Ben Sira 41
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 41
1 O death! How bitter is the thought of you[a]
for the one at peace in his home,
For the one who is serene and always successful,
who can still enjoy life’s pleasures.
2 O death! How welcome is your sentence
to the weak, failing in strength,
Stumbling and tripping on everything,
with sight gone and hope lost.(A)
3 Do not fear death’s decree for you;
remember, it embraces those before you and those to come.(B)
4 This decree for all flesh is from God;
why then should you reject a law of the Most High?
Whether one has lived a thousand years, a hundred, or ten,
in Sheol there are no arguments about life.
5 The children of sinners are a reprobate line,(C)
and witless offspring are in the homes of the wicked.
6 The inheritance of children of sinners will perish,
and on their offspring will be perpetual disgrace.
7 Children curse their wicked father,
for they suffer disgrace because of him.
8 Woe to you, O wicked people,
who forsake the Law of the Most High.
9 If you have children, calamity will be theirs;
and if you beget them, it will be only for groaning.
When you stumble, there is lasting joy;
and when you die, you become a curse.
10 All that is nought returns to nought,
so too the godless—from void to void.(D)
11 The human body is a fleeting thing,
but a virtuous name will never be annihilated.(E)
12 Have respect for your name, for it will stand by you
more than thousands of precious treasures.(F)
13 The good things of life last a number of days,
but a good name, for days without number.
True and False Shame[b]
14b Hidden wisdom and concealed treasure,
of what value is either?
15 Better is the person who hides his folly
than the one who hides his wisdom.
14a My children, listen to instruction about shame;
16a judge of disgrace according to my rules,
16b Not every kind of shame is shameful,
nor is every kind of disgrace to be recognized.
17 Before father and mother be ashamed of immorality,
before prince and ruler, of falsehood;
18 Before master and mistress, of deceit;
before the public assembly, of crime;
Before associate and friend, of disloyalty,
19 and in the place where you settle, of theft.
Be ashamed of breaking an oath or a covenant,
and of stretching your elbow at dinner;
Of refusing to give when asked,
21 of rebuffing your own relatives;
Of defrauding another of his appointed share,
20a of failing to return a greeting;
21c Of gazing at a man’s wife,
20b of entertaining thoughts about another woman;(G)
22 Of trifling with a servant girl you have,
of violating her bed;
Of using harsh words with friends,
of following up your gifts with insults;(H)
Footnotes
- 41:1–13 Whether death seems bitter to one who enjoys peace, success, and pleasure, or welcome to one who is weak and in despair, it comes to all and must be accepted as the will of God (vv. 1–4). The human body passes away (v. 11). Sinners as well as their offspring pass away as if they had never been (vv. 5–10). Only the good name of the virtuous endures (vv. 11–13).
- 41:14–42:8 Ben Sira illustrates the subject of true and false shame with numerous and detailed examples of wrongdoing (41:14–22) and virtue (42:1–8), following the norm of the commandments.
Sirach 41
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Concerning Death
41 O death, how bitter is the thought of you
to the one at peace among possessions,
who has nothing to worry about and is prosperous in everything,
and still is vigorous enough to enjoy food!
2 O death, how welcome is your sentence
to one who is needy and failing in strength,
worn down by age and anxious about everything;
to one who is contrary, and has lost all patience!
3 Do not fear death’s decree for you;
remember those who went before you and those who will come after.
4 This is the Lord’s decree for all flesh;
why then should you reject the will of the Most High?
Whether life lasts for ten years or a hundred or a thousand,
there are no questions asked in Hades.
The Fate of the Wicked
5 The children of sinners are abominable children,
and they frequent the haunts of the ungodly.
6 The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish,
and on their offspring will be a perpetual disgrace.
7 Children will blame an ungodly father,
for they suffer disgrace because of him.
8 Woe to you, the ungodly,
who have forsaken the law of the Most High God!
9 If you have children, calamity will be theirs;
you will beget them only for groaning.
When you stumble, there is lasting joy;[a]
and when you die, a curse is your lot.
10 Whatever comes from earth returns to earth;
so the ungodly go from curse to destruction.
11 The human body is a fleeting thing,
but a virtuous name will never be blotted out.[b]
12 Have regard for your name, since it will outlive you
longer than a thousand hoards of gold.
13 The days of a good life are numbered,
but a good name lasts forever.
14 My children, be true to your training and be at peace;
hidden wisdom and unseen treasure—
of what value is either?
A Series of Contrasts
15 Better are those who hide their folly
than those who hide their wisdom.
16 Therefore show respect for my words;
for it is not good to feel shame in every circumstance,
nor is every kind of abashment to be approved.[c]
17 Be ashamed of sexual immorality, before your father or mother;
and of a lie, before a prince or a ruler;
18 of a crime, before a judge or magistrate;
and of a breach of the law, before the congregation and the people;
of unjust dealing, before your partner or your friend;
19 and of theft, in the place where you live.
Be ashamed of breaking an oath or agreement,[d]
and of leaning on your elbow at meals;
of surliness in receiving or giving,
20 and of silence, before those who greet you;
of looking at a prostitute,
21 and of rejecting the appeal of a relative;
of taking away someone’s portion or gift,
and of gazing at another man’s wife;
22 of meddling with his servant-girl—
and do not approach her bed;
of abusive words, before friends—
and do not be insulting after making a gift.
Footnotes
- Sirach 41:9 Heb: Meaning of Gk uncertain
- Sirach 41:11 Heb: Gk People grieve over the death of the body, but the bad name of sinners will be blotted out
- Sirach 41:16 Heb: Gk and not everything is confidently esteemed by everyone
- Sirach 41:19 Heb: Gk before the truth of God and the covenant
Sirach 41
Good News Translation
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.[a]
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,[b] and even after your death you will be cursed. 10 What comes into being from nothing[c] will return to nothing;[d] so it will be with the godless, doomed to extinction.
11 A person's body amounts to nothing,[e] 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.[f] 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,[g]
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 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.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.
