Sirach 4:1–7:36
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 cast her off.
HA 22 tFor Wisdomu is according to her namet,
And to most men she is not manifest.
(b) 6:23–31. They who seek Wisdom shall receive a crown of joy
G 23 wHearken, my son, and receive my judgement,
And refuse not my counsel;
24 And bring thy feet into her fetters,
And thy neck into her chainw.
HA 25 Bow down thy shoulder, and bear her,
And chafe not xunder her bondsx.
G 26 yDraw nigh unto her with all thy heartz,
And keep her ways with thy whole powery.
HA 27 Inquire and search, seek and finda,
And take hold of her, and let her not go;
HAHC 28 For at length thou wilt find her restb,
cAnd she shall be turned for thee into gladnessc.
HA 29 And her fettersd shall becomee a stay of strength for theee,
fAnd ffher bondsff for grobes of gloryg.
30 An ornament of gold is her yoke,
And her fetters a cord of bluef.
31 Thou shalt array thee with her (as with) robes of glory,
And crown thee with her (as with) a crown of beauty.
(c) 6:32–37. A reward awaits those who diligently seek Wisdom
32 My son, if thou desirest it thou shalt be made wise,
And if thou set thy heart (thereon), thou shalt learn prudence.
33 If thou desire to hear, hthou shalt receiveh,
iAnd ifi thou inclinek thine ear, thou shalt be wise.
G 34 lStand thou in the assemblym of the elders,
And whoso is wise, cleave unto himl.
HAHC 35 Desire to hear every discoursemm,
And let not a wise proverbn escape thee.
HA 36 oLook for him whop is wiseo, and seek him out earnestly,
And let thy foot wear out qhis thresholdq.
37 Meditate in the fear of the Most Highr,
s And think upon His commandmentss continually;
Then will He instruct tthine heartt,
And He uwill make thee wiseu (in that) which thou desirest.
(d) 7:1–3. An Exhortation to keep from Sin
(= 2 distichs).
HAHC 7 1 Do no evila, and evil will not overtake thee;
2 Avoid iniquity, and it will turn from thee.
HA 3 b cSow not in the furrows of unrighteousnessc,
Lest thou reap it sevenfold.
(e) 7:4–7. An Exhortation to follow after Humility
(= 2 + 3 distichs).
HAHC 4 Seek not dominiond from Gode,
Norf a seat of honour fromg the king.
HA 5 Justify not thyself in the sight of Godh,
iNor display thy wisdomi before the king.
HAHC 6 Seek not to be a judgek,
l Lest thou be not ablel mto put down presumptionm,
HA (And) lest thou be in fear in the presence of a mightyn man,
And thou put a stumbling-blocko in (the way of) thy uprightness.
7 pSin notp against the assembly in the gateq,
rThat it cast thee not downr samong the multitudes.
(f) 7:8–10. A warning against a false doctrine of Atonement
(= 3 distichs).
8 t Do not wickedly continue in sinu t,
For in respect of vone (sin)v thou art not without guilt.
G 9 Say not, ‘He will look upon the multitude of my gifts,
And when I offer (them) to the Most High God He will accept (them)w.’
HA 10 xBe not impatientx in thy prayer,
And in righteousness be not behindhandy.
(g) 7:11–17. Various precepts for conduct of…