Sirach 14:20-15:10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Happiness of Seeking Wisdom
20 Happy are those who meditate on[a] wisdom
and who reason intelligently,(A)
21 who reflect in their hearts on her ways
and ponder her secrets,(B)
22 pursuing her like a hunter
and lying in wait on her paths;
23 who peer through her windows
and listen at her doors;(C)
24 who camp near her house
and fasten their tent pegs to her walls;
25 who pitch their tents near her
and so occupy an excellent lodging place;
26 who place their children under her shelter
and lodge under her boughs;
27 who are sheltered by her from the heat
and dwell in the midst of her glory.(D)
15 Whoever fears the Lord will do this,
and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom.[b]
2 She will come to meet him like a mother,
and like a young bride she will welcome him.(E)
3 She will feed him with the bread of understanding
and give him the water of wisdom to drink.(F)
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.(G)
6 Gladness[c] and a crown of rejoicing
and an everlasting name he will inherit.(H)
7 The foolish will not obtain her,
and sinners will not see her.(I)
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.(J)
10 For in wisdom must praise be uttered,
and the Lord will make it prosper.
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.