Sirach 41–42

Concerning Death

⁴¹O death, how bitter is the thought of you

to the one at peace among possessions,

who has nothing to worry about and is prosperous in everything

and still is vigorous enough to enjoy pleasure!^w*

²O death, how welcome is your sentence

to one who is needy and failing in strength,

worn down by age and anxious about everything,

to one who is contrary and has lost all patience!^*

³Do not fear death’s decree for you;

remember those who went before you and those who will come after.^*

⁴This is the Lord’s decree for all flesh;

why, then, should you reject the will of the Most High?

Whether life lasts for ten years or a hundred or a thousand,

there are no questions asked in Hades.

The Fate of the Wicked

⁵The children of sinners are abominable children,

and they frequent the haunts of the ungodly.

⁶The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish,

and on their offspring will be a perpetual disgrace.^*

⁷Children will blame an ungodly father,

for they suffer disgrace because of him.

⁸Woe to you, the ungodly,

who have forsaken the law of the Most High!^x

⁹You^y will beget them only for groaning.

When you stumble, there is lasting joy,^z

and when you die, a curse is your lot.^*

¹⁰Whatever comes from earth returns to earth,

so the ungodly go from curse to destruction.^*

¹¹The breath^a of humans is in their bodies,

but a virtuous name will never be blotted out.^b*

¹²Have regard for your name, since it will outlive you

longer than a thousand hoards of gold.^*

¹³The days of a good life are numbered,

but a good name lasts forever.^*

¹⁴My children, be true to your training and be at peace;

hidden wisdom and unseen treasure—

of what value is either?^*

A Series of Contrasts

¹⁵Better are those who hide their folly

than those who hide their wisdom.^*

¹⁶Therefore show respect for my words,

for it is not good to feel shame in every circumstance,

nor is every kind of shaming to be approved.^c*

¹⁷Be ashamed of sexual immorality before your father or mother

and of a lie before a prince or a ruler,

¹⁸of a crime before a judge or magistrate

and of a breach of the law before the congregation and the people,

of unjust dealing before your partner or your friend

¹⁹and of theft in the place where you live.

Be ashamed of breaking an oath or agreement^d

and of leaning on your elbow at meals,

of surliness in receiving or giving^*

²⁰and of silence before those who greet you,

of looking at a prostitute

²¹and of rejecting the appeal of a relative,

of taking away someone’s portion or gift

and of gazing at another man’s wife,^*

²²of meddling with his female servant—

and do not approach her bed;

of abusive words, before friends—

and do not be insulting after making a gift.^*

⁴²Be ashamed of repeating what you hear

and of betraying secrets.

Then you will show proper shame

and will find favor with everyone.

Of the following things do not be ashamed,

and do not sin by showing partiality:^*

²Do not be ashamed of the law of the Most High and his covenant

and of rendering judgment to acquit the ungodly;^*

³of keeping accounts with a partner or with traveling companions

and of dividing the inheritance of friends;

⁴of accuracy with scales and weights

and of acquiring much or little;^*

⁵of profit from dealing with merchants

and of frequent disciplining of children

and of drawing blood from the back of a wicked slave.^*

⁶Where there is an untrustworthy wife, a seal is a good thing,

and where there are many hands, lock things up.

⁷When you make a deposit, be sure it is counted and weighed,

and when you give or receive, put it all in writing.

⁸Do not be ashamed to correct the stupid or foolish

or the aged who are guilty of sexual immorality.

Then you will show your sound training

and will be approved by all.

Daughters and Fathers

⁹A daughter is a secret anxiety to her father,

and worry over her robs him of sleep;

when she is young, for fear she may not marry,

or if married, for fear she may be disliked;^*

¹⁰while a virgin, for fear she may be seduced

and become pregnant in her father’s house;

or having a husband, for fear she may go astray,

or, though married, for fear she may be barren.^*

¹¹Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter,

or she may make you a laughingstock to your enemies,

a byword in the city and the assembly of^e the people,

and put you to shame in public gatherings.^f

See that there is no lattice in her room,

no spot that overlooks the approaches to the house.^g*

¹²Do not let her parade her beauty before any man

or spend her time among married women,^h*

¹³for from garments comes the moth

and from a woman comes woman’s wickedness.^*

¹⁴Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good;

it is a woman who brings shame and disgrace.^*

The Works of God in Nature

¹⁵I will now call to mind the works of the Lord

and will declare what I have seen.

By the word of the Lord his works are made,

and all his creatures do his will.^i*

¹⁶The sun looks down on everything with its light,

and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.

¹⁷The Lord has not empowered even his holy ones

to recount all his marvelous works,

which the Lord the Almighty has established

so that the universe may stand firm in his glory.^*

¹⁸He searches out the abyss and the human heart;

he understands their subtleties.^j

For the Most High knows all that may be known;

he sees from of old the things that are to come.^k*

¹⁹He discloses what has been and what is to be,

and he reveals the traces of hidden things.^*

²⁰No thought escapes him,

and not a single word is hidden from him.^*

²¹He has set in order the splendors of his wisdom;

he is from all eternity one and the same.

Nothing can be added or taken away,

and he needs no one to be his counselor.^*

²²How desirable are all his works,

and how sparkling they are to see!^l*

²³All these things live and remain forever;

each creature is preserved to meet a particular need.^m

²⁴All things come in pairs, one opposite the other,

and he has made nothing incomplete.^*

²⁵Each supplements the virtues of the other.

Who could ever tire of seeing his glory?