Sirach 3:6–16:26
6 He that giveth glory to his father shall have length of days,
S g And he that hgiveth rest toh his motheri shall receive reward from Godg.
70 248 253 7 kHe that feareth the Lord honoureth his fatherk,
lAnd serveth his parents as mastersl.
HA 8 My sonll, in word and in deed honour thy fatherm,
That nevery blessingn may overtake thee.
9 The blessing of a father establisheth o(his) seedo,
But the curse of a mother rooteth up the ooyoung plantoo.
10 Glorify not thyself in the dishonour of thy father,
For that is no glory to theep.
11 A man’s glory is the glory of his father,
ppAnd he that dishonourethq his mother rmultiplieth sinrpp.
G 12 My sons, thelp thy father in his old aget,
HA And ttgrieve himtt not uall the days of hisuu lifeu;
HA 13 And even if his understanding fail, be considerate with him,
And dishonour him not vall the days of his lifev.
14 Benevolence to a father shall not be blotted out,
And as a substitute for sins it shall be firmly plantedw.
15 In the day of affliction it shall be remembered ‘to thy credit’,
It shall obliterate thine iniquities as heat (disperseth) hoar-frost.
16 xAs one that acteth presumptuouslyx is he that despiseth his father,
And as one that provoketh his Creator is he that cursethy his mother.
(i) 3:17–25. On the Need of Humility in all things
17 My son, when thou art in prosperity walk humbly,
And thou wilt be loved more than him that giveth gifts.
18 Humble thyself zin all greatnessz,
And thou wilt find mercy in the sight of Goda.
20 For many are the mercies of God,
And to the humble He revealeth His secret.
HA 21 bSeek not (to understand) what is too wonderfulc for thee,
And search not out that which is hid from thee.
22 Meditate upon that which thou must grasp,
And be not occupied with that which is hidb.
23 Have naught to do with that which is beyond thee,
For more hath been shown to thee than thou canst understand.
24 For many are the conceits of the sons of men,
And evil imaginations lead astray.
25 dWhere (there is) no apple of the eye, light is lacking,
And where (there is) no knowledge wisdom is wantingd.
(j) 3:26–28. Retribution on the Sinner
(= 3 distichs).
26 eA stubborn heart shall fare ill at its latter end,
But he that loveth good things shall be led by themef.
27 (As for) the stubborn heart, its griefs shall be increased,
And the profaneg man heapeth iniquity upon iniquity.
HA 28 (As for) hthe wound of the scorner, there is no healing for iti,
For an evil growthk is his planth l.
(k) 3:29–31. Reward for the Righteous
(= 1 + 2 distichs).
29 A wise heart understandeth the proverbs of the wise,
And the ear that listeneth to wisdom rejoicethm.
30 A flaming fire doth water quench,
So doth almsgiving atone for sin.
31 He that doeth good, it shall meet him on his ways,
And when he tottereth he shall find a stay.
(l) 4:1–10. On right behaviour towards the Poor and the Oppressed
(= 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 distichs).
4 1 aMy son, bdefraud notb the poor of his sustenancec,
And grieve not dthe eyes of him that is bitter in (his) sould.
2 eDespise notf the needy soul,
And vexg not the hearth of the oppressed.
3 Hurt not the feelingsi of the afflicted,
And withhold not a gift kfrom the poork.
HA 4 lDespise not the supplication of the poorl,
llAnd turn not away from the afflicted soulll.
G 5 mFrom him that asketh turn not thine eye awaym n,
HA And give him none occasiono to curse thee;
6 When in anguish of soul the broken-heartedp criethq,
rHe that created himr heareth his plaint.
7 sMake thyself beloved in the assemblys t,
And to the ruleru uuof the cityuu bow thy head.
8 Incline thine ear to the afflictedv w,
And return his salutationx in meekness.
9 Deliver the oppressed from his oppressors,
y And let not thy spirit hatey zjust judgementz.
And in place of a husband ato widowsa;
Then God will call thee ‘son’,
And aawill be gracious to theeaa, band deliver thee from the Pitb.
(a) 4:11–19. The Reward of those who seek Wisdom
(= 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 distichs).
H 11 Wisdom instructeth her sons,
And enlightenetha all who give heed to her.
12 They that love her love life,
And they that seek her bshall obtain grace from the Lordb.
13 They that take hold of her shall find glory bbfrom the Lordbb,
And they shall abide in the blessing of the Lord.
14 They that serve her serve the Holy One,
cAnd God loveth them that love herc.
15 He that hearkeneth unto me shall judged (in) truthe,
And he that giveth ear unto me shall dwell in my innermost chamberf.
G 16 gIf he trusth mei, he shall possessk mel,
And his posteritym nshall hold meo fastng.
HA 17 But I will walk with him in disguisep,
And at first qIr will try him with temptationsq.
G s Fear and dread will It bring upon himus,
HA And I will torment him with chastisements,
Until his heart is filleduu with me,
G v And I try him with my ordinancesv.
HA 18 (Then) will I lead him on againvv,
And will reveal to him my secrets.
19 wIf he turn away (from me), I will forsakex himw,
And will deliver him over to the spoilers.
(b) 4:20–28. Practical Precepts on Right-doing
20 My son, observe ytimes and seasonsy, and beware ofz evil,
And be not ashameda concerning thy soul.
21 For there is a shameb that bringeth sin,
And there is a shame (that bringeth) honour and favour.
22 cRespect no man to thine own detrimentc,
And be not ashamedd, to thine own stumblinge.
23 Withhold not speechf in due seasong,
HAHC hAnd hide noti thy wisdomh.
HA 24 For Wisdom is known kthrough utterancek,
And understanding by the word of the tongue.
25 Speak not against the truthl,
HA 26 Be not ashamed to confessn (thy) sins,
And stand not against the stream.
27 Prostrate not thy soul in the sight of a fool,
nnAnd accept not the person of one that is mightynn o.
28 Strive for the rightp until death,
And the Lord will fight for theeq.
(c) 4:29–5:3. Further precepts for everyday life
(= 3 + 3 distichs).
29 Be not boastfulr with thy tongues,
(Nor) slack and negligent in thy work.
HAHC 30 Be not like a liont in thy home,
And utyrannous and terribleu towards thy servantsv.
31 Let not thy hand be stretched outw to takex,
yAnd closedz aat the time of giving backay.
HA 5 1 Trust not in thy wealthb,
And say not, ‘I have powerc.’
HA 2 bTrust not in thy wealth,
cTo walk after the desire of thy soulc b.
[Go not after (the desire) of thine heart and of thine eyes,
To walk in the desires of thy sould.]
3 Say not, ‘Who shall have power over me?’e
For Jahveh is an avenger fof the persecutedf.
(d) 5:4–8. The Wickedness of tempting God
HAHC 4 Say not, ‘I have sinned, gbut what ihappened unto me?’g
For Jahveh is longsufferingh.
That thou shouldst add sin to sin.
6 kAnd say not, l‘His mercies are greatl,
mHe will forgive the multitude of mine iniquities’mk;
For mercy and wrath are with Him,
And His indignation abideth upon the ungodly.
And put (it) not off from day to day;
For suddenly doth His wrath come forthn,
And in the timeo of vengeance thou shalt perish.
HA 8 Trust not in unrighteous gains,
For they shall profit (thee) nothing in the day of wrath.
(e) 5:9–6:1. On the Need of Straightforwardness in Speech
(= 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 distichs).
HAHC 9 Winnow not with every wind,
pAnd walk not in every pathpq.
HAHC 10 Be steadfast concerning rthat which thou knowestr,
And let thy speechs be one.
wBut with patience make replyw.
12 If it lie in thy power answer thy neighbour;
And if not,—x thy hand upon thy mouth!y
13 Glory and dishonour come through speakingz,
And the tongue of a man ais his falla.
HA 14 Be not called ‘Double-tongued’,
And slander not with thy tongue;
For shame hath been created for the thief,
bAnd sore reproach forb the double-tonguedc.
15 Deal not corruptly either in a small or a great matter;
6 1 And be not an enemy in place of a friend,
d(For then) wouldst thou get an evil name, and reproach, and shamed;
So it is with an evil man who is double-tongued.
(f) 6:2–4. A Warning against lustful passions
(= 3 distichs).
2 eBe not a slave to thy passionse,
Lest theyf consume gthy strength hlike a bullh;
HA 3 Thy leaves will theyd eat up, and thy fruits will theyd destroy,
4 And theyd will leave thee as a dried-up tree.
Fore fierce passion destroyeth its possessorf,
Andff gmaketh himg the scornh of his enemy.
(g) 6:5–17. Concerning true and false Friendship
(=2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 1 distichs).
5 kGentle speechk multiplieth friendsl,
And mkindly wordsm nthose that give greetingn.
6 Let those othat are at peace with theeo be many,
But thy confidantp one in a thousand.
7 If thou makest a friend qtest himq,
And be not in haste to trust him.
8 For there is a friend (who is so) according to occasion,
And continueth not in the day ofr affliction;
9 sAnd there is a friend that turneth to an enemyt,
uAnd he revealeth strife to thy reproachu.
10 And there is a friend who is a table-friend,
But he vis not to be foundv in the day of afflictionws.
11 xWhen thou art in prosperity he will be like theex,
G y And will lord it over thy servantsy.
HA 12 z aIf evil overtake theez he will turn against theea,
bAnd will hide himself from theec.
13 Separate thyself from thine enemies,
And be on thy guard against thy friends.
14 A faithful friend is a strong defenced,
And ehe that findeth hime findeth a treasure.
15 A faithful friend is beyond price,
And his worth cannot be weighed.
16 A faithful friend is a ‘bundle of life’,
He that feareth God fobtaineth himf.
G 17 gHe that feareth the Lord directeth his friendship arightg,
HA For as he is, so is his friendh.
(a) 6:18–22. Wisdom is a joy to those who seek her, but harsh to the foolish
(= 3 + 3 distichs).
G 18 iMy son, receivek instruction from thy youth upi,
lAnd even unto hoar hairsl mshalt thou find wisdomm.
HAHC 19 Draw nigh unto her as one that plougheth and sowethn,
And wait for the abundance of her fruits.
HAHC For in cultivating her thou [needest to] toilo but for a little,
For to-morrow shalt thou eat her fruits.
HA 20 Howp harsh is sheq to the foolr,
And he that is lacking in understanding cannot abide in her.
HAHC 21 Upon him sshe is like a burdensome stones,
And he is not slow to…