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Ben Sira 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 22
On Laziness and Foolishness
1 [a]The sluggard is like a filthy stone;[b]
everyone hisses at his disgrace.
2 The sluggard is like a lump of dung;
whoever touches it shakes it off the hands.
3 An undisciplined child is a disgrace to its father;
if it be a daughter, she brings him to poverty.(A)
4 A thoughtful daughter obtains a husband of her own;
a shameless one is her father’s grief.
5 A hussy shames her father and her husband;
she is despised by both.
6 Like music at the time of mourning is ill-timed talk,[c]
but lashes and discipline are at all times wisdom.[d]
9 Teaching a fool is like gluing a broken pot,(B)
or rousing another from deep sleep.
10 Whoever talks with a fool talks to someone asleep;
when it is over, he says, “What was that?”
11 Weep over the dead, for their light has gone out;
weep over the fool, for sense has left him.
Weep but less bitterly over the dead, for they are at rest;
worse than death is the life of a fool.
12 Mourning for the dead, seven days—(C)
but for the wicked fool, a whole lifetime.
13 Do not talk much with the stupid,
or visit the unintelligent.
Beware of them lest you have trouble
and be spattered when they shake themselves off.
Avoid them and you will find rest
and not be wearied by their lack of sense.
14 What is heavier than lead?
What is its name but “Fool”?
15 Sand, salt, and an iron weight
are easier to bear than the stupid person.(D)
16 A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building[e]
is not loosened by an earthquake;
So the mind firmly resolved after careful deliberation
will not be afraid at any time.
17 The mind solidly backed by intelligent thought
is like a stucco decoration on a smooth wall.
18 Small stones lying on an open height
will not remain when the wind blows;
So a timid mind based on foolish plans
cannot stand up to fear of any kind.
The Preservation of Friendship[f]
19 Whoever jabs the eye brings tears;
whoever pierces the heart bares its feelings.
20 Whoever throws a stone at birds drives them away;
whoever insults a friend breaks up the friendship.
21 Should you draw a sword against a friend,
do not despair, for it can be undone.
22 Should you open your mouth against a friend,
do not worry, for you can be reconciled.
But a contemptuous insult, a confidence broken,
or a treacherous attack will drive any friend away.
23 Win your neighbor’s trust while he is poor,
so that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity.
In time of trouble remain true to him,
so that you may share in his inheritance when it comes.
24 The billowing smoke of a furnace precedes the fire,
so insults precede bloodshed.
25 I am not ashamed to shelter a friend,
and I will not hide from him.
26 But if harm should come to me because of him,
all who hear of it will beware of him.
Prayer[g]
27 Who will set a guard over my mouth,
an effective seal on my lips,
That I may not fail through them,
and my tongue may not destroy me?(E)
Footnotes
- 22:1–15 To Ben Sira, a lazy person and an unruly child are a cause of shame and disgrace; everyone wishes to be rid of them (vv. 1–5). Speaking with a wicked fool is as senseless as talking with someone who is asleep or dead (v. 10). The fool is an intolerable burden that merits a lifetime of mourning (v. 12). Seven days was the usual mourning period. Cf. Gn 50:10; Jdt 16:24.
- 22:1 Stone: used then and even today for wiping oneself after a bowel movement.
- 22:6 As a joyful song is out of place among mourners so a rebuke may be insufficient when corporal punishment is called for.
- 22:6
Other ancient texts read as vv. 7–8:
7Children whose upbringing leads to a wholesome life
veil over the lowly origins of their parents.
8Children whose pride is in scornful misconduct
besmirch the nobility of their own family.
- 22:16–18 A prudent mind firmly resolved is undisturbed by violent and conflicting thoughts, whereas a foolish person is tossed about by the winds of fear, like small stones whipped about by high winds.
- 22:19–26 Disputes and violence weaken friendship, and disloyalty and abuse of confidence destroy it utterly (vv. 19–22, 24, 26); but kindness to a poor person in time of poverty and adversity builds up friendship and merits a share in his prosperity and inheritance (vv. 23, 25).
- 22:27–23:6 Ben Sira implores the divine assistance to preserve him through stern discipline from sins of the tongue (22:27; 23:1), from ignorance of mind and weakness of will (vv. 2–3), and from inclinations of the senses and the flesh, lest he fall into the hands of his enemies or become a prey of shameful desires (vv. 4–6).
Sirach 22
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 22
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Idler
22 The indolent may be compared to a filthy stone,
and every one hisses at his disgrace.
2 The indolent may be compared to the filth of dunghills;
any one that picks it up will shake it off his hand.
Degenerate Children
3 It is a disgrace to be the father of an undisciplined son,
and the birth of a daughter is a loss.
4 A sensible daughter obtains her husband,
but one who acts shamefully brings grief to her father.
5 An impudent daughter disgraces father and husband,
and will be despised by both.
6 Like music in mourning is a tale told at the wrong time,
but chastising and discipline are wisdom at all times.
Wisdom and Folly
7 He who teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,
or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
8 He who tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man;
and at the end he will say, “What is it?”[a]
11 Weep for the dead, for he lacks the light;
and weep for the fool, for he lacks intelligence;
weep less bitterly for the dead, for he has attained rest;
but the life of the fool is worse than death.
12 Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
but for a fool or an ungodly man it lasts all his life.
13 Do not talk much with a foolish man,
and do not visit an unintelligent man;
guard yourself from him to escape trouble,
and you will not be soiled when he shakes himself off;
avoid him and you will find rest,
and you will never be wearied by his madness.
14 What is heavier than lead?
And what is its name except “Fool”?
15 Sand, salt, and a piece of iron
are easier to bear than a stupid man.
16 A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building
will not be torn loose by an earthquake;
so the mind firmly fixed on a reasonable counsel
will not be afraid in a crisis.
17 A mind settled on an intelligent thought
is like the stucco decoration on the wall of a colonnade.[b]
18 Fences set on a high place
will not stand firm against the wind;
so a timid heart with a fool’s purpose
will not stand firm against any fear.
The Preservation of Friendship
19 A man who pricks an eye will make tears fall,
and one who pricks the heart makes it show feeling.
20 One who throws a stone at birds scares them away,
and one who reviles a friend will break off the friendship.
21 Even if you have drawn your sword against a friend,
do not despair, for a renewal of friendship is possible.
22 If you have opened your mouth against your friend,
do not worry, for reconciliation is possible;
but as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow—
in these cases any friend will flee.
23 Gain the trust of your neighbor in his poverty,
that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity;
stand by him in time of affliction,
that you may share with him in his inheritance.[c]
24 The vapor and smoke of the furnace precede the fire;
so insults precede bloodshed.
25 I will not be ashamed to protect a friend,
and I will not hide from him;
26 but if some harm should happen to me because of him,
whoever hears of it will beware of him.
A Prayer for Help against Sinning
27 O that a guard were set over my mouth,
and a seal of prudence upon my lips,
that it may keep me from falling,
so that my tongue may not destroy me![d]
Footnotes
- Sirach 22:8 Other authorities add 9 Children who are brought up in a good life, conceal the lowly birth of their parents. 10 Children who are disdainfully and boorishly haughty stain the nobility of their kindred.
- Sirach 22:17 Or on a smooth wall
- Sirach 22:23 Other authorities add For one should not always despise restricted circumstances, nor admire a rich man who is stupid.
- Sirach 22:27 Or Who will set a guard . . . destroy me?
Sirach 22
Good News Translation
Sirach 22
Good News Translation
Laziness and Foolishness
1-2 Lazy people are no better than dung; they are repulsive, and no one wants to get near them.
3 It is a disgrace to a father to have an undisciplined child, especially if it is a daughter. 4 A sensible daughter will get a husband, but a shameless daughter brings her father grief. 5 A girl with no sense of propriety will disgrace both her husband and her father; neither will have any respect for her.
6 Lecturing your children can sometimes be as out of place as singing to people in mourning, but a whipping is a wise choice of discipline at any time.
7 Trying to teach a fool is like gluing a broken pot back together, like waking someone out of a deep sleep. 8 Explaining something to a fool is like explaining it to a sleepy person; when you have finished, he'll say,
What was that again?[a]
11 We mourn for the dead because they have no access to light. We ought to mourn for fools, because they have no access to intelligence. In fact, we should go into deeper mourning for fools, because the life they lead is worse than death. The dead are at least at rest. 12 (A)For seven days we mourn the dead, but a foolish or ungodly person causes a lifetime of grief.
13 Don't visit stupid people or spend a lot of time talking with them. Avoid them; then they can't contaminate you, and you can live in peace without being troubled or worn down by their foolishness. 14 Such people are a heavier burden to bear than lead; and the only word that fits them is
fools. 15 It is easier to carry a load of sand, salt, and iron than to put up with a stupid person.
16 A wooden beam can be put into a building so firmly that an earthquake cannot shake it loose; a person can be trained to use reason and good sense so well that he keeps his head when a crisis comes. 17 A mind that thinks things through intelligently is like a firm wall, finely decorated. 18 Small stones on top of a wall[b] will not stay put when the wind blows, and a person whose stupid ideas have made him timid will not be able to stand up to frightening situations.
Friendship
19 If you stick something in your eye, tears will flow; and if you hurt a person deeply, you will discover his true feelings. 20 If you throw rocks at birds, you will scare them away; and if you insult a friend, you will break up the friendship. 21-22 Even if you have a violent argument with a friend, and speak sharply, all is not lost. You can still make up with him. But any friend will leave you if you insult him, if you are arrogant, if you reveal his secrets, or if you turn on him unexpectedly.
23 Gain the confidence of your neighbor if he is poor; then you can share his happiness if he becomes successful. Stand by him when he is in trouble if you want to share with him when better times come his way.
24 Fumes and smoke appear before the flames do; insults come before violence.
25 I will never be afraid to protect a friend, and I will never turn a friend away if he needs me. 26 If I suffer because of him, everyone who learns of it will be on guard against him.
A Prayer for Help against Sin
27 I wish that a guard could be placed at my mouth, that my lips could be wisely sealed. It would keep me from making mistakes and prevent me from destroying myself with my own tongue!
Footnotes
- Sirach 22:8 Some manuscripts add verses 9-10: Children who are brought up well do not show the humble origin of their parents. 10 Children who are not brought up well, who are arrogant and conceited, are a stain on the noblest family.
- Sirach 22:18 Small...wall; some manuscripts have A fence on top of a hill.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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