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Ben Sira 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 14
1 [a]Happy those whose mouth causes them no grief,
those who are not stung by remorse for sin.(A)
2 Happy are those whose conscience does not reproach them,
those who have not lost hope.
The Use of Wealth
3 Wealth is not appropriate for the mean-spirited;[b]
to misers, what use is gold?
4 What they deny themselves they collect for someone else,
and strangers will live sumptuously on their possessions.(B)
5 To whom will they be generous that are stingy with themselves
and do not enjoy what is their own?
6 None are worse than those who are stingy with themselves;
they punish their own avarice.
7 If ever they do good, it is by mistake;
in the end they reveal their meanness.
8 Misers are evil people,
they turn away and disregard others.
9 The greedy see their share as not enough;
greedy injustice dries up the soul.
10 The eye of the miserly is rapacious for food,
but there is none of it on their own table.
11 [c]My son, if you have the means, treat yourself well,
and enjoy life as best you can.(C)
12 Remember that death does not delay,
and you have not been told the grave’s appointed time.
13 Before you die, be good to your friends;
give them a share in what you possess.(D)
14 Do not deprive yourself of good things now
or let a choice portion escape you.
15 Will you not leave your riches to others,
and your earnings to be divided by lot?
16 Give and take, treat yourself well,
for in Sheol there are no joys to seek.
17 All flesh grows old like a garment;
the age-old law is: everyone must die.(E)
18 As with the leaves growing on a luxuriant tree—
one falls off and another sprouts—
So with the generations of flesh and blood:
one dies and another flourishes.(F)
19 All human deeds surely perish;
the works they do follow after them.
The Search for Wisdom and Her Blessings[d]
20 Happy those who meditate on Wisdom,
and fix their gaze on knowledge;(G)
21 Who ponder her ways in their heart,
and understand her paths;
22 Who pursue her like a scout,
and watch at her entry way;
23 Who peep through her windows,
and listen at her doors;
24 Who encamp near her house
and fasten their tent pegs next to her walls;
25 Who pitch their tent beside her,
and dwell in a good place;[e]
26 [f]Who build their nest in her leaves,
and lodge in her branches;
27 Who take refuge from the heat in her shade
and dwell in her home.
Footnotes
- 14:1–2 A clear conscience, the result of honoring personal commitments and responsibilities, brings contentment and peace.
- 14:3–10 Ben Sira offers a case study about the miserable life of the “small-hearted” (Heb. leb qaṭan) to verify vv. 1–2. They are evil because they do not use their wealth properly to benefit themselves or others. While they are never satisfied that they have enough, they ignore their own needs and hospitality itself, feeding on the generosity of others, in order to protect their own resources. Ironically, after their death, strangers, with no obligation to keep their memory alive, enjoy their wealth.
- 14:11–19 Three realities govern Ben Sira’s attitude toward a proper use of wealth: the inevitability and uncertainty of death, the ephemeral nature of human accomplishments, the lack of reward or punishment after death. He advises generous enjoyment of God’s gift of wealth before death.
- 14:20–15:10 This poem charts the growing intimacy between those seeking Wisdom and Wisdom herself. They move from static reflection to playful pursuit, from camping outside the walls of her house to nesting inside her leafy shade. Ben Sira portrays Wisdom as both mother and bride, a feminine figure who is the fullness of womanhood according to his androcentric society.
- 14:25 In a good place: i.e., where Wisdom dwells.
- 14:26–27 The shift in imagery creates a more intimate relationship. Those seeking Wisdom dwell within her as a bird nests within a leafy tree.
Sirach 14
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 14
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
14 Blessed is the man who does not blunder with his lips
and need not suffer grief for sin.
2 Blessed is he whose heart does not condemn him,
and who has not given up his hope.
Responsible Use of Wealth
3 Riches are not seemly for a stingy man;
and of what use is property to an envious man?
4 Whoever accumulates by depriving himself, accumulates for others;
and others will live in luxury on his goods.
5 If a man is mean to himself, to whom will he be generous?
He will not enjoy his own riches.
6 No one is meaner than the man who is grudging to himself,
and this is the retribution for his baseness;
7 even if he does good, he does it unintentionally,
and betrays his baseness in the end.
8 Evil is the man with a grudging eye;
he averts his face and disregards people.
9 A greedy man’s eye is not satisfied with a portion,
and mean injustice withers the soul.
10 A stingy man’s eye begrudges bread,
and it is lacking at his table.
11 My son, treat yourself well, according to your means,
and present worthy offerings to the Lord.
12 Remember that death will not delay,
and the decree[a] of Hades has not been shown to you.
13 Do good to a friend before you die,
and reach out and give to him as much as you can.
14 Do not deprive yourself of a happy day;
let not your share of desired good pass by you.
15 Will you not leave the fruit of your labors to another,
and what you acquired by toil to be divided by lot?
16 Give, and take, and beguile yourself,
because in Hades one cannot look for luxury.
17 All living beings become old like a garment,
for the decree[b] from of old is, “You must surely die!”
18 Like flourishing leaves on a spreading tree
which sheds some and puts forth others,
so are the generations of flesh and blood:
one dies and another is born.
19 Every product decays and ceases to exist,
and the man who made it will pass away with it.
The Happiness of Seeking Wisdom
20 Blessed is the man who meditates on[c] wisdom
and who reasons intelligently.
21 He who reflects in his mind on her ways
will also ponder her secrets.
22 Pursue wisdom[d] 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.
Footnotes
- Sirach 14:12 Gk covenant
- Sirach 14:17 Gk covenant
- Sirach 14:20 Other authorities read dies in
- Sirach 14:22 Gk her
Sirach 14
Good News Translation
Sirach 14
Good News Translation
14 If a person never says anything carelessly, he is to be congratulated; he doesn't need to feel guilty. 2 If a person has a clear conscience and never gives up hope, he is certainly to be congratulated!
Responsible Use of Wealth
3 It isn't right for someone who is selfish to be rich. What use is money to a stingy person? 4 If you deny yourself in order to accumulate wealth, you are only accumulating it for someone else. Others will use your riches to live in luxury. 5 How can you be generous with others if you are stingy with yourself, if you are not willing to enjoy your own wealth? 6 No one is worse off than someone who is stingy with himself; it is a sin that brings its own punishment. 7 When such a person does something good, it is only by accident; his selfishness will sooner or later be evident. 8 A selfish person is evil; he turns his back on people's needs 9 and is never satisfied with what he has. Greed[a] will shrivel up a person's soul. 10 Some people are too stingy to put bread on their own table.
11 My child, treat yourself as well as you can, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord. 12 Remember that death is coming for you some day, and you haven't been told when that will be. 13 Before that day comes, be kind to your friends; be as generous as you can. 14 Don't deny yourself a single day's happiness. If there is something you want to do and it is lawful, go ahead! 15 Some day all that you have worked for will be divided up and given to others. 16 So be generous; but also be willing to receive from others. Enjoy yourself, for you will not find any pleasures in the world of the dead. 17 The human body wears out like a piece of clothing. The ancient law decrees that we must die. 18 Human beings are like leaves on a spreading tree. New growth takes the place of the fallen leaves; while some of us die, others are being born. 19 Everything made by human hands will decay and perish, along with the person who made it.
The Happiness of Having Wisdom
20 (A)It is a happy person who is concerned with Wisdom and who uses good sense. 21 Anyone who studies the ways of Wisdom will also learn her secrets. 22 Go after Wisdom like a hunter looking for game. 23 Look into her windows and listen at her doors. 24 Camp as close to her house as you can get, 25 and you will have a fine place to live. 26-27 Build your home there, safe beneath her protecting branches, and shaded from the heat.[b]
Footnotes
- Sirach 14:9 Probable text Greed; Greek Wicked injustice.
- Sirach 14:26 Hebrew Build...heat; Greek Let her protect your children. Live safe beneath her branches, shaded from the heat, surrounded by her glory.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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