppor tunity to acqu ire wisdom;the man with few business affa irs grows wise.

How ca n t he plo ughma n beco me wise,whose sole a m bition is to wield the goad :

dri ving his oxen, engros sed in t he ir wo rk ,his co nve rsat io n is of no th ing bu t cattle '?

His mind is fixed o n t he fu rro ws he traces,and his eve nings pass in fa tte ning his heifers.

So it is wit h every workman an d craftsman,to iling day an d nigh t;

th ose who engrave seals,a lways trying to think of new des igns :

they set their hea r t on produ cing a good liken ess,and stay up pe rfec ting the work.

So it is with the blacksmith sitt ing by his an vil;he considers wha t to do with the pig-i ron ,

the breath o f the fire sco rches his skin,as he contends with th e heat of the furn ace ;

he ba tters his ear with the d in" of the hammer ,his eyes a re fixed o n the pattern ;

he sets h is hea rt on co mp leti ng h is wo rk,and stays up put tin g the fin ish ing touches.

So it is with the potte r, sitt ing a t his wo rk ,turning the whee l with his feet;

co nsta ntly on the a lert over his wor k,each flick o f th e finger premeditated ; "

he pummels the clay with his a rm.and pud d les it with his feet;

he sets his hea rt o n perfect ing the glaze,a nd stays up clean ing the kil n.

A ll these put their tr us t in the ir ha nds,and eac h is sk illed v a t his own cra ft.

A town cou ld not be built witho ut them,

M ourning'

My son, shed tears ove r a dead man ,a nd into ne the la me nt to show your own dee p grief ;

bury his bo dy with due ceremo nial ,a nd do not neglect to hon our his grave. m

Weep bi tterly, wa il mo st ferventl y ;"o bserv e the mo urning the dead ma n deserves,o ne da y, o r two , " to a void comment,and then be com forted in your so rrow ;

fo r gri ef can lead to death,a grief-stricken heart undermines your strength .

Let grief end with the fu neral;a life of grief oppresses the mind .«

D o not ab andon yo ur heart to grief,drive it away , bear yo ur own end in min d . q

Do no t fo rget , there is no go ing ba ck ;yo u ca nnot he lp the dead, and yo u will harm yo urself.

'Remember my doom, ' since it will be yo urs too ;yesterday was my " da y, today is yo urs.'

Once the dead ma n is laid to rest, let his memory rest too ,do not fret for him, once his spirit depar ts.

11:10

7 :.'\/1; 2H:h

1'1

I ECCLESIA STICUS 1°9° 1°9 1 ECCLESIA STICU S

D' 2H:65-67Jb 7:4002:23; 8:

16

Ps 145:21

Jb 7: lf: 14:1-2 +

Jb 1:21+

Q07:10

n. Sol emn pre face to the opt imis tic conclus ion :a ll is wille d by God for a spedfie purpose; all is und erco n t ro l an d m a n has no reaso n 1O co mp la in; if hesu ffers. i t is becaus e he dese rves to.40 a. T h is passage on th e wre tchedness of man's s ta tecon tras ts wi th t he preceding chaptcr ; but there is noinconsi stencv in th e though t: mise ry has its cx nlanauon-·- it is the consequence of sin. Y , 10.

b, ' re turn to ' some MSS a nd ncbr . : 'are buriedin' T e xt . Ree .

c, C r. G n 3:19. Hebr. 'mother o f all the liv ing ' ,d . G n 3:20 .

d , The Hcbr. and the context scsgc sr tha t sleep,bri ngs t hough ts no less painful. Cf. Qo 1:22 , 2 ~ .

e . "as if in broad daylight.' corr. : 'as if o n t he da yof watching' G ree k .

I. Following Syr , an d some MSS Che' = the Lord):' in their aneer they scourge violent ly' Text. Re c.

m. Testament of the T ....-etve Patriarchs ' It ( the lowerhea v'e n) holds fire , snow, a nd ice ready for the day o fiudgemeru . in the just pu nishment of God . For it isthe re tha t the sp irits of vengeance a re, for thepunishmen t o f me n' (Lev i 3:2) . Ben Sir n. also, seesthese sco urges as held in reserve b ut he does not seemto be t hi n ki n g in terms of eschatology .

t hey are rea dy on earth when he req uires,and when the t ime comes they will not disobey his order.

That is why I was determined from the outset,I have pondered and [ ha ve wr itt en it do wn,"

'All the wo rks of the Lord ar e good,and he will supply eve ry want in due time.

You mu st not say, "This is worse than that",for every thing will prove its value in its time.

So now, sing with all yo ur heart and vo ice,and bless the name of the Lord!'

d. Li t. ' tha t is enough for him' corr. : ' it producesfor h im (1) ' G ree k. D ifficu lt te xt : it see ms 10 mea nthat if the sc r ibe d ies before achievin g:ren o wn he o ug h tnot to regret t he wor k he has done.

e . Hebr. 't hey pr o vide for ever y need in its seas on ' .r. Th is verse, found o n ly in the G reek, is in part a

doublet o f v . 2 1. It apparen tly means tha t prematureenqu irie s abou t (he ordert na o f this wo r ld are idle .Some day either by reward o r p u nishment God willde mo ns tra te the p urpose of hitherto unco mprehcn dcdph enome na, vv, 21.34. T hus the sage who s tudies wi llun d er st and 'in d ue time' . T his passage may have bee nint ended 10 refu te ce rt a in pessim ist ic pr op o sit ion s putforward by Oohctc tn. .

g. Alluding to the n umerous marve ls connectedwith wa ter : crcauon, (i n 1:9, th e Flood, Gn 7: I I, thecrossi nu of the Red Sea, Ex 14:2 1-22, a nd of the J or dan .Jus 3:16, and oos siblv al so 10 the m ys tery of the cloudsas inex haus tible rese rvoirs of wate r. C f. Ps I04:6- 1J .

h . The au thor is t hinki ng of the be nencta t inunda­tio ns of the N ile. Hebr. has ' like a Nile".

l , Hcbr . ' hi s wrat h d ispossessed t he nat ions' ,i . ' h is ways arc smoo th ' : Hebr . ' the virt uous ma n's

ways are s truia h r' . 'for the wic ked ' ; Hebr. 'fo rst rangers".

k , ' evils'; Hcbr . ' go od and ev il'.

Much hardship has been made for every man ,a heavy yoke lies on the so ns of Adam

from the day they co me ou t of their mot her's womb,till the day they ret urn to " the mo the r of them all. '

What fills th em wit h brood ing and their hea rts with fea ris d read of the day of dea th .

From the man who sits on a glorious throneto the wretch on dust and ashes,

fro m the man who wears purple and a crownto th e man clothed in sacking,

a ll is fur y and jea lousy, turmoil and unrest,fea r of death , riva lry, strife.

A nd even at nig ht while he rests on his bedhis sleep on ly gives a new twist to his worries:"

sca rcely has he la in down to rest,than in his sleep , as if in broad daylight,'

he is shaken by terri ble sightslike a man running away from a battle.

At the moment of rescue he awakens,astonished that his fear was imaginary.

For all creatures, from men to animals­and seven times more for sinners-

there is death a nd blood and st rife and the sword,disasters, famine, affliction. plag ue.

The wretchedness of man"

344{)

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Nation s will proclaim his wisd om,thc assembly will ce lebra te his prai ses.

If he lives long, h is na me will be more glori ou s than a thousand ot hers, gand if he die s, tha t will sa tisfy him j ust as well ."

to praise God

I wish to develop my reflections further,they fill me as full as the moon at the full.

Listen to me, devout chi ldren, and blossomlike the rose that grows on the bank of a watercourse.

G ive off a sweet smell like incense,flower like the lily, spread your fragrance abroad,

sing a so ng of pra iseblessin g the Lord for a ll his wo rks.

Decla re the great ness of his na me ,procla im his praise

with song a nd with lyre,a nd this is how you must sing his praises:

how wo nde rfu l t hey a re, a ll the works of the Lord!All that he o rders is promptly ca rried out .:

You mu st not say, ' What is thi s'? Wh y is that'!'All will be stud ied in d ue tim e /

At his word water stops runn ing and pi les u p,wate rs a rc stored a t a wo rd fro m his mouth . "

At his bidd ing, a ll his pleasure is accomplished,no one can d iminish his power to save.

The actio ns of every creatu re a re befo re him,there is no hiding fro m his eycs ;

his gaze stretches from eternity to eternity,and not hing can astonish him .

You mu st not say , 'W hat is this'? Wh y is that'?'All things have been created for th eir proper functions.

As his blessi ng covers the dr y land like a river"and soaks it like a llood,

so wra th is his legacy to the nations, 'ju st as he has turned fresh waters to salt.

H is wa ys a rc as smooth for de vout men,as they arc full of obstacles for the wicked . '

Good th ings were created from the beginning for good men ,as evi ls" were for sinner s.

T he prim e needs of ma nk ind for livinga re water a nd lire, iron a nd salt ,

wheat -flour, milk and hon ey,the ju ice of the grape, o il and clothing.

All these things arc good for people who arc good,j ust as thcy turn into bad for sinners.

So me winds were created to punish;he ha s made thcm the sco urge of his an gcr ;'

on the day of doom they unleas h th eir fo rce,an d ap pease the a nger of him who ma de them ,

Fire and hai l, fam ine a nd dea th,all these were created to pun ish . no

T he teeth of savage ani ma ls, sco rpions , adders,an d the ave ng ing sword to destroy the godless,

all these exu lt in obeyi ng his orders,

Invitation

= 44 : 15

Ps 1:3

P:> y,:IJ :104.:240 0 7: 10

oo 3: 11

33:14- 15;40:10

G n 19 :24~

26Ps 107 :34

II

4°:10 ECC LESIASTICU S [093 E CCLE SIASTICU S 41: 1539:25.29

- ~ I: I O

G o 3:19Ps 1-1-6:4

001 :7

23:25we ·L~

J b S: I I-12

40 :1 "7

( i n 11:4

\ 1 1 !.~-u

Pr 17:17

·W . l ~

A ll these were created for the go dless,through them ca me the F lood.!

A ll that comes from the ea rth returns to the ea rthwhat co mes fro m th e wa te r retu rn s to t he se a. q ,

Var ious maxims

All bribery a nd inj ust ice will be blo tted out,bu t good faith will sta nd for ever.

T he wealth of wro ng-doers will dry u p like a torrent ,wi ll crash like a cla p of th under in a downpour.

W hen he o pens his ha nd s he rejo ices,"by the same to ken defaulters will co me to utter ruin.

Th e offsh oo ts of the god less will not have ma ny branches,unclean roots o nly find hard rock.

The reeds by every lake a nd river' s ed gewi ll be pull ed u p befo re a ny ot her grass.'

G ra cio us ness is lik e a paradi se o f blessing,a nd generos ity sta nds firm for ever )

Compa risons

F or th e man o f pri vat e means and th e ma n wh o wo rks ha rd,life is pleas an t,

bett e r off t han eithe r, he who find s a trea sure.C hild ren a nd th e hui ldin g of a cit y ma ke a man 's reputati o n;

bett er th an eith er, th e disco vcrv o f wisdomCa ll ie an d vineya rd s ma ke yo u well known ;,..'

bett er va lued th an either. a perfect wife .W ine an d mu sic cheer th e hea rt ;

be tte r th a n e ither. the love o f wisdom .F lute a nd harp add sweetness to a song;

bette r tha n e ith er, a swee t vo ice .Th e eye lo ngs fo r grace a nd beau ty;

bette r t han either. t he gree n of spr ing corn .Friend or comrade - it is al wa ys well met ;

better th an either, a wife and husband .Brothers a nd a llies ar e good in times of trouble;

bett e r than eit he r, ge nerosity to the rescue.Gold and sil ver will steady yo ur fee t;

better valued th a n ei th er, good advice.Money and strength ma ke a co nfiden t hea rt ;

be tte r t han e ithe r. the fear of thc Lo rd .W ith the fea r of th e Lo rd a man lacks not hin g ;

wi th tha t he need seek no a llv.The rea r o r t he Lord is lik e a parad ise of blessing.

it clo th es a man with more than glo ry.

10

II

I ~

13

I~

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16

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4

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6

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HII

912

10JJ

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13/ 6

14/ 7

15/8

Death

o death , how bi tter it is to reme mber yo ufor a man at peace among h is goods,

to a man wi tho ut worries, who prospe rs in everything,and st ill has the strength to feed h imself. a

o dea th, yo ur sentence is welcometo a man in want, whose st reng t h is fa iling,

to a man worn out with age, worried about everyt hin g,d isa ffec ted and beyond end urance,

D o no t drea d de ath's sentence; b

rem ember thos e who ca me before you a nd t ho se who willcome after.

This is the se nten ce pa ssed o n a ll livi ng cr ea tures by the Lord,so wh y object to wha t seems good to the Most High?

W hether yo ur life lasts ten or a hundred or a thousand years,its length will no t be held against you in Sheol.s

The fa te of the wicked

H atefu l brats, such are the children of sinners,who forgather in the haunts o f the godless."

The inherita nce of sinners' children is doomed to perish,thei r posterity will endure lasting reproach.

A godless father will be blamed by his childrenfo r the reproach he has brought on them,

A bad outlook for you, godless men,who ha ve forsaken the Law of God Most High.

W hen you were bo rn, you we re born to be accursed, 'a nd when you die, that curse will be yo ur portion.

All that comes fro m the earth returns to the earth,so too the wicked proceed from curse to destruction'!

Me n go into mourning for thei r dead,but the worthless name of sinners will be blotted out."

Be careful of yo ur reputa t io n, for it will la st you lo ngerthan a thousan d grea t ho a rds of gold.

A go od life las ts a ce rta in number of days,but a good re puta t ion las ts for eve r.

A sense of sha me

Keep my ins t ru ct ions a nd be a t peace, my chi ld ren.

Wis do m hidden away a nd tr easure undisplayed,what use a re ei t her of these?

Better a man who hides his fo llyth an one who hide s his wisd om.

Jb 14:1-2+

Jb 3:20f

Gn 3:19 : 6:3

00 6:6; 9: 10

Ws3:12

~40: l l

Pr 22:100 7:1

~20:3()-31

MI5:14-1 6

Jb 20 : 12-14

On begging

My so n, do no t live by beggin g Iro m others,better be dead th a n a beggar .

T he life o f a man eve r eyeing the table of a notherca nnot be rec koned as a life a t a ll.

He defi les his gu lle t wit h o ther' peo ple's food;a man of cu lture an d breeding wi ll never do thi s. '"

Begg ing co mes ea sily to t he lips of the sha meless ma n,bu t eve ntua lly it wi ll se t fire to h is bell y.

JI30s:

t. 'All th ese ' : He br. 'Evil'. '(he F lood' : He be.' destruct ion' .

g . Hebr. ' what come s from abov e returns above' ,cf 00 12:7.

h. Difficult text : poss ib ly re fer r-ing to the vir tu ou sman w hose gener osi ty spreads joy a l l ab ou t him .

i. Hebr. ' hav e withered be fore the rain comes' .I. Hebe. 'Piety will never be shaken a nd vir tue

rem ai ns fo r ever' .k , 'be tter than eith er ... well know n' Hebe. and Syr. :

o miu ed by Greek .J. ' musk'; Hebr. 's tro ng drink', ' t he love of

wisdo m' ; ' lo ve' Hebr.m. He be. ' Il is an inwa rd torture fo r an intelllgem

man ' ,

41 a . Hebr. ' to appreciate luxury' ,b. 'd ea rh's sentence": Hebe. 'dea th. which Is the law ',c . W here th e longest o f lives has co me to an end

a nd therefore ceased to be ma tte r for en vy.d . Hcbr. ' and a god less offs pr ing dwel ls with

s inne rs' .e. Heb r. ' If you mult iply . it is for misfort une '.

The Hebr. th en inse rts <if yo u beget children . it is Corsor row ; if you st umble. it is for e ver las t ing JOY'.

f . Hebr. ' W ha t is nothingness returns ( 0 nothintt·ness ; th us the god less man. coming from the void,re tu rn s to the vo id '.

K. Hebr. ' A ma n' s body is a va in thintt but a man'sname will no t be blo tt ed out".

r. Hebr. ' le i her not sho w her bea u ty to a ny m an,let her no t gossip with wo men'.

g . Ben Sira is s t ric ter tha n Pr, itself se vcre onwo men , cf. Pr 5:15 + .

b. Text uncert ain. Possibly only a maxim ofco mmo n poli teness.

I, Te xt cor r . 'before the conte mp t of receivlna a ndgiving' G reek.42 a. Ben Slra shows how cer tai n actio ns f row nedo n by public o pinio n or by prej ud ice are neve r the lessperm issib le .

b. T he 'n od less' perhaps mean s fo re igners . to betreat ed as just ly as lsra elu es.

c . '3 trav ellin g co mpa nio n' ca rr . 'a com pa nion an dtravellers ' G reek . ' of sett lin g . . .friend s'; Heb r. ' o fdis cu ss ing:p rope rty an d po ssessi o ns '.

d. Cf'., o n t he ot he r hand . 26:29 an d 27:2 . Busi nessdealin gs are lawful bUI full o f te mpt a tion .

e. Heb r. ' a da ugh ter is a decen tlve treas ure forher father' .

41: 16 E C C L ES I AST ICU S 1°9 4

Now , keep your sense of shame with respect to what I am going to say, 1619

for not every kind of shame is right to ha rbo ur , 10

nor is every situation correctly appraised by all.Be ashamed , before fathe r and mother, of licent ious behaviour, 17

11

and before pr ince or poten ta te of telling lies ;of wron g-doing before ju dge or mag istrate, 18

11

and of impiety before the assembly of the people ;of sharp practice before your companion and your friend , 19

2J

and of theft before the neighbou rhood you live in. 14

Before the tru th and covenant of God, 20

be ash amed of leaning elbows on the table,'of ma king gifts befo re tho se who despis e them,' 21

and of ignor ing those who greet you : 15

of gazi ng at a loose woman 22

and of turn ing your back on a rela tion, 16

of misap propriat ing another's port ion or gift, 239:8-9 of payin g court to a nother man' s wife, 17

of carry ing on with his servant-girl 24

- do not go near her bed-of wor ds of ab use before your friends 25

28

III--do no t follow up a gift with a tau nt-

of repeating and retailing gossip 261

and of betraying confidences.Then you will know what t rue shame is, 27

Iand you will find yourself in every man's graces.

42 These are the things you should not be ashamed of,"a nd do not sin from fea r of what others th ink:

of the Law of the Most High and the cove nant,of a verdict that acquits the god less, I,

of keeping st rict acco unts with a travelling co mpa nion,of settling prop erty on your friends,'

of being accurate over scales and weights,of maki ng small and large profits,

of gaining from co mmercial transact ions,"30:1 of disciplining your children stri ctly,

33:25 .27 of lash ing a wicked slave till you draw blood.With an interfer ing wife, it is as well to use your seal,

a nd where there a re man y hands, lock things up.Whatever stores you issue, do it by number and weight,

spendings and takings, put everything in writing.Pr 10:13 : 19: Do not be as hamed to cor rect a stupid man or a fool ,25.29 ;

26:3 or an old dotar d who bickers with young people .Then you will show yourself rea lly educate d

an d win the a pproval of everyo ne.

The cares of a fathe r over his daughter7:24 Unknown to her, a daugh ter keeps her fath er awa ke,'

the wor ry she gives him drives away his sleep :in her youth, in case she never marries,

D 1 24 :1 ma rried, in case she sho uld be disliked,as a virgin, in case she should be defiled 10

an d found with child in her father's house,having a husba nd, in case she goes ast ray,

married, in case she should be barren.Your daughter is headst rong ? Keep a sharp look-out 11

that she does no t make you the laughing-stock of yo ur enemies ,

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

222]

2314

1°95

Women

ECC L E S IAST I CUS

the ta lk of the town, the object of common gossip,and pu t you to public shame.

Do not stare at any man for his good looks,do no t sit down with the women ;!

for moth comes out of clothes,and woman's spite out of woman.

A man's spite is preferable to a woman's kindnes s ;women give rise to shame and reproach ."

II. T HE GLO RY OF GOD

A. I N NATURE

Next, I will remind you of the works of the Lord,and tell of what [ have seen.

By the words' of the Lord his wor ks com e into beingand all creation obeys his will.'

As the sun in shining looks on a ll thi ngs,so the work of the Lord is full of his glory.

The Lord has not grant ed to the holy ones/to tell of a ll his mar vels

which the Alm ighty Lord has solidly co nst ructedfor the uni verse to stand firm in his glory."

He has fathomed the deep and the hear t,and seen int o their devious ways ;

for the Most High knows a ll the knowledge there is,and has observed the signs of the times.'

He decla res what is past a nd what will be,and uncovers the traces of hidden things.

Not a thought escape s him,not a single word is hidden from him. m

He has imposed an order on the magn ificent works of his wisdom ,he is from everlasting to everlastin g,

nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away,he needs no one' s ad vice.

How desira ble are all his work s,how dazzling to the eye!"

They a ll live and last for ever,whatever the circ umstances all obey him .v

h. Heb r. ' wo rd ' . O ne of the earlies t ap pearancesof the doctrine of th e crea tive Word . Cf. 43:26; Gn 1;Ps 33:6; Ws 9:1.2; In 1;1 + . In wisdo m litera tur e asa who le it is rather Wisdo m that is spo ken of as creat ive ,cf. Pr 8 :2 2 ~.

i. Thi s line is absent fro m the G ree k (Code x Sinai­tlcu s excep ted ) .

j. I.e . th e angels , Jb 5: I +.k . ' wh ich the A l rni gh tv .. .his glo ry '; Hebr . ' the

Lor d has gra nted h is ho st s to sta nd firm before hisglo ry' .

I. Th e sta rs are 'si gns of [he tim es' not o nly becau sethey di st in gui sh [he seasons. 43:6: G n 1:14· 18, but alsobecau se. acc or d ing to a widespr ead belief. the futu rewa s a lready wri tt en in the heavens, J r 10:2. Her e the rema y be a mo re speci fic reference to the extraord ina rysign s expected to a nn o unce the co m ing of the Messiah .M . 24: 29-3 1.

m. Hebr. ' N o knowle dge is lackin g in hi m . a ndno th ing esc a pes him' .

n. Text cor r.. er. l.ar .o . Tex t cor r., foll owing Hebr.

007;26-28

Gn 1:3 f

45:2

Pr 15:11

Ps 139:1-4

18:60 0 3:14

Ps 96:4; 145;3

I M 2:5 1-64Heb 11

Ps 104; ~ 5 f ;

107:23f

Jb 5:9

Jb 26:14

1:9-10 : 4 2:17

Jb 7:1~ -~

Ps l04:5f

4-P

g . ' da ngers' ; Hebr. 'extent' .h. He br. an d some G reek MSS 'Tha nks to him

his messenge r p ros pe rs' .i . No t of co urs e in th e oa r nhcisuc se nse . Fo r

Ben Slra. eve ry th ing comes fro m G oJ . whos e tra ns­cendence he co nsta n tly assert s (cf'., in thi s passage.v , 2iO a nd every thi ng belongs to him .4-4 a. T his eulogy show s how a devout Jew of th e2nd century before C hris t though t o f the h ist o ry ofhis peop le, cr. I M 2:51· 64.

b. Hebr. ' men of pie ty ' ( hesed l, T he na me' Hasldea ns' is der ived from this expression , I M 2:42 1-.

c. Vv. 2-9 ma y be eit her a descr ip tio n o f ' huma nglo ry' as known o u tsid e Isra el, with whic h the autho rco n tras ts (vv. I a nd Ion t hat of the for efathers of th eJe ws, or else a genera l su rvey o f the glo ries of Isr aelp relu d ing the mo re detai led account.

Next let us prai se illustrious men,"our a ncestor s in their succe ssive generations.

T he Lord has creat ed a n ab undance of glor y, 'a nd disp layed his greatness fro m earliest tim es.

Over the earth, like sal t, he also pours hoarfrost ,which, when it freezes, bristles like tho rns .

The cold wind blows from the north,an d ice for ms on the water,

settl ing on ever y watery expanse,a nd water puts it on like a breastplate.

He swallows up the mounta ins and scorches the desert, "like a fire he consumes the vegetati on.

But the mist heals everything in good time,after the heat falls the reviving dew.

By his own reso urcefulness he has tamed the abyss,and planted it with islan ds.

Those who sail the sea tell of its da ngers."the ir acco unts till our ca rs with amazement:

for there too there a re stra nge and wonderful works,an imals of eve ry kind and huge sea c rea tures.

T hanks to him all end s well, "an d all things hold toget he r by means of his word,

We could say mu ch more a nd still fall short;to put it conc isely, ' He is all".'

Where shall we fin d suffic ient power to glorify him,since he is the G reat O ne, above all his wor ks,

the awe-inspir ing Lord, stupendo usly great,a nd wonderful in his power'?

Exa lt the Lord in your praisesas high as you may-still he surpasses you.

Exert a ll you r strength when you exa lt him,do not grow tired-you will never come to the end .

Who has ever seen him to give a description ?Who can glorify him as he dese rves?

Many mysteries remain even greater than these,for we have seen only a few of his works ,

the Lord himself hav ing mad e all th ings-an d having given wisdom to devout men.

ECCLESIASTICUS

B. I N HISTOR Y

Eulogy of the ancestors"

44

r. Hebr . ' He sco rches the mo un ta in grass withdr o ught' .

e . Hcbr . ' Afl rhin as ar c diffe ren t fro m ea ch other ,and th ere is no thing supe rfluou s' .43 a . Cf. th is lyrical passage wi th those of D n 3:52-90a nd Ps \ 1.) :4 f : 136 ; 145 ; 14~ .

b. ' pr oclaim s' ; Heb r. ' ra d iates heat ' .c . T he two grea t Jcv.... ish feasts , Passover a nd

Ta be rnacle s. d . Ex 23:14 1- . bc uan o n the day of fu llmo o n ( 14th of the mo n th) a nd lasted for S da ys.

d. Either because the sa me Heb r. wo rd ( y erahJmea ns ' moo n ' and ' mo n th ' . or because the alt ernativewo rd for ' mo nt h ' ( IWt/ l 'SJ!J means ' newness ' (newmoon ).

c . Followin g Hebr. or der.

1 0 97192/

j3

2123

2224

23is

H26

2527

2628

2729

2SJ()

29J!

3012

13

34

3115

3216

3317

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15/ 6

I I/ 2

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2425

10

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2526

4

1213

16at r«17a18a16bJ7h17b18hIS/9

20

ECCLESI ASTI CU S

And then the moon, always pun ctual,to mark the mont hs and make d ivision of time:

the moon it is that signa ls the feasts,a luminary that wanes afte r her full.r

The mo nth der ives its na me from hers,"she waxes wond erfull y in her phases,

ba nner of the hosts on high,shining in the vault of heaven .

All things go in pa irs, by opposites,an d he ha s mad e not hing defective ;>

the one consolidat es the excellence of the other,who co uld ever be sat ed with gaz ing a t his glory?

Pride of the height s, shining vault,so, in a glor ious spectac le, the sky a ppears.

The sun, as he emerges, proclai ms " at his rising,'A thi ng of wonder is the work of the Most High!'

At his zenith he pa rches the land,who can withsta nd his blaze?

A man mus t blow a furnace to produce any heat ,the sun burns the mou ntains th ree t imes as much ;

breathing out blasts of tire,flashing his rays he da zzles the eyes.

G rea t is the Lord who made him,an d whose word speeds him on his cou rse.

Th e glory of the sta rs mak es the bea uty of the sky,a brillia nt deco rat ion to the heights of the Lo rd.

At the wo rds of the Ho ly One they sta nd as he decrees,an d never grow slack at their watch

See the ra inbow and pra ise its maker,so superbly beautiful in its splendour.

Across the sky it forms a glorious arcdrawn by the hands of the Most High.

wonders of nature

By his co mmand he sends the snow ,he speeds the lightni ng as he o rders.

In the sa me way , his t reasuries o pena nd the clou ds fly out like birds.

In his grea t might he hanks up the clo uds,an d shivers them into frag ments of hai l.

At sight of him the mounta ins rock,a t the roa r of his th under the ea rt h writhes in labour .

At his will the sou th wind blows ,or the sto rm from the no rth and the wh irlwind."

He sprinkles snow like birds alighting,it comes do wn like locusts sett ling.

T he eye ma rvels at the beaut y of its whiteness,an d the min d is amazed at its fallin g.

43

The moon

The sta rs

The

33:14-15Qo 3:1-8

Ps 19:1-6 The sun-

E~~ n~ The rai nbow50:7

Ps89:37:104:19

Ps 8:3

Ps 29:8

Jb 3X:22 fPs 147: 16­

IX

Ba 3:33-35

On 1:14-18

iI

Moses

and give them the land for the ir inheritance,from sea to sea,

from the River to the ends of the earth.

Isaac and Jacob

To Isaac too, for the sake of Abraham his fathe r,he assured •the blessing of all mankind;

he caused the covenant to rest on the head of Jacob.He confirmed him in his bless ings q

and ga ve him the land for his inheritance ;he divided it into portions,

and shared it out among the twelve tribes.

Ex 19: 19f :20:2 1;2~: IS

Ex 20: I f.22 fD t 4 :6- g : 32 :

47

Ex X:8f. 2Of ;9:3 3 :10: [sr

Ex 19: 1f

Ex 33:20 1­

Nb 12:3

Dr 34:10

Gn 17:19;26 :3-5

Gn 15:I S).20: 1+

45:9ECCLES IASTICUS1°99

From him he produced a generous manwho found favour in the eyes of all mankind,"

beloved by God and men,Moses, of blessed memory.

He made him the equal of the hol y one s in gloryand made him strong, to the terror of his enemi es.

At the word of Moses he made the miracles stop,he raised him high in the respect of kings ;

he gave him commandment s for his people,and showed him somet hing of his glory.

For his loyalty and gentl eness he sanctified him,choosing him al one ou t of all mankind ;

he allowed him to hear his vo ice,and led him into the darkness ;

he gave him the commandm ent s face to face, "the law of life a nd knowledge,

to teach Jacob his ord ina ncesand Israel his decrees.

22242325

26

13

II

14

12

10

15

4

ECCLES IASTICUS

Some wielded authority as kingsand were renowned for their strength ;

others were intelligent advisersand uttered prophetic oracles.

Others directed the people" by their ad vice,by the ir understanding of the popular mind, e

and by the wise words of their teaching ;"ot hers composed musical melodies,

and set down ballads;others were rich and powe rful ,

living peacefully in the ir homes..All these were honoured by their contemporaries,

and were the glory of their day.Some of them left a name behind them,

so that thei r praises are still sung.While others have left no memory,

a nd disappeared as though they had not existed ,they are now as though the y had never been ,

and so too , their child ren afte r them.

But here is a list of generous menwhose good works have not been forgotten."

In the ir descendants there remainsa rich in heritance born of them .

Their descendants stand by the covenantsand, thanks to them, so do the ir children's child ren.

Th eir offspring: will last fo r ever,their glory will not fade.

Th eir bodies ha ve been buried in peac e,an d their nam e lives on for a ll generations.

Th e peoples will procl aim thei r wisdom,the assembly will celebra te their praises.

39:9

~ 39: 10

00 2: 16

En och Aa ron

He raised up Aar on, a holy man like Moses,his brother, of the tribe of Levi.

He mad e a n everlasting covenant with him,and ga ve him the priesth ood of the people.

He adorned him with impressive vestments,he dressed him in a robe of glory. '

He clothed him in glo rious perfe cti onand invested him with embl ems of au thori ty:the breeche s, the long rob e, the ephod.

To go round the rob e he ga ve him pomegranates,

49: 14Go 5:24 LX X

Ws 4: 10Hob 11:5

Go 6:9

Is 6:13

" I P 3:20.» 2 P 2:5

Gn 8:2 1-22 ;9:9 +

G n 12:2: 17:4r

R m 4:1. 13­18

G n 17:10 +

G7}rat~~Hob 11:17

G n 22 :18 ;12:3: 15:5

A c 3: 25G a 3:8-9

Noah

Abraham

En och plea sed the Lord and was taken up ,an example for the conversion! of all genera tions.

N oah was found per fectl y virtuous,in the time of wrath he became the scion:"

beca use of him a remnant was pre ser ved for the earth'a t the coming of the Flood. '"

Everlas ting covenants" were made with himtha t never aga in sho uld every living creature perish by floo d.

Ab raham, the great forefathe r of a host of nat ions,no one was ever his equal in glory. 0

He observed the Law of the Most Hig h,and entered in to a co venant with him.

He confirmed the covenant in his own flesh,an d proved himself faithful under or deal. P

T he Lo rd therefo re promised him on oa thto bless the nat ions through his descendants,

to multiply him like the dus t on the gro und ,to exalt his descendants like the sta rs,

16

78

17

18

IS 1019

9

1920

20

21

2 122

23

d . ' peo ple' : Hebr. ' na tio ns'.e . ' by their unde rstanding . . : Hebr. 'leader s by

th eir st ud ies '.f. Hcbr. add s ' and th e make rs of proverbs fo r

havi ng kern (the rradluons")".g . Hcbr. ' liv ing a restful life on their property".h. Hcbr. 'their hope will not be fr ustra ted '. a readin a

which seem s to imply a hope of immorta lit y.I. ' t hei r offsnrtng": Hebr , ' thei r mem ory ' .j. lit. 'a reaso n for co nvers io n '. T he Hebr . read in g

an exa m ple of understundi na' possibly a llud es to th em yster ies which E no ch witn essed a nd re vea led 10man kind ( Book of I IIl' Secrets of Enoctn . La t. ' tobrtn x co nve rsio n 10 the nauons".

k . 'scio n' or ' firs t shoot' fol to wi n g H ebr, ; 'a nexc ha nger" )' Greek .

I. Th e prophetic d ocu-ine o f t he ' rem na nt' fromwh ich sa lvat io n will come a fter di sa ster (d. Is 4:3 -l-)

is a pp lied here to th e histor y o f Noah .m. H ebr . ' because of his cove na n t the F loo d

cea sed ' .n, Hebr . 'by an ever -lasnng s ign'.o . 'n o o ne ' : Hcbr. 's ta ined his ulorv':p . On t he fai th of A braha m, d . (,n 12: 1 l : 15:6 I ;

22:1; CIa 3:6- 14 : Rm 4:1-25.

Q. ' he assured ": Hebr. ' he mad e him a universalco vena n t, he settled th e co vena n t on the head of Israel,he made h im firm in [he ble ssi n g' (ma r um al reading' he Rave h im t he s ta tus of fi rst -b o r-n ' } .4.5 a . As the y have bee n preserved , the se tw o versesrefer 10 Moses . Po ss ib ly the y referred o r igina lly to

Jose p h .b. He br. ' he put the co m ma nd men ts int o h is hand' .c, Ben Sir a' s l ove of Hturnicat pomp ha s already

been no ted . C f. 3 5 :1~10;50: 1-21.

Ex 2N:fl-12,3 1-35,42

50: 16

4YIO ECCLESIASTICUS !lOO !lOI ECCL ESIASTICUS

I. ' because he s tood ... heart ": Hebr. 'for his peo ple'ssa ke he hclJ the breac h. fo r h is hea rt urged him o n'.

k , ' sa nctuary' Hebr. ; ' t he hob' ones' G reek.I. L;L 'i nhe rita nce o f th e k ine, o f a so n fro m a so n

d . 'Tem p le'; Hebr . ' Debit" (the ' H o ly of Holies') .c . 'the Ur im and Thummim'; Hebr. ' the ephod

and the lo: i r J lc ',f. ' as l on g as the heave ns en dur e' ca rr. fol lowing

Hebr. : ' i n the days o f hea ven ' G reek.g . 'scc r tflcc to the Lord'; Hebr. ' ho locaust and

Iut-olfertngs".h. Lit. ' the covenants of judgement ', For the

translator of S i the ' covenants' a lways mean t he'srau ucs". T he hiuh pric st evidetuly had to be anaut horir v on th e La w, Cr. Lv 10; I I: D t 33: 10.

L Hebr. ' he 1o(3 ...e h im o ffen nas for h is food ' .

N b 25:7f

Nb 25: 11-13

Nb 14:6- 10

46:16

l os IO:W-1 5

l os 10:1Of

Jos 1;1+

only ' .m. Hebr. adds ' And now pray to the ROod God

w h o crowns you with gto rv" .n. Asrnration ad dressed lO the contempora ry

desce nda n ts of Aaron .46 a. 'J oshua son of N un' ; G reek has 'Jesus son ofNaue". ' successo r' ; Hebr. ' serva nt", cr. Ex 33: II .

b . Joshua means 'Yahweh-saves '. He br. has' who wa s fashioned to be in h is tim e a gre at salv a tio nfor his c hosen on es".

c. ' He h imsel f .. .' Hebr. and G reek MSS : 'T heLord him se lf delivered enemies o ver to him' Text. Rec.

d . 'Goo' Hebr.; ' t he Mighty On e' G reek .e , Tex t cor r. . cr. La r. : ' He hu r led wa r down

on tha t na ti on ' Gree k.t. ' t ha t t heir foe .. . ' corr., cr. Hebr. : ' t hat his batt le

wa s a gain s t (= befor e") the Lo rd' G reek.

Mighty in war was Jo shua son of Nu n,successor to Moses" in the prophetic office,

who well deser ved his name,"and was a great saviour of the Chosen Peop le,

wreaking vengeance on the enemies who opposed him,and so bringing Israel into its inheritance.

How splendid he was when he raised his armsto brandish his sword again st cities!

Who had ever shown such determinat ion as his?He himself waged the wars of the Lord .s

Was not the sun held back by his ha nd,a nd one da y d rawn out int o two?

He called on God" the Most High,as he pressed the ene my on every side ;

and the great Lord answered himwith hard and violent hailst ones.

He fell on that enemy nation, 'and at the Descent he destroyed all resistance ;

that the nations might acknowledge his warlike prowessand know that their foe was the Lord. '

For he was a follower of the Mighty One,and in the time of Moses he did devoted service,

he and Caleb son of Jephunneh,by opposing the whole community,

because of his zeal in the fea r of the Lord,beca use he stood firm when the peopl e revolted,

with a stau nch and courageous hea rt ;'and in this way atoned for Israel.

Hence a covenant of peace was sealed with him,making him governor of both sanctuary- a nd people,

and securing to him and his descendantsthe high pr iestly dignity for ever.

There was also a covenant with Da vidson of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah,

a royal succession from father to one son exclusively,'but the succession of Aaron passes to all his descendants. m

May God endow yo ur hearts with wisdom"to judge his peop le virt uously,

so that the vir tues of your a ncesto rs may never fade,a nd their glory may pass to all their descendants.

Ca leb

Joshua

2430

2531

8

29

26

21

1620

IS22

1315

16

II

2328

. 721

1012

1518

1417

19

26

2227

24

13

11

2025

I Q

2J

1214

Phinehas son of Eleazar is th ird in glory

and many gold bells all roundto chime at every step,

for their sound to be heard in the Templedas a reminder to the sons of his people ;

and a sacred vestment of gold and purple, violet shadeand red, the work of an embroi dere r ;

the pectoral of judgement, the Urim and Thumrnim,sof plaited crimson, the work of a crafts man ;

precious stones cut like sealsmounted in gold , th e work of a jeweller,

as a reminder with the ir engraved inscriptionsof the number of the tribes of Israel;

and a golden diadem on his tu rban,engraved with the sea l of consecrat ion ;

superb ornamentat ion, magnificent wor k,adorn ment to delight the eye.

There had never been such lovely things before him,a nd no one else has ever put the m on,

but only his own so ns,and his descendants for all time .

His sacr ifices were to be burnt entirely,twice each day and for ever.

Moses consec rated hima nd ano inted him with holy oil ;

and this was an everlast ing covenan t for him,and for his descenda nts as long as the heavens endure, "

tha t he sho uld pres ide over wors hip, ac t as pr iest,a nd bless his peo ple in the name of the Lord ,

who chose him out of all the livingto offer sacrifice to the Lord , g

incense and an appeasing fragrance as a memorialto make atonement for the people.

He entrusted him with his commandments,co mmitted to him the sta tutes of the Law"

to teach Ja cob his decrees,and enlighten Israel on his Law.

Ot hers jo ined forces aga inst him,they were jea lous of him in the wilderness,

Dathan and Ab irarn a nd thcir men,Kora h and his crew in fury and rage.

The Lord saw it and was disp leased,his rag ing fury made a n end of them;

he overwhelmed them with miraclesa nd consumed them with his fla ming fire.

And he added to Aaron 's glory ,he gave him an inheritance;

he allot ted him the prime of the first-fruits, i

before a ll else ensured him bread in ab undance.Thus they eat the sacrifices of the Lord

which he gave to him and his pos terity.But of the people's territory he inhe rits not hing,

he a lone of a ll the peop le has no share,the Lord is his share and inherita nce.

Phinehas

Ps 16:5 !-

Ps l td

Lv 8: 1- 13

35:3.6Lv 2:2.9.16

Lv 16:1 +

Ex 28:6 +IS 14:41 +

Ex 2.:2-5

Ex 28:36-39

Ex 28:33 -34

Nb 16:1: 17:15

Nb 18:12-13

Ex 29:28.3 1fLv 6:9- 11: 7:9- 10 .32-36

N b 18:20

1 S 1:lf;2:26 Samuel

The judges

The judges too, each when he was called,all men whose hearts were never disloyal,

who never turned the ir backs on the Lord­may their memory be blessed!

May their bones flower again" from the tomb,and may the names of those illustrious men

live again in their sons.

1 K 5: 1 7~!l.)

lKt-

1 K 10:1-10

1 K 5:5W s 4:~

1 K 3A- 2f\:5:9-14

Ws 7: 7

2 S 7: 1+

:: S 12.13 ,::::4­25

1 C h lo:--lf

2 S 23: 1

1 S 1$: "7

I S 17

.2 S 5: 1-3

46 :16

so nas anJ honoured him o n a ccount of the tenthousa nd . When he had as sumed th e cro w n. he foughtand subdued t hc en emies on eve ry s ide. He buillfortresses auainst the l'hi tistiu cs (con. ' li e plunderedthe (owns (If (he Philistines') and crus hed their horn to(hi s ver y da y. '

c . The Psalms. d. 2 S 23 : I .d . ' harps ' fott owin g Hebr .: 'cantors ' Greek.e , ' r-oyal' corr. . cf'. Hebr., Greek MSS. La r. : 'o f

ki ng x' T ext. Rec .L Solomo n be nefited fro m the temporal ac h ieve­

ment s of David : bur. on the reli giou s level , it is alsoto be under st ood that God fa voured So lomon for thesake: o f Dav id . Cf. vv. ::!O.2::!: 1 K 11: 12.

g. Allus io n 10 the na me of So lomo n (' lhe peacef ulo ne'). Cf. v. 13.

h. 're to rts' (c f. I K 10:1-10>; Hebr. 'poetr y'. 'Your

While sti ll a boy, did he not slay the giant ,and relieve the peopl e of their shame,

by putting out a hand to sling a stonewhich bro ught dow n the a rroga nce of G oliath?

For he ca lled on the Lord Most High,who gave st rengt h to his right arm

to put a migh ty warrior to dea th ,and lift up the horn " of his people.

Hence they gave him credit for ten thousand,an d pra ised him while they blessed the Lord,

by offering him a crown of glory;for he massacred enemies on every side,

he annihilated his foes the Phil istin es,a nd cru shed their horn to th is very day ."

In all his acti vities he gave thanksto the Holy O ne, the Most High, in words of glory: '

he put a ll his heart into his songsout of love for his Maker.

He placed harps" befor e the al tarto mak e the singing sweeter with their music;

he gave the feast s their splendour,the fest ivals the ir solemn pomp,

causing the Lord 's holy name to he prais edand the sanctuary to resound from dawn.

The Lo rd too k away his sins,and exa lted his horn I'll!' eve r;

he gave him a roya l" cove na nt,a nd a glorious th ro ne in Israel.

A wise so n succeeded him ,who lived spac iously, thanks to him.!

So lomo n reigned in a time of peace,a nd God gave him peace all round

so that he could raise a hou se to his nameand prepare an everla sting sa nctuary.

How wise you were in your youth,brimming over with understanding like a river!

Your mind ranged the earth,you filled it with mysterious sayings.

Yo ur name reached the distant islands,and you were loved for your peace ."

Your songs , your proverbs , your sayingsand your retorts ' made you the wonder of the world.

ECCLE S I A ST I C U S

47 a. Symbol of Po wer.b. Hebr. 'Therefore the girls hailed h im with th ei r

I 103

Solomon

g. Hebr. 'uv eruna ven geance fro m th e as sembly".h . Lit . ' send out (shoots)", c f. 4Y:l0 : Is 66: 14. N o t

so much a n ex nli c it witness to th e doctrine o f theresurrect ion as an asniration t hat the judges may havewo rt hy successo rs i n the ua~' s of Ben Siru. wh owas writing shortly before t hc Ma ccaba ean rcvult .

i. Hebr. ' Be lo ved by th e people a nd pleasing to hiscreator was he who was dedicat ed fro m his mo th er 'swo mb. a naziri te o f Y ah weh in th e pr o ph et ic fun ction .Sam ue l iud se a nd priest : by Ihe word of Yahweh he:ins ti tuted Ihe kin gdom a nd a no in ted ..

i. 'he massacred": Hcbr . ' he subdued '. 'of theenemy' co r r. . cf. He br. : ' the p ri nces o f Tvre' Greek.

1315

5

4

1214

8

11IJ

14

16

: 5

17

16

1718

9II

IU

1012

2023

1316

1417

17

20

18

21

19

16

19

1518

1102

810

911

1012

IIJj

14

12

/5

After him arose Nathan,to prophesy in the time of David.

ECCLESIASTICUS

by preventing the people from sinning,'and by silencing the mutters of rebellion.

Hence these two alone were preservedout of six hundred thousand men on the march,

and brought into their inheritance,into a land where milk and honey flow.

The Lord gave Caleb the strength­which he retained right into old age­

to tread the highlands of the countrywhich his descendants still hold as their inheritance,

for all the sons of Israel to seethat it is good to follow the Lord.

Samuel was the beloved of his Lord;prophet of the Lord, he inst ituted the kingdom,'and anointed rulers over his people.

In the Law of the Lord he judged the assembly,and the Lord watched over Jacob.

By his loyalty he was recognised as a prophet,by his words he was known to be a trustworthy seer.

He called on the Lord, the Mighty One,when his enemies pressed him on every side ,by offering a sucking lamb.

And the Lord thundered from heaven,and made his voice heard in a rolling peal;

he massacred the leaders of the enemy';and all the rulers of the Philistines.

Before the time of his everlasting resthe bore witness before the Lord and his anointed,

'Of no property, not even a pair of sandals,have I ever deprived a soul' .Nor did anyone accuse him.

And after he fell asleep he prophesied again,warning the king of his death ;

he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy,to blot out the wickedness of the people.

As the fat is set apart from the communion sacrifice,so David was chosen out of all the sons of Israel.

He played with lions as though with kids,and with bears as though with lambs of the flock .

46:8

47Nathan

David

1 S9:9

I S 12:3

1 S 7:13

2 S 7-12

Lv 4:8

46 :5 ; 47 :51 S 7:9-10

1 S 28:6-25

Nb 14:24Jos 14:12-15

Jos 14:10-11

16:10 +

1 S 10:1 ; 16:13

1 S 17:34-37

, II

Rehoboam

Jeroboam

2 K J8:13­19:37

Is 36-37

2 K 20:20 +2 Ch 32:5.30Is 22:11

2 K2:9f

2 K2:JO-I2

d . ' they who see yo u '; He b r. (co rr.) ' he who seesyo u a nd (di es ")" . ' have fallen asleep'; va r. 'have bee nad orned ' . Tex t un certain . Aft er h is eu log y of thepr ophet th e au thor a sserts that t hose who will seeElijah whe n he returns, as a lso t hos e who ha ve di ed' in love' (i n the Jove of G od? ) will live for ever . T hisis a cl ea r exp ression of the hope of immortality. T heHe br. , however, unfortunately d efec tive h er e, perh apson ly referred to Elish a who 'sa w' Elija h d isa ppe a r(2 K 2:10.12).

e . After dying t he pr ophet raised a dead man tolife , 2 K 13:20-2 1. But the text is o ver load ed . He br.' be nea th h im his body wa s cr ea ted' ,

f . He br. ' of J ud ah on ly a rem na n t was left ' ,g. 'and co nst ructed ci sterns'; H eb r . la nd sea led up

reservo irs in t he mounta ins ' .h. Ben Si ra 's t rans la to r has made a pro pe r name

o ut of rah shak eh (t he 'chief cu pbeare r' ). Greek heread d s ' and dep a rted' .

Hez ekiah fort ified his city,and laid on a water supp ly inside it;

with iron he tunnelled thro ugh the rockand constructed cisterns. 9

In his days Sennacheri b invadedand sent Rab shak eh ;"

he lifted his ha nd aga inst Zion,and boasted loud ly in his arrogance.

Then their hearts a nd hands trembled,they felt the pangs of a woman in labour,

bu t the y called on the merciful Lord,stretching out their hands towards him.

Swiftly the Holy One heard them from heaven,and delivered them by the hand of Isaiah,

he struck the camp of the Assyriansa nd his angel ma ssacre d them.

and punishment

Des pite all th is the peo ple did not repe nt ,nor did they give up their sins,

unti l they were herded out of their countryan d scattered all over the earth ;

only a few of the people were left ,!with a ruler of the Ho use of David.

Some of them did what pleased the Lord,others piled sin on sin.

so ngs' : s s . O n th e w isdom a nd lite ra ry ac t ivit y o fSolomon. cr. 1 K 5:9- 14.

i. He br. ' You were ca lled by the glorious na meinvo ked o n Is rael' ; th is poss ib ly all udes to th e na megiven to Solo mo n at h is b ir th ; Jed idiah 'beloved-of­Ya h weh' , 2 S 12:25.

J, H ebr. ' and be ca me their sla ve t h ro u gh yo u rbo dy'.

k. ' your s tock' ; Heb r. ' yo u r be d':I. 'and arter..;' Hebr. : ' an d I a m gr ieved a t yo u r

fo lly' Greek .m , ' wo rds' Hebr. ; ' wo rks' G reek .n. Rehoboam . . . ' : He br. ' br oa d in h is fo lly, na rro w

in h is mind ' , A ppa rent ly a p lay o n word s in bothreadings : R ehobo am ( Ro bo am) ex p la ined fro m ra ba(b ro ad) a nd am (people) .48 a. T h is ' rep roo f' is perha ps im p lici t in the visio nof 1 K 19:9-14.

b . ' p ro p hets' : Hebr . 'a prop het ' ,c . ' in a cha r to r.. , ho rses' ; He b r. ' a nd wit h fier y

ba tt a lio ns' .

Hezekiah

Infidelity

2,12 1J ~

211U

I ~

20

17I Y

191I

1516

1617

25

~~-27

28

2429

302531

10

11°4 1/°5 E C C LE S I AS T I C U SI S

Happy shall they be who see you,19 I I

and those who have fallen asleep in love;20 12 for we too will have life."

19 Elisha2 1

12 Elijah was shrouded in the whirlwind,20 1312 and Elisha was filled with his spirit ;

throughout his life no ruler could shake him,and no one could subdu e him.

13 No tas k was too hard for him ,142 1and even in death his body prophesied. '23

14 In his lifetime he perfor med wonders,22 1524 and in death his work s were ma rvellous.

In the name of the Lord God .:of him who is ca lled the God of Israel ,

you amassed gold like so much tin ,and made silver as co mmon as lead.

You a bando ned your bod y to women,yo u beca me the slave of yo ur appet ites)

You stained your ho nou r,you profaned your stock !"

so br inging wrath on yo ur childrenand gr ief on your posterity:'

the sovereig nty was split in two,from Ephraim arose a rebel kingdom .

But the Lord would not go back on his mercy ,or und o a ny of his words, m

he would not ob literate the issue of his elect,nor dest roy the stock of the man who loved him;

and so he granted a remnan t lo Jacob ,and to David a roo t springing from him.

Next, Je ro boam son of Nebat , who mad e Israel sin,an d set Ephrai m on the way of evil ;

from then on their sins multiplied so excessivelyas to drive them out of their co un try ;

for they t ried out every kind of wicked ness,unti l vengeance overtook them .

ECC L E S I A S T I C U S

Solomon rested with his anc estors,leaving one of his stoc k as his successor,

the stupidest member of the nat ion,bra inless Reho boam, whose policy d rove the nati on to rebel."

Then the prophet Elija h a rose like a fire,his word flaring like a torc h.

It was he who brought famine on them,and who decimated them in his zea l.

By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens,he a lso, three t imes, bro ught do wn fire.

How glorious yo u were in your miracles, Elija h!Has a nyo ne reason to boast as yo u have?­

rou sing a corpse from death,fro m Sheol by the word of the Most High ;

dragging kings do wn to destru ction ,a nd high dignita ries from their beds ;

hea ring reproo f" on Sinai ,a nd decrees of pu nishment on Horeb;

ano inting kings as avengers,an d prophets" to succeed yo u;

taken up in the whirlwi nd of fire,in a char iot with fiery horses ;:

designated in the pro phecies of doomto alla y God's wra th before the fury breaks ,

to turn the hearts offathers towards their children ,and to restore the tr ibes of Jacob,

48Elijah

i n 5:35

I K 12

Is 40: 3M117: 10

M 13 :24Lk J: 17

J K IS:36f2 K 1:10 .12

Is 4:3 ~

2 K 2: 1- 11

K 12:26-33

I K 11:1- 13

W s 7: 11

2 S 7:1 I.

Ps ~9:30-J 7

I K 12

I K 10:1 10 7

I K 19:9 -1X

I K 13:33-342 K 17:21-23

I K 17:17-24

I K 2 1:17-242 K 1:16

1 K 11: 1: I S:2 : 19:10.14.

17

-~- - --- -

Retrospect

No one else has ever been creat ed on earth to equal Enoch,for he was taken up from earth.

And no one else ever born has been like Joseph,the leader of his brothers, the prop of his people;his bones were honoured.

Shem and Seth were honoured among men,but above every living creature is Adam. h

! II

2 K 20:<1-111&38:4-8

48:2 2

Isaiah

ECCLESIASTICUS

For Hezekiah did what is pleasing to the Lord,and was steadfast! in the ways of David his father,

enjoined on him by the prophet Isaiah,a great man trustworthy in his vision.

In his days the sun moved back;he prolonged the life of the king.

In the power of the spirit he saw the last things,he comforted the mourners of Zion,

he revealed the future to the end of time,and hidden things long before they happened/

II o6

2225

1416

2326 15

17

2427

18

2516

2819

t t or ECCLESIASTIC U S

erected the gates and barsand rebuilt our houses.

5°:12

44:16

G n 50:25 ·26

Jb 15:7

Josiah

49

50 a. 'son of O nias ' : Heb r. 'son of Johana n". T herefer en ce i<; to Simo n II, son of O nias 11. abou t220- 195.

b. The 'double heighr ' ( ") a nd the 'h igh but tresses"ca nnot be identified with a ny ce rtainty. He br. ' In histime th e wall was built and the d wellin g to we rs (7)

o f the k lngs pa lace' ,c . ' wa s excava ted ' corr . : 'was redu ced ' G ree k.d . 'with the people thronging round. h im ' ; Hebr.

'a s he look ed down from the sanct uary' ,c. Lit. 'f ro m the house of the curtain' , i.e . t he Debtr

o r Ho ly o f Holies, separated fr om th e Hekal by acurtain. Ex 36:3 5-38 . Here the a u tho r is des crib ingthe cere mo nies of the feas t of Atonem ent, Lv 16.

r, He br, adds ' o n feast davs".g. 'on th e Te mp le of the Most Hig h'; Hebr , 'on

the royal pa lace ' .h. Hebr , ' like the flower on the bough a t fes ta l

t imes'.l, 'i n the censer' ; Hebe 'for the o b la tio n' .

h . Hebr. 'S hem a nd Se th and Enoch were honour­ed; a bove every living thing (they ar e ?) th e glo ry ofman (o r: of Adam)'.

I. Li t. 'was stro ng'. Play on the na me Hezektaht 'Yahweh-makes -strone').

i. Possibly the o racl es on the end of the Ex ile.Is 40-55. or those of ch. 24-27. or of 61.49 a . He br. ' he was grie ved by o ur goi ng astray ' .

b. Heb r. ' t he k ings of Judah down to the last ofthem' ,

c . Heb r. ' he (God) gave '.d , Either by re lying on foreign alli ances o r by

provok in g th e punishment of exile.e . Li t. 'by the ha nd of Je remiah '.f . ' whi ch G od .. .": Hebr. ' he re vealed the aspects

(i .e . the shape) of the cha rio t'.g , O bsc ur e, Po ss ib ly an a llus ion to the pr ophecy

a ga inst Gog, Elk 38-39, notably 38: 22. Hebr. 'he alsomade men tion of Job' .

13IS

II11

1214

Simon the high priest

I 50 It was the High Priest Simon son of Onias-who repaired the Temp le during his lifetime

2 and in his day fortified the sanctuary.He laid the foundations of the double height,

2 the high buttresses of the Temple precincts. b1

In his day the water cistern was excava ted, C

3 a reservoir as huge as the sea.4

4 Anxio us to save the people from ruin,he for tified the city against siege.

How splendid he was with the people thron ging round him,"4 when he emerged from the curtained shrine,' Lv 165

like the morning star among the clouds, Lv 16:13

6 like the moon at the full;'7 like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High,"

5 8 like the rainbow gleaming aga inst brilliant clouds,78 like roses in the days of spri ng,"

6 like lilies by a freshet of water,8like a sprig of fran kincense in summer-time,

7 like fire and incense in the censer,' «9 (/)

10 like a vessel of beaten gold ..J

encrusted with every kind of precio us sto ne,10 like an olive tree loaded with fruit,II

8 like a cypress soa ring to the clouds;10 when he put on his splendid vestments,II

9 and clothed himself in glorious perfection,11 when he went up to the holy alta r,12

10and filled the sanctuary precincts with his grandeur ;

12 12 when he received the port ions from the hands of the priests,I)

himself standing by the altar hearth,

Great too is the memory of Nehemiah,who rebuilt our walls which lay in ruins,

The memory of Josiah is like blended incenseprepared by the perfumer's art;

it is as sweet as honey to all mou ths,and like music at a wine feast.

He took the right course, of converting the people,G

he rooted out the iniquitous abominations,he set his heart on the Lord,

in godless times he upheld the cause of religion.

The last kings and prophets

Apart from David, Hezekiah and Josiah ,they all heaped wrong on wrong ;

since they disregarded the Law of the Most High,the kings of Judah disappea red;"

since they gave' their strength to othersand their honour to a foreign nat ion."

The holy, chosen city was burnt down,her streets were left deserted,

as Jeremiah had predicted;' for they had ill-treated himthough consecrated a prophet in his mother's womb

to tear up and afflict and destroy,but also to build up and to plant.

Ezekiel it was who saw a vision of glorywhich God showed to him above the chariot of the Cherubs,!

for he remembered the enemies with torrential rainsto the advantage of those who follow the right way.

As for the twelve prophets,may their bones flower again from the tomb,

since they have comforted Jaco band redeemed him in faith and hope.

Zerubbabel and Jeshua

How shall we extol Zerubbabel?He was like a signet ring on the right hand,

so too was Jeshua son of Jozadak;they who in their days built the Temple,

and raised to the Lord a holy people,destined to everlasting glory.

Nehemiah

2K22·23

81 2:23

46:12+

Lm 1:4;2:3

Jr 1:5

Jr 1:10

IlzI< 1-3;9-10

Ps 25:6

Nb 16:33 +

Ps 35:4

Ex 34:6Ps 103:8

Ps 120:2

Ex 15:2

5I : 10

v. Hch r , ' fo r the fear of Ya h weh is life". Some(, re~ k M SS ad d 'and to devou t me n he gives w isdo m.Blessed he t he L ord fo r ever. A me n . A men:5 1 a. H c br , 'S tro ngh o ld o f m y life. for yo u hav ed elive red m y so ul fmm dea t h. yo u have sa ved my fleshfrom the pi t, yo u ha ve ke p t my (HIt from Sheol . yo uhav e n ro icc tcd me from the sla nder of the people a ndth e snare'. etc .

b. Hcb r . 'und I craved fro m th e na tes of Sheol" .c , This exp ression may sugucst a C h r istia n in ter­

rirc ta rio n intruded into t he G ree k text: possib ly.however , it is sim ply a n irnaainauvc t runsluri on o f aco r ru pt IC .XI, BU I d. Ps2:7 : 110 :1 (LXX), Hebr.' I cried o u t: Ya h weh . Yl)U an: a fat her a nd them iuluv o ne o f m y sal va tion'.

d . ' 1)\ 1 not desert m e' co r r . followi ng He br. : "nu t

II chr. 'The in habi tan ts o f Scir and o f Phitist ta' .s. T he Samari tans .l. Hebr . 'Wise instruct ton a nd we ll thou aht-out

j-ro vcrbs o f Simeon. son of Jesu s . son of Eleazar. sono f Siru" .

U. Hc br , ' H ap py th e ma n w ho meditates ' .

ECCLESIAS TI C U S

and grows wise by taking them to heart.If he practi ses them he will be str ong eno ugh fo r any thing,

since the light of the Lord is his path.v

APP E N D I CES

of thanksgiving

I will give thanks to you, Lor d and King,and praise you, God my sav iour,I give tha nks to your nam e ;

for you have been protector and support to me,and redeemed my bod y fro m destr uctio n,"

from the sna re of the lying tongue,fro m lips that fabricate falseh ood ;

and in the presence of thos e a ro und meyou have been my support, yo u ha ve redeemed me,

tr ue to the great ness of your mercy a nd of your name ,from the fangs of those who would devour me,

fro m the hands of those seeking my life,from the man y ordeals which I have endured,

from the st ifling heat wh ich hemmed me in,fro m the heart of a fire wh ich I had not kindled,

fro m deep in the belly of Shcol,from the unclean tongue a nd the lying word­the perjured to ngue slande ring me to the king.

My so ul has been close to death,my life had gone down to the br ink of Sheol .

T hey were surroundi ng me on every side, there was no oneto supp ort me ;

I looked for someo ne to help -in vain.The n I remembered yo ur merc y, Lord,

and your deed s from earliest time s,how you deli ver those who wait for you patiently,

an d save them from the c1 utchcs of their enemies.And I sent up my plea from the ear th,

I begucd to be delivered fro m death,"I ca ll edon the Lord , the fa ther of my Lor d,C

'Do not desert me' in the days of ordeal,in the time of my helple ssness aga inst the pro ud.

i . Refe ren ce 10 a libati on nOI described in L\",C f. Ex 29: 12 : Lv X:lS . whe re b loo d is used .

k. "t he peon lc ' ; H eb r , ' a ll fle sh ' , ' i n adorat ion o fIhei r Lord' ; II c b r. ' be fo re the Most lliuh c t hc H o ly Oneof Israel'.

I. Hebr. ' a nd ove r th e m u tutudc th ey Prepared itslump" .

m. Hebr. ' a nd a ll th e people of the co un u-yshou ted ' ,

n. ' service; fo tlo w'i ng Hcb r. : ' ad o rn men t' Greek .o . The feas t of the A to ne men t was t he o nly oc casion

on whic h the sacrosa nc t name cou ld be pronouncedo ver the people , as a for m o f bless ing .

n. Vv. 22-23 Hebr . ' No w b less Ya hwe h t he Godo f Israel wh o wo rks wonders on the earth , will) bringsman fo rt h from the womb, who act s as his wi ll d ictatcs :mny he s tvc wisd om to o u r hear t and ma r peace reignamong us' .

1.1 . Hebr. 'M ay h is me rcy be fat thfullv wit h Si mon .may he fu lfil in him th e cov e nan t o f Phinchas. may Itnor be wi th d ra wn fro m him o r fro m his pllslc r ity a"lo nJ! as the hea ven s end ure ' .

r, ' Sci r ' co r r. fn ll owi nf:: H cbr. : 'S a maria' ( i reek .

IIo9

A hymn

3

"IJ

12

ICI/ 4

7I ii

"1/

213/

13

2729

2830

2527

17/9

2628

2426

2022

I4

14

2224

1820

2325

2123

15

192/

1618

17

IIoBECCLESIASTICUS

sur rounded by a crowd of his brothers,like a youthful cedar of Lebanon

as though surrounded by the tru nks of palm trees .When all the sons of Aaron in thei r glory ,

with the offerings of the Lord in their hands,stood before the whole assembly of Israel,

while he completed the rites at the altars,presenting in due order the offer ing for the Most High, the Almighty,

reaching ou t his hand to the cup'; }~

and pouring a libation of the juice of the grape,pouring it at the foot of the altar,

an appeasing fragrance to the Mos t High, the King of all ,the n the sons of Aaron would shout

an d blow their tru mpe ts of bea ten metal,mak ing a mighty sound ring ou t

as a reminder befo re the Mo st High;and immediately the peo ple all together

would fa ll o n their faces to the gro und,in adorat ion of their Lord;"

the Almighty , God Mos t High,and with the cantors cha nting their hymns of pra ise:

sweet was the melody of all these voices, 'as the peopl e plead ed with the Lord Most High, '"

and prayed in the presence of the Me rciful,until the ser vice" of the Lord was completed

and the ceremony at an end.Then he would come down and ra ise his hands

over the whole concourse of the sons of Israel,to give them the Lord's blessing from his lips,

being privileged to pronounce his name ;"and once again the people wou ld bow low

to recei ve the blessing from the Most High.

5° :13

Conclusion

Instructio n in wisdom a nd knowledgehas been committed to writ ing in this book

by Jesus son of Sira , Eleazar, of Jer usalem,who has ra ined dow n wisdom from his heart !

Ha ppy is he who bus ies himself with these things,"

Exhortation

And now bless the God of all things,the doer of great deeds everywhere,

who has exa lted our days fro m the womband acted to wards us in his mercy .

May he grant us cheerful hea rtsand bring peace in our time,in Israel for ages on ages. P

May his mercy be faithfully with us,may he redeem us in our time. q

Numerical proverb

There are two na tions tha t my sou l detests,the th ird is no t a nation at all:

the inha bitants of Mount Seir," and the Ph ilist ines,a nd the stupid peo ple living a t Shechern. >

Lv 9:22

Nb 10:10

Ps 60:6

Pr 30:15 ~

45:9Nb 10:2- 10

Nb 6:23-27

/

I I51 : I I ECCL E S I A S TI C US

I will praise your name unceasingly,and gratefully sing its pra ises.'

And my plea was heard,sfor you saved me from destruction,you delivered me from that time of evil.

And the refore I will thank you and praise you,and bless the name of the Lord.r

lJ 10

15

II

16

1217

1 lJ 1 E CCL E SIA STICU S

6:18 : 15:2r:34 :9- 12

Ws 8:2

Ps 25:5; 26;3

Ws 6;23

A m 8: l l

Pr 4:5.7Is 55:1

R m 10:8

D t 30:1 1-14

Pr 16: 16Mt 13:44-46

A poem on the quest for wisdoms

When I was still a youth, before I went travelling,in my prayers I asked outright for wisdom.

Outside the sanctuary I would pray for her,a nd to the last I will continue tv seek her.

From her blossoming to the ripening of her grapemy hear t has ta ken its delight in her.

My foot has pu rsued a straight path,I have been followi ng her steps ever since my youth.

By bowing my ea r a little I have received her,and have found much instructio n.

Thanks to her I have ad vanc ed ;th e glory be to him who has given me wisdom!"

For I am determined to put her into practice,I have earnestly pursued what is good, I will not be put to shame.'

My soul has foug ht/ to possess her ,I have been scrupulous in keepin g the Law;

I have stretched ou t my hands to heavenand bewailed my ignorance of her ;

I have directed my soul towards her,and in purity have found her ;

having my heart fixed on her from the outset,I shall never be deserted ; k:

my very core having yearned to discover her ,I have now acquired a good possession.

In reward the Lord has given me a tonguewith which I shall sing his praises.

Come close to me, you uninstructed,take your place in my school.

Why complain about lackin g these thingswhen your souls are so thirsty for them?

I have opened my mouth and spoken:' Buy her with out mon ey,

put your necks under her yoke,and let you r so uls receive instruction ; '

she is not far to seek. m

See for yourse lves: how slight my efforts have beento win so much peace.

Buy inst ructio n with a large sum of silver,"thanks to her you will gain much gold .

May you r souls rejo ice in the mercy of the Lord,may you never be ashamed of prais ing him.

D o your work befo re the app oin ted timeand he in his time will give you your rewa rd.' «

[Subscript.]> Wisdom of Jesus son of Sira.

1318

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15

20

162 1

22

17

231824

1925

26

202 7

28

2 129

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233 1

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1735

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3038

to desert me' G reek .5! e. Hebr. 'T hen God hear d my vo ice a nd Rave ea rto my prayers' .

f . T he Heb r. her e inserts a psa lm of pr ai se whichresembles Ps 136 and the S hemoneb Esren (th e 'e ighteen 'prayer s recited da ily by Je ws) cr. a lso Si 3 6:1 ~ 1 7 :

' Pra ise Ya hweh, fo r h is love is eve r las t ing.Praise the G od of pr a ise. for his lo ve is eve rtasn na.Praise th e keep er of Israel . for hi s lo ve is ever tas rlnn .Praise th e crea to r o f th e uni ver se . fo r hi s love is

ever las ting.Praise him who redeems Israel . fo r his lo ve is

everlast ing .Praise him who gather s th e di spersed o f Israel . for

hi s lov e is ever tas tina .Pr aise him who buil t hi s cit y a nd his Te mp le, fo r his

IO VI! is ever tas tiu z ,Praise h im who makes th e ho rn o f th e Ho use o f

David nou r ish, for hi s love is everlast ing .Pra ise hi m who ha s chosen the so ns of Z adok as hi s

pr ies ts. fo r h is love is eve r lasting.Praise the b uckl er of A braham, fo r h is lov e is

everlasti ng .P ra ise the rock of Israel , for hi s lo ve is everlast ing.Pra ise: the Mighty O ne of Jacob, for h is lov e is

ever las ti ng.P ra ise h im who has chose n Zion, for h is lov e is

evertasrtna.

Prai se the king o f kin gs o f kin gs . for hi s lo ve iseverlas ting.

He ra ises the horn of hi s peopl e a nd the praise ofa ll his faith fu l,

the so ns of Isra el . t he pe opl e clo se to him .A lle luia . '

g . T his is a n a lph abe tical poem , cr. PI' 3 1:10 +, inthe H ebr. the (ext o f whic h is unfortunat ely in a po orsta te of preservat io n .

h . Hebr. ' Her yoke was a n hon ou r for me , to h i mwho inst ruct s me I will give than ks' .

i. H eb e 'and I will never lea ve he r on ce I ha vefo u nd her ' .

i. ' has fo ueht" : Hebr. ' has em b rac ed her ' . For th efo llowin g lines Heb r. ha s 'a nd I have not a ve rte d mvface from her : my ha nd o pened he r na rcs . I we n t in ('na nd Raz ed o n her ' .

k . H eb r. ' a nd so I sha ll not desert her ' .i. 'tn struct to n": H eb r. ' the bu rden ' .

m . Hc br , add s 'a nd t he man w ho Rives hi s so ul toher will find her ' .

n . Text p robabl y corru p t .0, He br . adds ' Blessed be Yahweh for eve r, and may

his name be pra ised from generation to genera tio n ' ."p. H eb r . ' T h us far t he words of Simeon so n o f Jes us .

ca lled Ben Sl ra. W isdom of Simeon. son of Jesus ,son of Eleaza r. son of Sira. May the na me of Ya hwefbe blessed fro m now a nd for ever: