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Chapter 36

A Prayer for God’s People[a]

Come to our aid, O God of the universe,
    and put all the nations in dread of you!
Raise your hand against the foreign people,
    that they may see your mighty deeds.
As you have used us to show them your holiness,[b]
    so now use them to show us your glory.
Thus they will know, as we know,
    that there is no God but you.

Give new signs and work new wonders;
    show forth the splendor of your right hand and arm.
Rouse your anger, pour out wrath;
    humble the enemy, scatter the foe.(A)
10 Hasten the ending, appoint the time,
    and let people proclaim your mighty deeds.
11 Let raging fire consume the fugitive,
    and your people’s oppressors meet destruction.
12 Crush the heads of the hostile rulers
    who say, “There is no one besides me.”

13 Gather all the tribes of Jacob,[c]
16     that they may inherit the land as in days of old.
17 Show mercy to the people called by your name:
    Israel, whom you named your firstborn.(B)
18 Take pity on your holy city:
    Jerusalem, your dwelling place.(C)
19 Fill Zion with your majesty,
    your temple with your glory.

20 Give evidence of your deeds of old;
    fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name.
21 Reward those who have hoped in you,
    and let your prophets be proved true.
22 Hear the prayer of your servants,
    according to your good will toward your people.
Thus all the ends of the earth will know
    that you are the eternal God.

Choice of Associates[d]

23 The throat can swallow any food,
    yet some foods are more agreeable than others.
24 The palate tests delicacies put forward as gifts,
    so does a keen mind test deceitful tidbits.
25 One with a tortuous heart brings about grief,
    but an experienced person can turn the tables on him.

26 A woman will accept any man as husband,
    but one woman will be preferable to another.
27 A woman’s beauty makes her husband’s face light up,
    for it surpasses all else that delights the eye.(D)
28 And if, besides, her speech is soothing,
    her husband’s lot is beyond that of mortal men.
29 A wife is her husband’s richest treasure,
    a help like himself and a staunch support.(E)
30 A vineyard with no hedge will be overrun;
    and a man with no wife becomes a homeless wanderer.
31 Who will trust an armed band
    that shifts from city to city?
Or a man who has no nest,
    who lodges wherever night overtakes him?(F)

Footnotes

  1. 36:1–22 A prayer that God hasten the day for the gathering of the tribes of Israel, and Zion once more be filled with the divine glory. All the earth will then know that the Lord is the eternal God.
  2. 36:4 Show…holiness: this cultic language is used to indicate God’s liberation of his people; cf. Ez 20:41; 28:25.
  3. 36:13 This verse marks the end of a major dislocation in the Greek text of Sirach (which is followed here) at the head of chap. 33. The verse numbers 1–13 come from the placement of these verses in Greek. Verse 13 here is the first half of a bicolon, the matching half of which is numbered in the Greek 36:16b. Thus although the numbering for vv. 14–15 is not used, none of the text is missing.
  4. 36:23–37:15 In the choice of wife, friend, or associate, experience is a discerner of character (36:23–26). Beauty and soothing speech make a woman desirable as wife (36:27–28). The good wife becomes her husband’s richest treasure, his help in establishing his household (36:29–31). Good friends fight for comrades and share the spoils with them (37:5–6); false friends deceive and abandon in time of need (37:1–4). A true counselor and associate should be sought among those who keep the commandments, not among those who break them and seek their own advantage (37:7–12). In all things one should pray to God for light and follow conscience (37:13–15).

A Prayer for God’s People

36 Have mercy upon us, O God[a] of all,
    and put all the nations in fear of you.
Lift up your hand against foreign nations
    and let them see your might.
As you have used us to show your holiness to them,
    so use them to show your glory to us.
Then they will know,[b] as we have known,
    that there is no God but you, O Lord.
Give new signs, and work other wonders;
    make your hand and right arm glorious.
Rouse your anger and pour out your wrath;
    destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy.
10 Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time,[c]
    and let people recount your mighty deeds.
11 Let survivors be consumed in the fiery wrath,
    and may those who harm your people meet destruction.
12 Crush the heads of hostile rulers
    who say, “There is no one but ourselves.”
13 Gather all the tribes of Jacob,[d]
16     and give them their inheritance, as at the beginning.
17 Have mercy, O Lord, on the people called by your name,
    on Israel, whom you have named[e] your firstborn,
18 Have pity on the city of your sanctuary,[f]
    Jerusalem, the place of your dwelling.[g]
19 Fill Zion with your majesty,[h]
    and your temple[i] with your glory.
20 Bear witness to those whom you created in the beginning,
    and fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name.
21 Reward those who wait for you
    and let your prophets be found trustworthy.
22 Hear, O Lord, the prayer of your servants, according to your goodwill toward[j] your people,
and all who are on the earth will know
    that you are the Lord, the God of the ages.

Concerning Discrimination

23 The stomach will take any food,
    yet one food is better than another.
24 As the palate tastes the kinds of game,
    so an intelligent mind detects false words.
25 A perverse mind will cause grief,
    but a person with experience will pay him back.
26 A woman will accept any man as a husband,
    but one girl is preferable to another.
27 A woman’s beauty lights up a man’s face,
    and there is nothing he desires more.
28 If kindness and humility mark her speech,
    her husband is more fortunate than other men.
29 He who acquires a wife gets his best possession,[k]
    a helper fit for him and a pillar of support.[l]
30 Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered;
    and where there is no wife, a man will become a fugitive and a wanderer.[m]
31 For who will trust a nimble robber
    that skips from city to city?
So who will trust a man that has no nest,
    but lodges wherever night overtakes him?

Footnotes

  1. Sirach 36:1 Heb: Gk O Master, the God
  2. Sirach 36:5 Heb: Gk And let them know you
  3. Sirach 36:10 Other ancient authorities read remember your oath
  4. Sirach 36:13 Owing to a dislocation in the Greek Mss of Sirach, the verse numbers 14 and 15 are not used in chapter 36, though no text is missing.
  5. Sirach 36:17 Other ancient authorities read you have likened to
  6. Sirach 36:18 Or on your holy city
  7. Sirach 36:18 Heb: Gk your rest
  8. Sirach 36:19 Heb Syr: Gk the celebration of your wondrous deeds
  9. Sirach 36:19 Heb Syr: Gk Lat people
  10. Sirach 36:22 Heb and two Gk witnesses: Lat and most Gk witnesses read according to the blessing of Aaron for
  11. Sirach 36:29 Heb: Gk enters upon a possession
  12. Sirach 36:29 Heb: Gk rest
  13. Sirach 36:30 Heb: Gk wander about and sigh

Prayer for Israel’s deliverance

36 Have mercy on us, Lord God of all;
    and teach all nations to stand
    in awe of you.
Raise up your hand
against foreign nations,
    and let them see your power.
Just as they saw your holiness
made visible in our midst,
    so let us see your power
    made visible in their midst.
Let them know you,
just as we also have known, Lord,
    that there’s no God except you.
Renew the signs,
and work different wonders;
    make your strong hand and arm glorious.
Arouse your anger;
pour out your wrath;
    remove the adversary;
    destroy the enemy.
10 Act quickly,
remember what you have sworn,
    and let people tell of your mighty acts.
11 Let those who survive
be consumed in a fiery wrath,
    and may those who harm your people
    come to destruction.
12 Crush the heads of hostile rulers,
who say, “We’re all that matters.”
13 Gather all the tribes of Jacob,[a]
16     and give them their inheritance,
    as you did at the beginning.
17 Have mercy, Lord, on the people
who have been called by your name;
on Israel, whom you made like
an oldest child.
18 Take pity on the city
where your sanctuary is;
    on Jerusalem,
    the place where you live.[b]
19 Fill Zion with the celebration
of your mighty deeds,[c]
    and fill your temple with your glory.
20 Bear witness to those
whom you created at the beginning,
    and fulfill the prophecies
    that were given in your name.
21 Give a reward to those
who wait for you,
    and let your prophets
    be found trustworthy.
22 Hear, Lord, the prayer
of your household slaves
    according to your goodwill
    toward your people,
        and all those
        who live upon the earth
        will know that you are the Lord,
        the God of the ages.

Wives, friends, and counselors

23 The stomach will accept any food,
    but one kind of food
    is better than another.
24 As the palate tastes different
types of game,
    so an intelligent mind tests[d] false words.
25 A perverse heart will cause grief,
    but an experienced person
    will know how to give payback.
26 A woman will accept any male
as a husband,[e]
    but some daughters are preferable
    to other ones.
27 A woman’s beauty brightens a man’s face,
    and she surpasses a man’s every desire.
28 If her speech is characterized
by mercy and gentleness,
    her husband is unlike anyone else.
29 Whoever acquires a wife
takes his first step toward success.[f]
    She will be a fit helper for him
    and a pillar of rest.[g]
30 Where no fence exists,
the property is carried off,
    and where there’s no wife,
    a man sighs as he wanders about.[h]
31 Who will trust a well-equipped robber
        who travels from city to city?
    Likewise, who will trust a man
    who does not have a nest
        and who lodges wherever night falls?

Footnotes

  1. Sirach 36:13 Due to a mistaken transposition in chapter and verse order in every Gk manuscript, no text is missing, but verses 36:14–15 are not used for chap 36.
  2. Sirach 36:18 Heb the place where your dwelling is
  3. Sirach 36:19 Heb your splendor
  4. Sirach 36:24 LXX lacks tests.
  5. Sirach 36:26 LXX lacks as a husband.
  6. Sirach 36:29 Heb gets his best possession
  7. Sirach 36:29 Heb pillar of support
  8. Sirach 36:30 Heb he becomes a fugitive and a wanderer
'Sirach 36 ' not found for the version: New American Standard Bible.
'Sirach 36 ' not found for the version: New International Version.