Sirach 40-41
Good News Translation
The Misery of Human Life
40 Every person has been given a great deal of work to do. A heavy burden lies on all of us from the day of our birth until the day we go back to the earth, the mother of us all. 2 We are confused and fearful, dreading the day of our death— 3-4 all of us from the king on his splendid throne wearing royal robes and a crown, to the humblest person dressed in burlap and living in poverty. 5 All through our lives we meet anger, jealousy, and trouble. Things disturb us; we live with furious conflicts and with the fear of death. Even when we go to bed, we think up new troubles in our sleep. 6 We get little rest, if any at all. When we sleep, it is as if we were awake, disturbed by our imaginations. If we dream that we are running from an enemy, 7 just as we are about to be caught,[a] we wake up and are relieved to find there is nothing to be afraid of.
8 Here is what all creatures, both human and animal, must face (but it is seven times worse for sinners): 9 death, violence, conflict, murder, disaster, famine, sickness, epidemic. 10 All these things were created because of the wicked; they are the ones who have caused destruction.[b] 11 Everything that comes from the earth goes back to the earth, just as all water flows into the sea.
The Results of Evil
12 Nothing that comes from bribery or injustice will last, but the effects of loyalty will remain forever. 13 Wealth that has been obtained dishonestly is like a stream that runs full during a thunderstorm, 14 tumbling rocks along as it flows, but then suddenly goes dry.[c] 15 The children of ungodly people will not leave large families; they are like plants trying to take root on rock, 16 like reeds along a river bank, withering[d] before any other plant. 17 Acts of kindness and charity are as lasting as eternity.[e]
The Joys of Human Life
18 Being independently wealthy or working for a living—both can make life pleasant, but it is better to find a treasure.
19 Your name can be preserved if you have children or if you establish a city, but finding Wisdom is a better way.
Owning livestock and orchards will make you famous,[f] but it is better to have a wife you love.[g]
20 Wine and music can make you happy, but a happy marriage[h] is even better.
21 Flutes and harps make fine music, but a pleasant voice is better than either.
22 Gracefulness and beauty please the eye, but not as much as new growth in the spring.
23 You can't go wrong with a good friend or neighbor, but an intelligent wife is[i] better than either.
24 Relatives and helpers are good to have in times of trouble, but it will be an even greater help if you have made a practice of giving to the poor.
25 Gold and silver provide security, but good advice is better.
26 Wealth and strength give confidence, but the fear of the Lord can give you even greater confidence. When you fear the Lord you need nothing more; it is all the support you need. 27 The fear of the Lord is like a rich garden of blessings; you could not want a more glorious shelter.
Begging
28 My child, don't live the life of a beggar; it is better to die than to beg. 29 If you have to depend on someone else for your food, you are not really living your own life. You pollute yourself by accepting food from another. Begging is torture to the soul of any sensitive person.[j] 30 A shameless person can make begging sound sweet, but something inside him burns.
Death
41 Death! The very thought of it is bitter to someone who is prosperous, living peacefully with his possessions, free of worries, and still able to enjoy his food.
2 Death! Its sentence is welcome to someone living in poverty, with failing health, very old, burdened with worries, blind, and without hope.[k]
3 Do not be afraid of death's decree. Remember that it came to those before you and will come to those after you. 4 The Lord has decreed it for every living creature. Who are you to object to what the Most High wishes? In the world of the dead no one will care whether you lived ten years, a hundred, or a thousand.
The Fate of the Wicked
5 The children of sinners, brought up in ungodly surroundings, turn out to be hateful people. 6 They will lose whatever they inherit, and their own descendants will live in permanent disgrace. 7 The children will put the blame for their disgrace on their ungodly parents.
8 You are doomed, you irreligious people who have abandoned the Law of the Most High God. 9 When you have children, disaster will strike them and you will be left with nothing but sorrow. There will be great joy whenever you stumble,[l] and even after your death you will be cursed. 10 What comes into being from nothing[m] will return to nothing;[n] so it will be with the godless, doomed to extinction.
11 A person's body amounts to nothing,[o] but a good reputation will last forever. 12 Protect your reputation; it will outlive you and last longer than a thousand treasures of gold. 13 A good life lasts only so long, but a good reputation will last forever.
A Sense of Decency
14 My children, do as I teach you and live at peace. Wisdom that is not expressed is like a treasure that has been hidden—both are useless. 15 A person who covers up his foolishness is better than one who keeps his wisdom to himself.
16 My children, listen and I will teach you the circumstances when it is proper to be ashamed.[p] Sometimes it is entirely out of place.
17 Before your parents, be ashamed of immoral behavior.
Before a ruler or an important person, be ashamed of a lie.
18 Before a judge, be ashamed of criminal behavior.
Before a public assembly, be ashamed of breaking the law.
Before a friend or partner, be ashamed of dishonesty.
19 Before your neighbors, be ashamed of theft.
Be ashamed of breaking a promise,[q]
of leaning on the dinner table with your elbows,
of stinginess when you are asked for something,
20 of not returning a greeting,
of staring at a prostitute,
21 of turning down a relative's request,
of depriving someone of what is rightly his,
of staring at another man's wife,
22 of playing around with his slave woman (keep away from her bed!)
of insulting your friends,
of following up your gifts with criticism,
23 of betraying secrets.
Footnotes
- Sirach 40:7 Probable text caught; Greek rescued.
- Sirach 40:10 Hebrew have caused destruction; Greek caused the flood.
- Sirach 40:14 Verses 13-14 are translated from Hebrew; verse 14 in Greek is unclear.
- Sirach 40:16 Hebrew withering; Greek pulled up.
- Sirach 40:17 Hebrew Acts...eternity; Greek Kindness is a blessed garden, and charity lasts forever.
- Sirach 40:19 Hebrew but finding Wisdom...famous; Greek does not have these words.
- Sirach 40:19 Hebrew wife you love; Greek blameless wife.
- Sirach 40:20 Hebrew a happy marriage; Greek the love of Wisdom.
- Sirach 40:23 Hebrew an intelligent wife is; Greek a wife and a husband are.
- Sirach 40:29 Hebrew Begging...person; Greek An intelligent and understanding person will avoid it.
- Sirach 41:2 Hebrew blind, and without hope; Greek rebellious and without patience.
- Sirach 41:9 Hebrew When you have...stumble; Greek You are born under a curse.
- Sirach 41:10 Hebrew nothing; Greek earth.
- Sirach 41:10 Hebrew nothing; Greek earth.
- Sirach 41:11 Hebrew A person's...nothing; Greek The death of a person's body is mourned.
- Sirach 41:16 Hebrew My children...ashamed; Greek Show respect for what I say.
- Sirach 41:19 Hebrew of breaking a promise; Greek of yourself before the truth of God.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
