Sirach 33-36
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
33 No evil will befall the man who fears the Lord,
but in trial he will deliver him again and again.
2 A wise man will not hate the law,
but he who is hypocritical about it is like a boat in a storm.
3 A man of understanding will trust in the law;
for him the law is as dependable as an inquiry by means of Urim.
4 Prepare what to say, and thus you will be heard;
bind together your instruction, and make your answer.
5 The heart of a fool is like a cart wheel,
and his thoughts like a turning axle.
6 A stallion is like a mocking friend;
he neighs under every one who sits on him.
Differences in Nature and in Mankind
7 Why is any day better than another,
when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?
8 By the Lord’s decision they were distinguished,
and he appointed the different seasons and feasts;
9 some of them he exalted and hallowed,
and some of them he made ordinary days.
10 All men are from the ground,
and Adam was created of the dust.
11 In the fulness of his knowledge the Lord distinguished them
and appointed their different ways;
12 some of them he blessed and exalted,
and some of them he made holy and brought near to himself;
but some of them he cursed and brought low,
and he turned them out of their place.
13 As clay in the hand of the potter—
for all his ways are as he pleases—
so men are in the hand of him who made them,
to give them as he decides.
14 Good is the opposite of evil,
and life the opposite of death;
so the sinner is the opposite of the godly.
15 Look upon all the works of the Most High;
they likewise are in pairs, one the opposite of the other.
16 I was the last on watch;
I was like one who gleans after the grape-gatherers;
by the blessing of the Lord I excelled,
and like a grape-gatherer I filled my wine press.
17 Consider that I have not labored for myself alone,
but for all who seek instruction.
18 Hear me, you who are great among the people,
and you leaders of the congregation, hearken.
The Advantage of Independence
19 To son or wife, to brother or friend,
do not give power over yourself, as long as you live;
and do not give your property to another,
lest you change your mind and must ask for it.
20 While you are still alive and have breath in you,
do not let any one take your place.
21 For it is better that your children should ask from you
than that you should look to the hand of you sons.
22 Excel in all that you do;
bring no stain upon your honor.
23 At the time when you end the days of your life,
in the hour of death, distribute your inheritance.
The Treatment of Slaves
24 Fodder and a stick and burdens for an ass;
bread and discipline and work for a servant.
25 Set your slave to work, and you will find rest;
leave his hands idle, and he will seek liberty.
26 Yoke and thong will bow the neck,
and for a wicked servant there are racks and tortures.
27 Put him to work, that he may not be idle,
for idleness teaches much evil.
28 Set him to work, as is fitting for him,
and if he does not obey, make his fetters heavy.
29 Do not act immoderately toward anybody,
and do nothing without discretion.
30 If you have a servant, let him be as yourself,
because you have bought him with blood.
31 If you have a servant, treat him as a brother,
for as your own soul you will need him.
If you ill-treat him, and he leaves and runs away,
which way will you go to seek him?
Dreams Mean Nothing
34 A man of no understanding has vain and false hopes,
and dreams give wings to fools.
2 As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind,
so is he who gives heed to dreams.
3 The vision of dreams is this against that,
the likeness of a face confronting a face.
4 From an unclean thing what will be made clean?
And from something false what will be true?
5 Divinations and omens and dreams are folly,
and like a woman in travail the mind has fancies.
6 Unless they are sent from the Most High as a visitation,
do not give your mind to them.
7 For dreams have deceived many,
and those who put their hope in them have failed.
8 Without such deceptions the law will be fulfilled,
and wisdom is made perfect in truthful lips.
Experience as a Teacher
9 An educated[a] man knows many things,
and one with much experience will speak with understanding.
10 He that is inexperienced knows few things,
but he that has traveled acquires much cleverness.
11 I have seen many things in my travels,
and I understand more than I can express.
12 I have often been in danger of death,
but have escaped because of these experiences.
Fear the Lord
13 The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
for their hope is in him who saves them.
14 He who fears the Lord will not be timid,
nor play the coward, for he is his hope.
15 Blessed is the soul of the man who fears the Lord!
To whom does he look? And who is his support?
16 The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him,
a mighty protection and strong support,
a shelter from the hot wind and a shade from noonday sun,
a guard against stumbling and a defense against falling.
17 He lifts up the soul and gives light to the eyes;
he grants healing, life, and blessing.
Offering Sacrifices
18 If one sacrifices from what has been wrongfully obtained, the offering is blemished;[b]
the gifts[c] of the lawless are not acceptable.
19 The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly;
and he is not propitiated for sins by a multitude of sacrifices.
20 Like one who kills a son before his father’s eyes
is the man who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor.
21 The bread of the needy is the life of the poor;
whoever deprives them of it is a man of blood.
22 To take away a neighbor’s living is to murder him;
to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood.
23 When one builds and another tears down,
what do they gain but toil?
24 When one prays and another curses,
to whose voice will the Lord listen?
25 If a man washes after touching a dead body, and touches it again,
what has he gained by his washing?
26 So if a man fasts for his sins,
and goes again and does the same things,
who will listen to his prayer?
And what has he gained by humbling himself?
The Law and Sacrifices
35 He who keeps the law makes many offerings;
he who heeds the commandments sacrifices a peace offering.
2 He who returns a kindness offers fine flour,
and he who gives alms sacrifices a thank offering.
3 To keep from wickedness is pleasing to the Lord,
and to forsake unrighteousness is atonement.
4 Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed,
5 for all these things are to be done because of the commandment.
6 The offering of a righteous man anoints the altar,
and its pleasing odor rises before the Most High.
7 The sacrifice of a righteous man is acceptable,
and the memory of it will not be forgotten.
8 Glorify the Lord generously,
and do not stint the first fruits of your hands.
9 With every gift show a cheerful face,
and dedicate your tithe with gladness.
10 Give to the Most High as he has given,
and as generously as your hand has found.
11 For the Lord is the one who repays,
and he will repay you sevenfold.
Divine Justice
12 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it;
and do not trust to an unrighteous sacrifice;
for the Lord is the judge,
and with him is no partiality.
13 He will not show partiality in the case of a poor man;
and he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.
14 He will not ignore the supplication of the fatherless,
nor the widow when she pours out her story.
15 Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek
as she cries out against him who has caused them to fall?
16 He whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted,
and his prayer will reach to the clouds.
17 The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds,
and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord;[d]
he will not desist until the Most High visits him,
and does justice for the righteous, and executes judgment.
18 And the Lord will not delay,
neither will he be patient with them,
till he crushes the loins of the unmerciful
and repays vengeance on the nations;
till he takes away the multitude of the insolent,
and breaks the scepters of the unrighteous;
19 till he repays man according to his deeds,
and the works of men according to their devices;
till he judges the case of his people
and makes them rejoice in his mercy.
20 Mercy is as welcome when he afflicts them
as clouds of rain in the time of drought.
A Prayer for God’s People
36 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us,
2 and cause the fear of thee to fall upon all the nations.
3 Lift up thy hand against foreign nations
and let them see thy might.
4 As in us thou hast been sanctified before them,
so in them be thou magnified before us;
5 and let them know thee, as we have known
that there is not God but thee, O Lord.
6 Show signs anew, and work further wonders;
make thy hand and thy right arm glorious.
7 Rouse thy anger and pour out thy wrath;
destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy.
8 Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time,[e]
and let people recount thy mighty deeds.
9 Let him who survives be consumed in the fiery wrath,
and may those who harm thy people meet destruction.
10 Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy,
who say, “There is no one but ourselves.”
11 Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
and give[f] them their inheritance, as at the beginning.
12 Have mercy, O Lord, upon the people called by thy name,
upon Israel, whom thou hast likened to a[g] first-born son.
13 Have pity on the city of thy sanctuary,[h]
Jerusalem, the place of thy rest.
14 Fill Zion with the celebration of thy wondrous deeds,
and thy temple[i] with thy glory.
15 Bear witness to those whom thou didst create in the beginning,
and fulfil the prophecies spoken in thy name.
16 Reward those who wait for thee,
and let thy prophets be found trustworthy.
17 Hearken, O Lord, to the prayer of thy servants,
according to the blessing of Aaron for thy people,
and all who are on the earth will know
that thou art the Lord, the God of the ages.
Concerning Discrimination
18 The stomach will take any food,
yet one food is better than another.
19 As the palate tastes the kinds of game,
so an intelligent mind detects false words.
20 A perverse mind will cause grief,
but a man of experience will pay him back.
21 A woman will accept any man,
but one daughter is better than another.
22 A woman’s beauty gladdens the countenance,
and surpasses every human desire.
23 If kindness and humility mark her speech,
her husband is not like other men.
24 He who acquires a wife gets his best possession,[j]
a helper fit for him and a pillar of support.[k]
25 Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered;
and where there is no wife, a man will wander about and sigh.
26 For who will trust a nimble robber
that skips from city to city?
So who will trust a man that has no home,
and lodges wherever night finds him?
Footnotes
- Sirach 34:9 Other authorities read A traveled
- Sirach 34:18 Other authorities read is made in mockery
- Sirach 34:18 Other authorities read mockeries
- Sirach 35:17 Or until the Lord draws near
- Sirach 36:8 Other authorities read remember thy oath
- Sirach 36:11 Other authorities read I gave
- Sirach 36:12 Other authorities read hast named thy
- Sirach 36:13 Or on thy holy city
- Sirach 36:14 Heb Syr: Gk Vg people
- Sirach 36:24 Heb: Gk enters upon a possession
- Sirach 36:24 Heb: Gk rest
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 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.
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