HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  23There is a cleverness that is detestable,

  and there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.

  24Better are the God-fearing who lack understanding

  than the highly intelligent who transgress the law.

  25There is a cleverness that is exact but unjust,

  and there are people who abuse favors to gain a verdict.

  26There is the villain bowed down in mourning,

  but inwardly he is full of deceit.

  27He hides his face and pretends not to hear,

  but when no one notices, he will take advantage of you.

  28Even if lack of strength keeps him from sinning,

  he will nevertheless do evil when he finds the opportunity.

  29A person is known by his appearance,

  and a sensible person is known when first met, face to face.

  30A person’s attire and hearty laughter,

  and the way he walks, show what he is.

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  a Heb: Gk A worker who is a drunkard

  b Other ancient authorities read heart

  c Other ancient authorities add but one who withstands pleasures crowns his life. 6One who controls the tongue will live without strife,

  d Other ancient authorities add and do not be angry. 18The fear of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance, and wisdom obtains his love. 19The knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is life-giving discipline; and those who do what is pleasing to him enjoy the fruit of the tree of immortality.

  e Other ancient authorities add and the knowledge of his omnipotence. 21When a slave says to his master, “I will not act as you wish,” even if later he does it, he angers the one who supports him.

  19.3 Decay and worms, the proverbial description of a sinner’s death; e.g., that of Antiochus IV (2 Macc 9.9); Herod Agrippa (Acts 12.23). Snatched away, an idiom for untimely death.

  19.20–30 A contrast between true wisdom and cleverness.

  19.20 Wisdom is fear of the Lord, a connection fundamental to Sirach that is established at the very beginning of the book. See 1.14–16.

  SIRACH 20

  Silence and Speech

  1There is a rebuke that is untimely,

  and there is the person who is wise enough to keep silent.

  2How much better it is to rebuke than to fume!

  3And the one who admits his fault will be kept from failure.

  4Like a eunuch lusting to violate a girl

  is the person who does right under compulsion.

  5Some people keep silent and are thought to be wise,

  while others are detested for being talkative.

  6Some people keep silent because they have nothing to say,

  while others keep silent because they know when to speak.

  7The wise remain silent until the right moment,

  but a boasting fool misses the right moment.

  8Whoever talks too much is detested,

  and whoever pretends to authority is hated.f

  Paradoxes

  9There may be good fortune for a person in adversity,

  and a windfall may result in a loss.

  10There is the gift that profits you nothing,

  and the gift to be paid back double.

  11There are losses for the sake of glory,

  and there are some who have raised their heads from humble circumstances.

  12Some buy much for little,

  but pay for it seven times over.

  13The wise make themselves beloved by only few words,g

  but the courtesies of fools are wasted.

  14A fool’s gift will profit you nothing,h

  for he looks for recompense sevenfold.i

  15He gives little and upbraids much;

  he opens his mouth like a town crier.

  Today he lends and tomorrow he asks it back;

  such a one is hateful to God and humans.j

  16The fool says, “I have no friends,

  and I get no thanks for my good deeds.

  Those who eat my bread are evil-tongued.”

  17How many will ridicule him, and how often!k

  Inappropriate Speech

  18A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue;

  the downfall of the wicked will occur just as speedily.

  19A coarse person is like an inappropriate story,

  continually on the lips of the ignorant.

  20A proverb from a fool’s lips will be rejected,

  for he does not tell it at the proper time.

  21One may be prevented from sinning by poverty;

  so when he rests he feels no remorse.

  22One may lose his life through shame,

  or lose it because of human respect.l

  23Another out of shame makes promises to a friend,

  and so makes an enemy for nothing.

  Lying

  24A lie is an ugly blot on a person;

  it is continually on the lips of the ignorant.

  25A thief is preferable to a habitual liar,

  but the lot of both is ruin.

  26A liar’s way leads to disgrace,

  and his shame is ever with him.

  PROVERBIAL SAYINGSm

  27The wise person advances himself by his words,

  and one who is sensible pleases the great.

  28Those who cultivate the soil heap up their harvest,

  and those who please the great atone for injustice.

  29Favors and gifts blind the eyes of the wise;

  like a muzzle on the mouth they stop reproofs.

  30Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure,

  of what value is either?

  31Better are those who hide their folly

  than those who hide their wisdom.n

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  f Other ancient authorities add How good it is to show repentance when you are reproved, for so you will escape deliberate sin!

  g Heb: Gk by words

  h Other ancient authorities add so it is with the envious who give under compulsion

  i Syr: Gk he has many eyes instead of one

  j Other ancient authorities lack to God and humans

  k Other ancient authorities add for he has not honestly received what he has, and what he does not have is unimportant to him

  l Other ancient authorities read his foolish look

  m This heading is included in the Gk text.

  n Other ancient authorities add 32Unwearied endurance in seeking the Lord is better than a masterless charioteer of one’s own life.

  20.1–31 A loosely connected set of sayings on the topic of timely and appropriate speech using the frequent contrast of the wise and the foolish.

  SIRACH 21

  Various Sins

  1Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more,

  but ask forgiveness for your past sins.

  2Flee from sin as from a snake;

  for if you approach sin, it will bite you.

  Its teeth are lion’s teeth,

  and can destroy human lives.

  3All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;

  there is no healing for the wound it inflicts.

  4Panic and insolence will waste away riches;

  thus the house of the proud will be laid waste.a

  5The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God,b

  and his judgment comes speedily.

  6Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner’s steps,

  but those who fear the Lord repent in their heart.

  7The mighty in speech are widely known;

  when they slip, the sensible person knows it.

  8Whoever builds his house with other people’s money

  is like one who gathers stones for his burial mound.c

  9An assembly of the wicked is like a bundle of tow,

  and their end is a blazing fire.

  10The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones,

  but
at its end is the pit of Hades.

  Wisdom and Foolishness

  11Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts,

  and the fulfillment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.

  12The one who is not clever cannot be taught,

  but there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.

  13The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood,

  and their counsel like a life-giving spring.

  14The mindd of a fool is like a broken jar;

  it can hold no knowledge.

  15When an intelligent person hears a wise saying,

  he praises it and adds to it;

  when a foole hears it,

  he laughs atf it and throws it behind his back.

  16A fool’s chatter is like a burden on a journey,

  but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.

  17The utterance of a sensible person is sought in the assembly,

  and they ponder his words in their minds.

  18Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool,

  and to the ignorant, knowledge is talk that has no meaning.

  19To a senseless person education is fetters on his feet,

  and like manacles on his right hand.

  20A fool raises his voice when he laughs,

  but the wiseg smile quietly.

  21To the sensible person education is like a golden ornament,

  and like a bracelet on the right arm.

  22The foot of a fool rushes into a house,

  but an experienced person waits respectfully outside.

  23A boor peers into the house from the door,

  but a cultivated person remains outside.

  24It is ill-mannered for a person to listen at a door;

  the discreet would be grieved by the disgrace.

  25The lips of babblers speak of what is not their concern,h

  but the words of the prudent are weighed in the balance.

  26The mind of fools is in their mouth,

  but the mouth of the wise is ini their mind.

  27When an ungodly person curses an adversary,j

  he curses himself.

  28A whisperer degrades himself

  and is hated in his neighborhood.

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  a Other ancient authorities read uprooted

  b Gk his ears

  c Other ancient authorities read for the winter

  d Syr Lat: Gk entrails

  e Syr: Gk reveler

  f Syr: Gk dislikes

  g Syr Lat: Gk clever

  h Other ancient authorities read of strangers speak of these things

  i Other ancient authorities omit in

  j Or curses Satan

  21.1–10 A loose collection of sayings on sin.

  21.5 That the prayer of the poor will be heard is a form of the common theme about the cry of the righteous in distress. See Sir 2.10–11; 35.16–26. That God hears such prayers is based on Ex 22.21–23. Ben Sira, however, does not think that the poor are preferred by God because of their poverty.

  21.8 Builds his house, probably meant literally, but “building a house” was also a metaphor for amassing wealth.

  21.10 Paved with smooth stones indicates the easy way that sinners take and may be an oblique reference to Greco-Roman roads.

  21.11–28 A loosely connected set of sayings contrasting the wise and the foolish.

  21.11 Thoughts probably translates the Hebrew yetser, thus “impulses” or “designs”; see note on 15.14. The fear of the Lord is closely connected with ethical piety, or obedience to the law, and thus can be “fulfilled.” Cf. 1.28, where the fear of the Lord can be obeyed or disobeyed; also 19.20.

  21.13 The fluvial image of wisdom contrasts with v. 14, in which the broken jar of a foolish mind holds nothing. See also the image in 22.9.

  21.15 Throws it behind his back, disregards it.

  21.17 Ponder his words, a reference to deliberation in an assembly charged with making decisions. See notes on 15.5; 38.32–33; cf.Wis 8.10–12.

  21.19 Fetters, here a negative image of enslavement. Cf. the metaphor connected with personified wisdom in 6.24.

  21.21 Golden ornament, a metaphor connected with personified wisdom in 6.30.

  21.22–28 The topic of manners is important for Ben Sira’s students in their prospective scribal careers.

  SIRACH 22

  The Idler

  1The idler is like a filthy stone,

  and every one hisses at his disgrace.

  2The idler is like the filth of dunghills;

  anyone that picks it up will shake it off his hand.

  Degenerate Children

  3It is a disgrace to be the father of an undisciplined son,

  and the birth of a daughter is a loss.

  4A sensible daughter obtains a husband of her own,

  but one who acts shamefully is a grief to her father.

  5An impudent daughter disgraces father and husband,

  and is despised by both.

  6Like music in time of mourning is ill-timed conversation,

  but a thrashing and discipline are at all times wisdom.a

  Wisdom and Folly

  9Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,

  or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.

  10Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man;

  and at the end he will say, “What is it?”

  11Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind;

  and weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind.

  Weep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest;

  but the life of the fool is worse than death.

  12Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,

  but for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.

  13Do not talk much with a senseless person

  or visit an unintelligent person.b

  Stay clear of him, or you may have trouble,

  and be spattered when he shakes himself off.

  Avoid him and you will find rest,

  and you will never be wearied by his lack of sense.

  14What is heavier than lead?

  And what is its name except “Fool”?

  15Sand, salt, and a piece of iron

  are easier to bear than a stupid person.

  16A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building

  is not loosened by an earthquake;

  so the mind firmly resolved after due reflection

  will not be afraid in a crisis.

  17A mind settled on an intelligent thought

  is like stucco decoration that makes a wall smooth.

  18Fencesc set on a high place

  will not stand firm against the wind;

  so a timid mind with a fool’s resolve

  will not stand firm against any fear.

  The Preservation of Friendship

  19One who pricks the eye brings tears,

  and one who pricks the heart makes clear its feelings.

  20One who throws a stone at birds scares them away,

  and one who reviles a friend destroys a friendship.

  21Even if you draw your sword against a friend,

  do not despair, for there is a way back.

  22If you open your mouth against your friend,

  do not worry, for reconciliation is possible.

  But as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow—

  in these cases any friend will take to flight.

  23Gain the trust of your neighbor in his poverty,

  so that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity.

  Stand by him in time of distress,

  so that you may share with him in his inheritance.d

  24The vapor and smoke of the furnace precede the fire;

  so insults precede bloodshed.

  25I am not ashamed to shelter a friend,

  and I will not hide from him.<
br />
  26But if harm should come to me because of him,

  whoever hears of it will beware of him.

  A Prayer for Help against Sinning

  27Who will set a guard over my mouth,

  and an effective seal upon my lips,

  so that I may not fall because of them,

  and my tongue may not destroy me?

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  a Other ancient authorities add 7Children who are brought up in a good life, conceal the lowly birth of their parents. 8Children who are disdainfully and boorishly haughty stain the nobility of their kindred.

  b Other ancient authorities add For being without sense he will despise everything about you

  c Other ancient authorities read Pebbles

  d Other ancient authorities add For one should not always despise restricted circumstances, or admire a rich person who is stupid.

  22.3–6 A small set of sayings on the need to discipline one’s children.

  22.3 A common view in antiquity was that the birth of a daughter is a loss. For Ben Sira’s views on daughters, see 42.9–14.

  22.6 Thrashing, the commonly accepted approach to discipline in antiquity, both at home and in the Hellenistic class-room. See 30.1–13; Prov 13.24.

  22.9–18 On watching out for the fool, a character type common to wisdom discourse.

  22.12 Seven days, the traditional period of mourning. See Gen 50.10; Jdt 16.24; but cf. Sir 38.17.

  22.13 Shakes himself off, unclear. The Hebrew is missing, but the Syriac reads “pig” for the unintelligent person, which means that the Hebrew may have used a derogatory label such as “dog,” an animal that shakes itself off.

  22.14 On the fool as a heavy burden, see 21.16.

  22.19–26 A cluster of sayings on insults and their effect upon friendship.