Sirach 15
Good News Translation
15 If you fear the Lord, you will do this. Master his Law, and you will find Wisdom. 2 She will come to welcome you, like a mother or a young bride. 3 She will give you wisdom and knowledge like food and drink. 4 Rely on her for support, and you will never know the disgrace of failure. 5 She will make you more honored than all your neighbors; when you speak in the assembly, she will give you the right words. 6 You will find happiness and genuine joy; your name will be remembered forever.
7 But people who are foolish or sinful will never even catch sight of Wisdom. 8 She will have nothing to do with conceited people; she never enters the mind of liars. 9 It is not appropriate for a sinner to sing hymns of praise, because his worship is insincere. 10 A hymn should be an expression of wisdom, inspired by the Lord himself.
Free Will
11 (A)Don't blame the Lord for your sin; the Lord does not cause what he hates.[a] 12 Don't claim that he has misled you; he doesn't need the help of sinners to accomplish his purposes. 13 The Lord hates evil in all its forms, and those who fear the Lord find nothing attractive in evil. 14 When, in the beginning, the Lord created human beings, he left them free to do as they wished. 15 If you want to, you can keep the Lord's commands. You can decide whether you will be loyal to him or not. 16 He has placed fire and water before you; reach out and take whichever you want. 17 You have a choice between life and death; you will get whichever you choose. 18 The Lord's wisdom and power are great and he sees everything. 19 He is aware of everything a person does, and he takes care of those who fear him. 20 He has never commanded anyone to be wicked or given anyone permission to sin.
Footnotes
- Sirach 15:11 Hebrew the Lord does not cause what he hates; Greek do not do what the Lord hates.
Sirach 15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 Whoever fears the Lord will do this,
and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom.[a]
2 She will come to meet him like a mother,
and like a young bride she will welcome him.(A)
3 She will feed him with the bread of understanding
and give him the water of wisdom to drink.(B)
4 He will lean on her and not fall,
and he will rely on her and not be put to shame.
5 She will exalt him above his neighbors
and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.(C)
6 Gladness[b] and a crown of rejoicing
and an everlasting name he will inherit.(D)
7 The foolish will not obtain her,
and sinners will not see her.(E)
8 She is far from arrogance,
and liars will never think of her.
9 Praise is unseemly on the lips of a sinner,
for it has not been sent from the Lord.(F)
10 For in wisdom must praise be uttered,
and the Lord will make it prosper.
Freedom of Choice
11 Do not say, “It was the Lord’s doing that I fell away,”
for he does not do[c] what he hates.(G)
12 Do not say, “It was he who led me astray,”
for he has no need of the sinful.(H)
13 The Lord hates all abominations;
such things are not loved by those who fear him.
14 It was he who created humans in the beginning,
and he left them in the power of their own inclinations.[d](I)
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your choice.
16 He has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each person are life and death,
and whichever one chooses will be given.(J)
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;(K)
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every human action.(L)
20 He has not commanded anyone to be ungodly,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.(M)
Sirach 15
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
15 He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her,
2 And she will meet him as an honourable mother, and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin.
3 With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved:
4 And she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbours.
5 And in the midst of the church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory.
6 She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name.
7 But foolish men shall not obtain her, and wise men shall meet her, foolish men shall not see her: for she is far from pride and deceit.
8 Lying men shall not be mindful of her: but men that speak truth shall be found with her, and shall advance, even till they come to the sight of God.
9 Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner:
10 For wisdom came forth from God: for praise shall be with the wisdom of God, and shall abound in a faithful mouth, and the sovereign Lord will give praise unto it.
11 Say not: It is through God, that she is not with me: for do not thou the things that he hateth.
12 Say not: He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of wicked men.
13 The Lord hateth all abomination of error, and they that fear him shall not love it.
14 God made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his own counsel.
15 He added his commandments and precepts.
16 If thou wilt keep the commandments and perform acceptable fidelity for ever, they shall preserve thee.
17 He hath set water and fire before thee: stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt.
18 Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him:
19 For the wisdom of God is great, and he is strong in power, seeing all men without ceasing.
20 The eyes of the Lord are towards them that fear him, and he knoweth all the work of man.
21 He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, and he hath given no man license to sin:
22 For he desireth not a multitude of faithless and unprofitable children.
Ben Sira 15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 15
1 Whoever fears the Lord will do this;
whoever is practiced in the Law will come to Wisdom.
2 She will meet him like a mother;
like a young bride she will receive him,
3 [a]She will feed him with the bread of learning,
and give him the water of understanding to drink.(A)
4 He will lean upon her and not fall;
he will trust in her and not be put to shame.
5 She will exalt him above his neighbors,
and in the assembly she will make him eloquent.
6 Joy and gladness he will find,
and an everlasting name he will inherit.(B)
7 The worthless will not attain her,
and the haughty will not behold her.
8 She is far from the impious;
liars never think of her.
9 [b]Praise is unseemly on the lips of sinners,
for it has not been allotted to them by God.
10 But praise is uttered by the mouth of the wise,
and its rightful owner teaches it.
Free Will[c]
11 Do not say: “It was God’s doing that I fell away,”
for what he hates he does not do.
12 Do not say: “He himself has led me astray,”
for he has no need of the wicked.(C)
13 Abominable wickedness the Lord hates
and he does not let it happen to those who fear him.
14 God in the beginning created human beings
and made them subject to their own free choice.(D)
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments;
loyalty is doing the will of God.
16 Set before you are fire and water;
to whatever you choose, stretch out your hand.
17 Before everyone are life and death,
whichever they choose will be given them.(E)
18 Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;
mighty in power, he sees all things.
19 The eyes of God behold his works,
and he understands every human deed.(F)
20 He never commands anyone to sin,
nor shows leniency toward deceivers.[d]
Footnotes
- 15:3–6 In this role reversal Woman Wisdom teaches, nourishes, supports, and protects the vulnerable man. For similar imagery cf. Prv 8:4–21, 34–35; 9:1–5; 31:10–31.
- 15:9–10 There is an intimate association between wisdom and praise of the Lord.
- 15:11–20 Here Ben Sira links freedom of the will with human responsibility. God, who sees everything, is neither the cause nor the occasion of sin. We have the power to choose our behavior and we are responsible for both the good and the evil we do (vv. 15–17).
- 15:20 Deceivers: those who hold the Lord responsible for their sins.
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.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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