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The Happiness of Seeking Wisdom

20 Blessed is the man who meditates on[a] wisdom
    and who reasons intelligently.
21 He who reflects in his mind on her ways
    will also ponder her secrets.
22 Pursue wisdom[b] like a hunter,
    and lie in wait on her paths.
23 He who peers through her windows
    will also listen at her doors;
24 he who encamps near her house
    will also fasten his tent peg to her walls;
25 he will pitch his tent near her,
    and will lodge in an excellent lodging place;
26 he will place his children under her shelter,
    and will camp under her boughs;
27 he will be sheltered by her from the heat,
    and will dwell in the midst of her glory.

15 The man who fears the Lord will do this,
    and he who holds to the law will obtain wisdom.[c]
She will come to meet him like a mother,
    and like the wife of his youth she will welcome him.
She will feed him with the bread of understanding,
    and give him the water of wisdom to drink.
He will lean on her and will not fall,
    and he will rely on her and will not be put to shame.
She will exalt him above his neighbors,
    and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.
He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing,
    and will acquire an everlasting name.
Foolish men will not obtain her,
    and sinful men will not see her.
She is far from men of pride,
    and liars will never think of her.

A hymn of praise is not fitting on the lips of a sinner,
    for it has not been sent from the Lord.
10 For a hymn of praise should be uttered in wisdom,
    and the Lord will prosper it.

Footnotes

  1. Sirach 14:20 Other authorities read dies in
  2. Sirach 14:22 Gk her
  3. Sirach 15:1 Gk her

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