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Wisdom of Ben Sira 4:9-11
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 4:9-11
New Catholic Bible
9 Rescue the oppressed from the power of the oppressor,
and deliver your judgments with justice.
10 Be like a father to the fatherless,
and be like a husband to their mother.
You will then be like a son of the Most High,
and his love for you will surpass that of your own mother.[a]
Wisdom—Instructor of Human Beings[b]
11 Wisdom exalts her children
and helps those who seek her.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 4:10 The author uses the biblical imagery of father and mother to set forth God’s concern for the faithful. His language is metaphorical and does not imply that there is gender (male and female) in God. The Lord transcends all human categories, including sex. Furthermore, his relationship to creatures goes far beyond a father and mother to them.
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 4:11 Wisdom is here personified (see Prov 1:23-25; 8:12-21; 9:1-6) as a good teacher. She leads those who seek her to happiness for she knows how to temper the overzealous. By the word wisdom, the author evokes an idea and practice of life; it is by the quality and the effort of life that people render true worship to the Holy One (v. 14), that is, to God.
