Qumran, and Ps. 154 is not a sectarian composition. In fact the positive view of King Jonathan in this text contradicts the anti-Hasmonean attitude expressed in many of the sectarian scrolls. Thus it is likely that the composition originated elsewhere and was brought to Qumran by one of the sect\u2019s members.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The King Jonathan mentioned in the prayer should be identified with the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus, who was called Jonathan in Hebrew. He is likewise the only Maccabean Jonathan who ever bore the title of king; although Jonathan the brother of Judas Maccabaeus ruled over Judea and actually did serve as high priest from 152\u2013142 BCE, he never took the royal title.
\nAlexander Jannaeus ruled from 103\u201376 BCE. His coinage styles him as both king and high priest. His reign was marked by warfare, as he tried to extend and secure the borders of Judea. He conducted three military campaigns in which he was unexpectedly rescued; all three rescues could have been attributed to divine intervention, and any of the three could have occasioned the composition of this hymn.
\nThe sectarians who produced the Dead Sea sectarian scrolls are known to have generally opposed the Hasmoneans and their assumption of the high priesthood. Three of the sectarian pesharim (biblical commentaries) refer to events during Alexander Jannaeus\u2019s reign; two of them use the sobriquet \u201cLion of Wrath\u201d to refer (unfavorably) to his execution of his enemies in the war with Demetrius. Thus it is unlikely that this composition originated at Qumran, but it may give us an example of pro-Hasmonean writing contemporary with Alexander Jannaeus.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Eshel, E. \u201cPersonal Names in the Qumran Sect.\u201d In These Are the Names: Studies in Jewish Onomastics, edited by A. Demsky, J. A. Reif, and J. Tabory, 39\u201352. Ramat Gan: Bar Ilan University Press, 1997.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014, H. Eshel, and A. Yardeni. \u201cA Qumran Composition Containing Part of Ps. 154 and a Prayer for the Welfare of King Jonathan and His Kingdom.\u201d IEJ 42 (1992): 199\u2013229.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014, H. Eshel, and A. Yardeni. \u201c448. 4QApocryphal Psalm and Prayer.\u201d In Qumran Cave 4. VI: Poetical and Liturgical Texts, 1, edited by E. Eshel, et al., 403\u201325, DJD 11. Oxford: Clarendon, 1998.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014, and E. Eshel. \u201c4Q448, Psalm 154 (Syriac), Sirach 48:20 and 4QpIsaa.\u201d JBL 119 (2000): 645\u201359.
\nEshel, H. \u201cA Prayer for the Welfare of King Jonathan.\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hasmonean State, 101\u201315 (chap. 5). Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2008.
\nLemaire, A. \u201cAttestation textuelle et critique litt\u00e9raire: 4Q448 col. A et Psaulme 154.\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls: Fifty Years after Their Discovery, edited by L. H. Schiffman, E. Tov, and J. C. VanderKam, 12\u201318. Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society, 2000.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Column 1<\/p>\n
1. Halleluyah, a song of [
\n2. You loved as a fat [her
\n3. You ruled over [
\n4. [blank]
\n5. They were terrified of Senna[cherib and cried out: With a loud voice glorify God, in the congregation]
\n6. of the many procl[aim His majesty. Bind your souls to the good ones,]
\n7. and to the pure ones [to glorify the Most High. Behold the eyes of the LORD are compassionate over the good ones,]
\n8. And upon those who glorify Him He [increases His mercy. From an evil time He will deliver their soul, (He) who redeems]
\n9. the humble from the hand of adversaries. [And He delivers the perfect from the power of the wicked. He who desires]
\n10. His habitation in Zion, ch[ooses Jerusalem forever]<\/p>\n
Column 2<\/p>\n
1. Keep guard, O Holy One
\n2. over king Jonathan
\n3. and over all the congregation of your people
\n4. Israel
\n5. who are in the four [
\n6. corners of heaven
\n7. Let them all be at peace
\n8. and upon Your kingdom
\n9. May Your name be blessed<\/p>\n
Column 3<\/p>\n
1. by Your love atys[
\n2. in the day and until evening m[
\n3. to approach to be b[
\n4. remember them for blessing l[
\n5. for Your name, which is called
\n6. Kingdom to be blessed [
\n7. for the day of war y[
\n8. to king Jonathan [
\n9. mt[<\/p>\n
Outside the Bible 3<\/p>\n
Wisdom Writings<\/p>\n
The selections here span the early 2nd century BCE to the end of the 1st century CE. The first four circulated in Greek, although Wisdom of Ben Sira was originally composed in and also circulated in Hebrew. They include a variety of genres and literary techniques\u2014short aphorisms, biblical-sounding idioms, practical instruction, philosophical ideas and vocabulary, and more generally common to Wisdom writings of the period. A distinctive group is the diverse selection of Wisdom writings in Hebrew found at Qumran. These were not necessarily composed by the sectarians but were fundamental to its thought; they greatly enhance our picture of Wisdom speculation in the Land of Israel in Second Temple times.<\/p>\n
Wisdom of Solomon<\/p>\n
Peter Enns<\/p>\n
The Wisdom of Solomon (also known as the book of Wisdom) is a Hellenistic work and is found in the Apocrypha. The book is essentially a plea to follow the path of wisdom, and a few passages indicate some sort of connection with King Solomon (especially chapters 6\u20139; see below)\u2014hence the traditional title of the book. Overall, the book is an argument to follow wisdom rather than the ways of the ungodly. The author does this by contrasting wisdom\u2019s care for the godly to the ultimate fate of Israel\u2019s enemies, past (in chapters 10\u201319) and present (chapters 1\u20139). Death will come from following an ungodly path, but God helps his people \u201cin all times and in all places\u201d (19:22).<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Wisdom is an anonymous work. It seems clear, however, that the author wants to identify himself with Solomon. For example, the author\u2019s quest for wisdom in 7:1\u201314 is reminiscent of Solomon\u2019s plea in 1 Kings 3:6\u20139. Also, the author\u2019s reference to God\u2019s command to build the Temple (Wis. 9:7\u20138) can only refer to the Solomon of Scripture. It is a commonly attested literary device in the ancient world to attribute one\u2019s work to a famous figure from the past or some heavenly being. This not be an act of deception, but a vehicle for communicating an important message. Since the author of this work adopts a Solomonic mask, he is conventionally referred to as \u201cPseudo-Solomon\u201d (hereafter Ps.-Solomon).
\nThere is no reason to assign its authorship to more than one person, as was the tendency in previous centuries of scholarship. The presence of certain key words and phrases throughout Wisdom argue for the book\u2019s unity. On the basis of these repeated words and phrases, James Reese has demonstrated convincingly that one author is responsible for the whole.
\nAs with much of ancient literature, it is difficult to pin down with any degree of certainty when Wisdom was written. A date somewhere between 100 BCE and 50 CE is broadly accepted. More precisely, a date during the reign of the Roman emperor Gaius Caligula (37\u201341 CE) can be defended. For one thing, the cataclysmic event of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE is neither mentioned nor alluded to in the book. In fact, in 3:14 and 9:8, its existence is assumed. Second, Wisdom indicates a clear undercurrent of strong persecution (see 2:12\u20135:14), which is consistent with Caligula\u2019s reign of terror. Third, the author\u2019s vocabulary consists of a significant number of words and usages, some associated with Middle Platonic philosophy (a popular philosophical school at the time that grew out of Platonic philosophy and taught, among other things, the immortality of the soul) that are unattested elsewhere before the 1st century CE.
\nAlthough the original work can reasonably be dated to the early 1st century CE, no manuscripts from this time survive (as is typically the case with ancient texts). The oldest manuscripts are the 4th century CE codex Vaticanus and codex Sinaiticus. A 4th-century CE date leaves about a 300-year gap between the original and the oldest copies. Although much can certainly happen during that time to introduce errors in transmission, scholars are confident we have a solid and reliable text.
\nIt is nearly universally accepted that Wisdom was written originally in Greek by an Alexandrian Jew. Even though the book exhibits an occasional Semitic style (phrases, word order), this does not support an argument for a Hebrew original. Rather, it simply reflects the mixing of cultures and languages during the time in which Wisdom was written.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The book\u2019s significance can be seen mainly in two areas. First, like his fellow Alexandrian (and rough contemporary) Philo, the author blends Jewish faith and life with Greek philosophical influence. This can be seen in his choice of words as well as concepts. For example, Ps.-Solomon deals with such issues as the preexistence and immortality of the soul; the relationship between Torah and wisdom, and between the Logos and wisdom; and the tensions between free will and determinism.
\nSecond, the author\u2019s understanding of Israel\u2019s history in chapters 10\u201319 reflects interpretive conclusions and techniques found in other ancient literatures. In some cases, his interpretations reflect the insights of previous interpreters. In other cases, they are only reflected (more fully) in later Rabbinic literature. In either case, his way of understanding the significance of Israel\u2019s past is a snapshot of a very early stage in the history of biblical interpretation.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
There are a number of legitimate ways of outlining this book, but a two-part scheme will provide helpful guidance for readers. In chapters 1\u20139 (part 1), Ps.-Solomon\u2019s focus is on attributes and benefits of wisdom and in this sense is reminiscent of Proverbs. In chapters 10\u201319 (part 2), the character of the book shifts noticeably. Here the author looks back over Israel\u2019s history, beginning with Adam through Joseph (10:1\u201314). Then at 10:15 the writer continues this historical focus with a lengthy discourse on the Exodus and the wilderness period, which will remain his major theme for the remainder of the book.
\nUnderstanding the central role of the Exodus in part 2 is important for understanding the book as a whole. In 3:2 and 7:6 the author uses the word \u201cexodus\u201d (Gk. exodos) to refer to a person\u2019s physical death. (The \u201cexodus\u201d mentioned in 3:2 refers to the faithful who die at the hands of tormentors, while 7:6 describes the death of all people.) In his use of this term, Ps.-Solomon lends encouragement to a people facing the very real possibility of death, a personal \u201cexodus\u201d (3:1\u20139).
\nThis personal exodus is put into a larger perspective in part 2, where the author draws our attention to Israel\u2019s Exodus experience, her metaphorical passage from death to life. Ps.-Solomon apparently views the Exodus as the prime biblical portrait of what wisdom is doing now in the lives of these persecuted Alexandrian Jews. Just as God was faithful in delivering the generation of Moses, so is he poised now to deliver these persecuted Jews. In fact, even if they die a martyr\u2019s death, wisdom will not forsake them, for the righteous will judge the ungodly and live forever (4:16\u201320; 5:15\u201316).
\nThis connection between the two parts of the book can further be seen by how certain words and concepts in the second half echo what one sees in the first half. Important examples of this include words like \u201cgodly,\u201d \u201cungodly,\u201d \u201cseed,\u201d \u201cpeople,\u201d and \u201cnations\u201d to describe both God\u2019s people and God\u2019s enemies, past and present.
\nOne final point to bear in mind is the book\u2019s intended audience. Even though the book is addressed to the \u201crulers of the earth\u201d (1:1; see also 6:1), the real audience is fellow persecuted Jews. In part 1, the secular rulers are being called to account for their actions, but this book is certainly not meant to be delivered to them as a declaration of some sort. It was written to encourage the Jews that God will hold to account all his enemies and will deliver his people.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Clarke, E. G. The Wisdom of Solomon. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1973.
\nCoogan, Michael D., and others, eds. New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
\nEnns, P. Exodus Retold: Ancient Exegesis of the Departure from Egypt in Wis 10:15\u201321 and 19:1\u20139. Harvard Semitic Monographs 57. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997.
\nHorbury, W. H. \u201cThe Christian Use and the Jewish Origins of the Wisdom of Solomon.\u201d Wisdom in Ancient Israel: Essays in Honor of J. A. Emerton, edited by J. Day, R. P. Gordon, and H. G. M. Williamson, 182\u201396. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
\nReese, J. M. Hellenistic Influence on the Book of Wisdom and Its Consequences. Analecta biblica 41. Rome: Biblical Institute, 1970.
\nReider, J. The Book of Wisdom. New York: Harper & Row, 1957.
\nSchaberg, J. \u201cMajor Midrashic Traditions in Wisdom 1,1\u20136, 25.\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods 13 (1982): 75\u2013101.
\nSkehan, P. W. \u201cThe Literary Relationship of the Book of Wisdom to Earlier Wisdom Writings.\u201d In Studies in Israelite Poetry and Wisdom, 172\u2013236. Catholic Bible Quarterly Monograph Series 1. Washington DC: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1971.
\nVogels, W. \u201cThe God Who Creates Is the God Who Saves: The Book of Wisdom\u2019s Reversal of the Biblical Pattern.\u201d \u00c9glise et th\u00e9ologie 22 (1991): 315\u201335.
\nWinston, D. The Wisdom of Solomon. Anchor Bible 43. New York: Doubleday, 1979.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
A Discourse Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked; Prologue<\/p>\n
1:1Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
\nthink of the LORD in goodness
\nand seek him with sincerity of heart;
\n2because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
\nand manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
\n3For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
\nand when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish;
\n4because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
\nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
\n5For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
\nand will leave foolish thoughts behind,
\nand will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.<\/p>\n
6For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
\nbut will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words;
\nbecause God is witness of their inmost feelings,
\nand a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues.
\n7Because the spirit of the LORD has filled the world,
\nand that which holds all things together knows what is said,
\n8therefore those who utter unrighteous things will not escape notice,
\nand justice, when it punishes, will not pass them by.
\n9For inquiry will be made into the counsels of the ungodly,
\nand a report of their words will come to the LORD,
\nto convict them of their lawless deeds;
\n10because a jealous ear hears all things,
\nand the sound of grumbling does not go unheard.
\n11Beware then of useless grumbling,
\nand keep your tongue from slander;
\nbecause no secret word is without result,
\nand a lying mouth destroys the soul.<\/p>\n
12Do not invite death by the error of your life,
\nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
\n13because God did not make death,
\nand he does not delight in the death of the living.
\n14For he created all things so that they might exist;
\nthe generative forces of the world are wholesome,
\nand there is no destructive poison in them,
\nand the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
\n15For righteousness is immortal.<\/p>\n
The Deluded Reasoning of the Ungodly<\/p>\n
16But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
\nconsidering him a friend, they pined away
\nand made a covenant with him,
\nbecause they are fit to belong to his company.
\n2:1For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
\n\u201cShort and sorrowful is our life,
\nand there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,
\nand no one has been known to return from Hades.
\n2For we were born by mere chance,
\nand hereafter we shall be as though we had never been,
\nfor the breath in our nostrils is smoke,
\nand reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts;
\n3when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes,
\nand the spirit will dissolve like empty air.
\n4Our name will be forgotten in time,
\nand no one will remember our works;
\nour life will pass away like the traces of a cloud,
\nand be scattered like mist
\nthat is chased by the rays of the sun
\nand overcome by its heat.
\n5For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow,
\nand there is no return from our death,
\nbecause it is sealed up and no one turns back.<\/p>\n
6\u201cCome, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist,
\nand make use of the creation to the full as in youth.
\n7Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,
\nand let no flower of spring pass us by.
\n8Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
\n9Let none of us fail to share in our revelry;
\neverywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment,
\nbecause this is our portion, and this our lot.
\n10Let us oppress the righteous poor man;
\nlet us not spare the widow
\nor regard the gray hairs of the aged.
\n11But let our might be our law of right,
\nfor what is weak proves itself to be useless.\u201d<\/p>\n
12\u201cLet us lie in wait for the righteous man,
\nbecause he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
\nhe reproaches us for sins against the law,
\nand accuses us of sins against our training.
\n13He professes to have knowledge of God,
\nand calls himself a child of the LORD.
\n14He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
\n15the very sight of him is a burden to us,
\nbecause his manner of life is unlike that of others,
\nand his ways are strange.
\n16We are considered by him as something base,
\nand he avoids our ways as unclean;
\nhe calls the last end of the righteous happy,
\nand boasts that God is his father.
\n17Let us see if his words are true,
\nand let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
\n18for if the righteous man is God\u2019s child, he will help him,
\nand will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
\n19Let us test him with insult and torture,
\nso that we may find out how gentle he is,
\nand make trial of his forbearance.
\n20Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
\nfor, according to what he says, he will be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
21Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,
\nfor their wickedness blinded them,
\n22and they did not know the secret purposes of God,
\nnor hoped for the wages of holiness,
\nnor discerned the prize for blameless souls;
\n23for God created us for incorruption,
\nand made us in the image of his own eternity,
\n24but through the devil\u2019s envy death entered the world,
\nand those who belong to his company experience it.<\/p>\n
The Reward of the Righteous<\/p>\n
3:1But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
\nand no torment will ever touch them.
\n2In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
\nand their departure was thought to be a disaster,
\n3and their going from us to be their destruction;
\nbut they are at peace.
\n4For though in the sight of others they were punished,
\ntheir hope is full of immortality.
\n5Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
\nbecause God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
\n6like gold in the furnace he tried them,
\nand like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
\n7In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
\nand will run like sparks through the stubble.
\n8They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
\nand the LORD will reign over them forever.
\n9Those who trust in him will understand truth,
\nand the faithful will abide with him in love,
\nbecause grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
\nand he watches over his elect.<\/p>\n
Rewards and Punishments<\/p>\n
10 But the ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves,
\nthose who disregarded the righteous
\nand rebelled against the LORD;
\n11for those who despise wisdom and instruction are miserable.
\nTheir hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable,
\nand their works are useless.
\n12Their wives are foolish, and their children evil;
\n13their offspring are accursed.
\nFor blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled,
\nwho has not entered into a sinful union;
\nshe will have fruit when God examines souls.
\n14Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed,
\nand who has not devised wicked things against the LORD;
\nfor special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness,
\nand a place of great delight in the temple of the LORD.
\n15For the fruit of good labors is renowned,
\nand the root of understanding does not fail.
\n16But children of adulterers will not come to maturity,
\nand the offspring of an unlawful union will perish.
\n17Even if they live long they will be held of no account,
\nand finally their old age will be without honor.
\n18If they die young, they will have no hope
\nand no consolation on the day of judgment.
\n19For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.
\n4:1Better than this is childlessness with virtue,
\nfor in the memory of virtue is immortality,
\nbecause it is known both by God and by mortals.
\n2When it is present, people imitate it,
\nand they long for it when it has gone;
\nthroughout all time it marches, crowned in triumph,
\nvictor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.
\n3But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,
\nand none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root
\nor take a firm hold.
\n4For even if they put forth boughs for a while,
\nstanding insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,
\nand by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.
\n5The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity,
\nand their fruit will be useless,
\nnot ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing.
\n6For children born of unlawful unions
\nare witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them.<\/p>\n
The Blessedness of the Righteous Despite Early Death<\/p>\n
7But the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest.
\n8For old age is not honored for length of time,
\nor measured by number of years;
\n9but understanding is gray hair for anyone,
\nand a blameless life is ripe old age.<\/p>\n
10There were some who pleased God and were loved by him,
\nand while living among sinners were taken up.
\n11They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding
\nor guile deceive their souls.
\n12For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,
\nand roving desire perverts the innocent mind.
\n13Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years;
\n14for their souls were pleasing to the LORD,
\ntherefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.
\n15Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,
\nor take such a thing to heart,
\nthat God\u2019s grace and mercy are with his elect,
\nand that he watches over his holy ones.<\/p>\n
16The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living,
\nand youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of
\nthe unrighteous.
\n17For they will see the end of the wise,
\nand will not understand what the LORD purposed for them,
\nand for what he kept them safe.
\n18The unrighteous will see, and will have contempt for them,
\nbut the LORD will laugh them to scorn.
\nAfter this they will become dishonored corpses,
\nand an outrage among the dead forever;
\n19because he will dash them speechless to the ground,
\nand shake them from the foundations;
\nthey will be left utterly dry and barren,
\nand they will suffer anguish,
\nand the memory of them will perish.<\/p>\n
The Final Judgment<\/p>\n
20They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
\nand their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.<\/p>\n
5:1Then the righteous will stand with great confidence
\nin the presence of those who have oppressed them
\nand those who make light of their labors.
\n2When the unrighteous see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,
\nand they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous.
\n3They will speak to one another in repentance,
\nand in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,
\n4\u201cThese are persons whom we once held in derision
\nand made a byword of reproach\u2014fools that we were!
\nWe thought that their lives were madness
\nand that their end was without honor.
\n5Why have they been numbered among the children of God?
\nAnd why is their lot among the saints?
\n6So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
\nand the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
\nand the sun did not rise upon us.
\n7We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
\nand we journeyed through trackless deserts,
\nbut the way of the LORD we have not known.
\n8What has our arrogance profited us?
\nAnd what good has our boasted wealth brought us?<\/p>\n
9\u201cAll those things have vanished like a shadow,
\nand like a rumor that passes by;
\n10like a ship that sails through the billowy water,
\nand when it has passed no trace can be found,
\nno track of its keel in the waves;
\n11or as, when a bird flies through the air,
\nno evidence of its passage is found;
\nthe light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions
\nand pierced by the force of its rushing flight,
\nis traversed by the movement of its wings,
\nand afterward no sign of its coming is found there;
\n12or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,
\nthe air, thus divided, comes together at once,
\nso that no one knows its pathway.
\n13So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,
\nand we had no sign of virtue to show,
\nbut were consumed in our wickedness.\u201d
\n14Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown carried by the wind,
\nand like a light frost driven away by a storm;
\nit is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
\nand it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.<\/p>\n
15But the righteous live forever,
\nand their reward is with the LORD;
\nthe Most High takes care of them.
\n16Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
\nand a beautiful diadem from the hand of the LORD,
\nbecause with his right hand he will cover them,
\nand with his arm he will shield them.
\n17The LORD will take his zeal as his whole armor,
\nand will arm all creation to repel his enemies;
\n18he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,
\nand wear impartial justice as a helmet;
\n19he will take holiness as an invincible shield,
\n20and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,
\nand creation will join with him to fight against his frenzied foes.
\n21Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,
\nand will leap from the clouds to the target, as from a well-drawn bow,
\n22and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;
\nthe water of the sea will rage against them,
\nand rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them;
\n23a mighty wind will rise against them,
\nand like a tempest it will winnow them away.
\nLawlessness will lay waste the whole earth,
\nand evildoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.<\/p>\n
Exhortation to Seek Wisdom<\/p>\n
6:1Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
\nlearn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
\n2Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
\nand boast of many nations.
\n3For your dominion was given you from the LORD,
\nand your sovereignty from the Most High;
\nhe will search out your works and inquire into your plans.
\n4Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly,
\nor keep the law,
\nor walk according to the purpose of God,
\n5he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,
\nbecause severe judgment falls on those in high places.
\n6For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy,
\nbut the mighty will be mightily tested.
\n7For the LORD of all will not stand in awe of anyone,
\nor show deference to greatness;
\nbecause he himself made both small and great,
\nand he takes thought for all alike.
\n8But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.
\n9To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,
\nso that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.
\n10For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness,
\nand those who have been taught them will find a defense.
\n11Therefore set your desire on my words;
\nlong for them, and you will be instructed.<\/p>\n
12Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
\nand she is easily discerned by those who love her,
\nand is found by those who seek her.
\n13She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
\n14One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
\nfor she will be found sitting at the gate.
\n15To fix one\u2019s thought on her is perfect understanding,
\nand one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
\n16because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
\nand she graciously appears to them in their paths,
\nand meets them in every thought.
\n17The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction,
\nand concern for instruction is love of her,
\n18and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
\nand giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
\n19and immortality brings one near to God;
\n20so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.<\/p>\n
21Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples,
\nhonor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.
\n22I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be,
\nand I will hide no secrets from you,
\nbut I will trace her course from the beginning of creation,
\nand make knowledge of her clear,
\nand I will not pass by the truth;
\n23nor will I travel in the company of sickly envy,
\nfor envy does not associate with wisdom.
\n24The multitude of the wise is the salvation of the world,
\nand a sensible king is the stability of any people.
\n25Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit.<\/p>\n
King Solomon and the Quest for Wisdom; Solomon\u2019s Speech<\/p>\n
7:1I also am mortal, like everyone else,
\na descendant of the first-formed child of earth;
\nand in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,
\n2within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
\nfrom the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
\n3And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air,
\nand fell upon the kindred earth;
\nmy first sound was a cry, as is true of all.
\n4I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
\n5For no king has had a different beginning of existence;
\n6there is for all one entrance into life, and one way out.
\n7Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
\nI called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
\n8I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
\nand I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
\n9Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
\nbecause all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
\nand silver will be accounted as clay before her.
\n10I loved her more than health and beauty,
\nand I chose to have her rather than light,
\nbecause her radiance never ceases.
\n11All good things came to me along with her,
\nand in her hands uncounted wealth.
\n12I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
\nbut I did not know that she was their mother.
\n13I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;
\nI do not hide her wealth,
\n14for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;
\nthose who get it obtain friendship with God,
\ncommended for the gifts that come from instruction.<\/p>\n
15May God grant me to speak with judgment,
\nand to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;
\nfor he is the guide even of wisdom
\nand the corrector of the wise.
\n16For both we and our words are in his hand,
\nas are all understanding and skill in crafts.
\n17For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
\nto know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;
\n18the beginning and end and middle of times,
\nthe alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
\n19the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
\n20the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,
\nthe powers of spirits and the thoughts of human beings,
\nthe varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;
\n21I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
\n22for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.<\/p>\n
The Divine Essence and Activity of Wisdom<\/p>\n
There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
\nunique, manifold, subtle,
\nmobile, clear, unpolluted,
\ndistinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
\nirresistible, 23beneficent, humane,
\nsteadfast, sure, free from anxiety,
\nall-powerful, overseeing all,
\nand penetrating through all spirits
\nthat are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.
\n24For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;
\nbecause of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.
\n25For she is a breath of the power of God,
\nand a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
\ntherefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
\n26For she is a reflection of eternal light,
\na spotless mirror of the working of God,
\nand an image of his goodness.
\n27Although she is but one, she can do all things,
\nand while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
\nin every generation she passes into holy souls
\nand makes them friends of God, and prophets;
\n28for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.
\n29She is more beautiful than the sun,
\nand excels every constellation of the stars.
\nCompared with the light she is found to be superior,
\n30for it is succeeded by the night,
\nbut against wisdom evil does not prevail.<\/p>\n
8:1She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
\nand she orders all things well.<\/p>\n
The Many Benefits of a Relationship with Wisdom<\/p>\n
2I loved her and sought her from my youth;
\nI desired to take her for my bride,
\nand became enamored of her beauty.
\n3She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,
\nand the LORD of all loves her.
\n4For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,
\nand an associate in his works.
\n5If riches are a desirable possession in life,
\nwhat is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?
\n6And if understanding is effective,
\nwho more than she is fashioner of what exists?
\n7And if anyone loves righteousness,
\nher labors are virtues;
\nfor she teaches self-control and prudence,
\njustice and courage;
\nnothing in life is more profitable for mortals than these.
\n8And if anyone longs for wide experience,
\nshe knows the things of old, and infers the things to come;
\nshe understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles;
\nshe has foreknowledge of signs and wonders
\nand of the outcome of seasons and times.
\n9Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,
\nknowing that she would give me good counsel
\nand encouragement in cares and grief.
\n10Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes
\nand honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.
\n11I shall be found keen in judgment,
\nand in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.
\n12When I am silent they will wait for me,
\nand when I speak they will give heed;
\nif I speak at greater length,
\nthey will put their hands on their mouths.
\n13Because of her I shall have immortality,
\nand leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.
\n14I shall govern peoples,
\nand nations will be subject to me;
\n15dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;
\namong the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous in war.
\n16When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her;
\nfor companionship with her has no bitterness,
\nand life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.
\n17When I considered these things inwardly,
\nand pondered in my heart
\nthat in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
\n18and in friendship with her, pure delight,
\nand in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,
\nand in the experience of her company, understanding,
\nand renown in sharing her words,
\nI went about seeking how to get her for myself.
\n19As a child I was naturally gifted,
\nand a good soul fell to my lot;
\n20or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.<\/p>\n
Solomon\u2019s Prayer for Wisdom<\/p>\n
21But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me\u2014
\nand it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was\u2014
\nso I appealed to the LORD and implored him,
\nand with my whole heart I said:<\/p>\n
9:1\u201cO God of my ancestors and LORD of mercy,
\nwho have made all things by your word,
\n2and by your wisdom have formed humankind
\nto have dominion over the creatures you have made,
\n3and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
\nand pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
\n4give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,
\nand do not reject me from among your servants.
\n5For I am your servant the son of your serving girl,
\na man who is weak and short-lived,
\nwith little understanding of judgment and laws;
\n6for even one who is perfect among human beings
\nwill be regarded as nothing without the wisdom that comes from you.
\n7You have chosen me to be king of your people
\nand to be judge over your sons and daughters.
\n8You have given command to build a temple on your holy mountain,
\nand an altar in the city of your habitation,
\na copy of the holy tent that you prepared from the beginning.
\n9With you is wisdom, she who knows your works
\nand was present when you made the world;
\nshe understands what is pleasing in your sight
\nand what is right according to your commandments.
\n10Send her forth from the holy heavens,
\nand from the throne of your glory send her,
\nthat she may labor at my side,
\nand that I may learn what is pleasing to you.
\n11For she knows and understands all things,
\nand she will guide me wisely in my actions
\nand guard me with her glory.
\n12Then my works will be acceptable,
\nand I shall judge your people justly,
\nand shall be worthy of the throne of my father.
\n13For who can learn the counsel of God?
\nOr who can discern what the LORD wills?
\n14For the reasoning of mortals is worthless,
\nand our designs are likely to fail;
\n15for a perishable body weighs down the soul,
\nand this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
\n16We can hardly guess at what is on earth,
\nand what is at hand we find with labor;
\nbut who has traced out what is in the heavens?
\n17Who has learned your counsel,
\nunless you have given wisdom
\nand sent your holy spirit from on high?
\n18And thus the paths of those on earth were set right,
\nand people were taught what pleases you,
\nand were saved by wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historical Illustrations of Wisdom\u2019s Saving and Punitive Power<\/p>\n
10:1Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had
\nbeen created; she delivered him from his transgression,
\n2and gave him strength to rule all things.
\n3But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger,
\nhe perished because in rage he killed his brother.
\n4When the earth was flooded because of him, wisdom again saved it,
\nsteering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood.<\/p>\n
5Wisdom also, when the nations in wicked agreement had been put to confusion,
\nrecognized the righteous man and preserved him blameless before God,
\nand kept him strong in the face of his compassion for his child.<\/p>\n
6Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing;
\nhe escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities.
\n7Evidence of their wickedness still remains:
\na continually smoking wasteland,
\nplants bearing fruit that does not ripen,
\nand a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.
\n8For because they passed wisdom by,
\nthey not only were hindered from recognizing the good,
\nbut also left for humankind a reminder of their folly,
\nso that their failures could never go unnoticed.<\/p>\n
9Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her.
\n10When a righteous man fled from his brother\u2019s wrath,
\nshe guided him on straight paths;
\nshe showed him the kingdom of God,
\nand gave him knowledge of holy things;
\nshe prospered him in his labors,
\nand increased the fruit of his toil.
\n11When his oppressors were covetous,
\nshe stood by him and made him rich.
\n12She protected him from his enemies,
\nand kept him safe from those who lay in wait for him;
\nin his arduous contest she gave him the victory,
\nso that he might learn that godliness is more powerful than anything else.<\/p>\n
13When a righteous man was sold, wisdom did not desert him,
\nbut delivered him from sin.
\nShe descended with him into the dungeon,
\n14and when he was in prison she did not leave him,
\nuntil she brought him the scepter of a kingdom
\nand authority over his masters.
\nThose who accused him she showed to be false,
\nand she gave him everlasting honor.<\/p>\n
15A holy people and blameless race
\nwisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors.
\n16She entered the soul of a servant of the LORD,
\nand withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
\n17She gave to holy people the reward of their labors;
\nshe guided them along a marvelous way,
\nand became a shelter to them by day,
\nand a starry flame through the night.
\n18She brought them over the Red Sea,
\nand led them through deep waters;
\n19but she drowned their enemies,
\nand cast them up from the depth of the sea.
\n20Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;
\nthey sang hymns, O LORD, to your holy name,
\nand praised with one accord your defending hand;
\n21for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute,
\nand made the tongues of infants speak clearly.<\/p>\n
A Historical Meditation Contrasting God\u2019s Dealings with the Israelites and the Egyptians; the First Contrast<\/p>\n
11:1Wisdom prospered their works by the hand of a holy prophet.
\n2 They journeyed through an uninhabited wilderness,
\nand pitched their tents in untrodden places.
\n3They withstood their enemies and fought off their foes.
\n4When they were thirsty, they called upon you,
\nand water was given them out of flinty rock,
\nand from hard stone a remedy for their thirst.
\n5For through the very things by which their enemies were punished,
\nthey themselves received benefit in their need.
\n6Instead of the fountain of an ever-flowing river,
\nstirred up and defiled with blood
\n7in rebuke for the decree to kill the infants,
\nyou gave them abundant water unexpectedly,
\n8showing by their thirst at that time
\nhow you punished their enemies.
\n9For when they were tried, though they were being disciplined in mercy,
\nthey learned how the ungodly were tormented when judged in wrath.
\n10For you tested them as a parent does in warning,
\nbut you examined the ungodly as a stern king does in condemnation.
\n11Whether absent or present, they were equally distressed,
\n12for a twofold grief possessed them,
\nand a groaning at the memory of what had occurred.
\n13For when they heard that through their own punishments
\nthe righteous had received benefit, they perceived it was the LORD\u2018s doing.
\n14For though they had mockingly rejected him who long before had been cast
\nout and exposed, at the end of the events they marveled at him,
\nwhen they felt thirst in a different way from the righteous.
\n15In return for their foolish and wicked thoughts,
\nwhich led them astray to worship irrational serpents and worthless animals,
\nyou sent upon them a multitude of irrational creatures to punish them,
\n16so that they might learn that one is punished by the very things by which one sins.<\/p>\n
A Series of Digressions; God Exercises Power and Mercy in Judgment<\/p>\n
17For your all-powerful hand,
\nwhich created the world out of formless matter,
\ndid not lack the means to send upon them a multitude of bears, or bold lions,
\n18or newly-created unknown beasts full of rage,
\nor such as breathe out fiery breath,
\nor belch forth a thick pall of smoke,
\nor flash terrible sparks from their eyes;
\n19not only could the harm they did destroy people,
\nbut the mere sight of them could kill by fright.
\n20Even apart from these, people could fall at a single breath
\nwhen pursued by justice
\nand scattered by the breath of your power.
\nBut you have arranged all things by measure and number and weight.<\/p>\n
21For it is always in your power to show great strength,
\nand who can withstand the might of your arm?
\n22Because the whole world before you is like a speck that tips the scales,
\nand like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.
\n23But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things,
\nand you overlook people\u2019s sins, so that they may repent.
\n24For you love all things that exist,
\nand detest none of the things that you have made,
\nfor you would not have made anything if you had hated it.
\n25How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?
\nOr how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?
\n26You spare all things, for they are yours, O LORD, you who love the living.<\/p>\n
Divine Righteousness and Forbearance<\/p>\n
12:1For your immortal spirit is in all things.
\n2Therefore you correct little by little those who trespass,
\nand you remind and warn them of the things through which they sin,
\nso that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O LORD.<\/p>\n
3Those who lived long ago in your holy land
\n4you hated for their detestable practices,
\ntheir works of sorcery and unholy rites,
\n5their merciless slaughter of children,
\nand their sacrificial feasting on human flesh and blood.
\nThese initiates from the midst of a heathen cult,
\n6these parents who murder helpless lives,
\nyou willed to destroy by the hands of our ancestors,
\n7so that the land most precious of all to you
\nmight receive a worthy colony of the servants of God.
\n8But even these you spared, since they were but mortals,
\nand sent wasps as forerunners of your army
\nto destroy them little by little,
\n9though you were not unable to give the ungodly into the hands of the righteous in
\nbattle, or to destroy them at one blow by dread wild animals or your stern word.
\n10But judging them little by little you gave them an opportunity to repent,
\nthough you were not unaware that their origin was evil
\nand their wickedness inborn,
\nand that their way of thinking would never change.
\n11For they were an accursed race from the beginning,
\nand it was not through fear of anyone that you left them unpunished for their sins.<\/p>\n
12 For who will say, \u201cWhat have you done?\u201d or will resist your judgment?
\nWho will accuse you for the destruction of nations that you made?
\nOr who will come before you to plead as an advocate for the unrighteous?
\n13For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
\nto whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
\n14nor can any king or monarch confront you about those whom you have punished.
\n15You are righteous and you rule all things righteously,
\ndeeming it alien to your power
\nto condemn anyone who does not deserve to be punished.
\n16For your strength is the source of righteousness,
\nand your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
\n17For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
\nand you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
\n18Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
\nand with great forbearance you govern us;
\nfor you have power to act whenever you choose.<\/p>\n
19Through such works you have taught your people
\nthat the righteous must be kind,
\nand you have filled your children with good hope,
\nbecause you give repentance for sins.
\n20For if you punished with such great care and indulgence
\nthe enemies of your servants and those deserving of death,
\ngranting them time and opportunity to give up their wickedness,
\n21with what strictness you have judged your children,
\nto whose ancestors you gave oaths and covenants full of good promises!
\n22So while chastening us you scourge our enemies ten thousand times more,
\nso that, when we judge, we may meditate upon your goodness,
\nand when we are judged, we may expect mercy.<\/p>\n
23Therefore those who lived unrighteously, in a life of folly,
\nyou tormented through their own abominations.
\n24For they went far astray on the paths of error,
\naccepting as gods those animals that even their enemies despised;
\nthey were deceived like foolish infants.
\n25Therefore, as though to children who cannot reason,
\nyou sent your judgment to mock them.
\n26But those who have not heeded the warning of mild rebukes
\nwill experience the deserved judgment of God.
\n27For when in their suffering they became incensed
\nat those creatures that they had thought to be gods, being punished
\nby means of them, they saw and recognized as the true God the one
\nwhom they had before refused to know. Therefore the utmost condemnation
\ncame upon them.<\/p>\n
The Folly of False Worship; Critique of Nature Worship<\/p>\n
13:1For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature;
\nand they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists,
\nnor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works;
\n2but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air,
\nor the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
\nor the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
\n3If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them to be gods,
\nlet them know how much better than these is their LORD,
\nfor the author of beauty created them.
\n4And if people were amazed at their power and working,
\nlet them perceive from them
\nhow much more powerful is the one who formed them.
\n5For from the greatness and beauty of created things
\ncomes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
\n6Yet these people are little to be blamed,
\nfor perhaps they go astray
\nwhile seeking God and desiring to find him.
\n7For while they live among his works, they keep searching,
\nand they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful.
\n8Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
\n9for if they had the power to know so much
\nthat they could investigate the world,
\nhow did they fail to find sooner the LORD of these things?<\/p>\n
Polemic Against Idolatry<\/p>\n
10But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those
\nwho give the name \u201cgods\u201d to the works of human hands,
\ngold and silver fashioned with skill,
\nand likenesses of animals,
\nor a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
\n11A skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle
\nand skillfully strip off all its bark,
\nand then with pleasing workmanship
\nmake a useful vessel that serves life\u2019s needs,
\n12and burn the cast-off pieces of his work
\nto prepare his food, and eat his fill.
\n13But a cast-off piece from among them, useful for nothing,
\na stick crooked and full of knots,
\nhe takes and carves with care in his leisure,
\nand shapes it with skill gained in idleness;
\nhe forms it in the likeness of a human being,
\n14or makes it like some worthless animal,
\ngiving it a coat of red paint and coloring its surface red
\nand covering every blemish in it with paint;
\n15then he makes a suitable niche for it,
\nand sets it in the wall, and fastens it there with iron.
\n16He takes thought for it, so that it may not fall,
\nbecause he knows that it cannot help itself,
\nfor it is only an image and has need of help.
\n17When he prays about possessions and his marriage and children,
\nhe is not ashamed to address a lifeless thing.
\n18For health he appeals to a thing that is weak;
\nfor life he prays to a thing that is dead;
\nfor aid he entreats a thing that is utterly inexperienced;
\nfor a prosperous journey, a thing that cannot take a step;
\n19for money-making and work and success with his hands
\nhe asks strength of a thing whose hands have no strength.<\/p>\n
14:1Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves
\ncalls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries him.
\n2For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel,
\nand wisdom was the artisan who built it;
\n3but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course,
\nbecause you have given it a path in the sea,
\nand a safe way through the waves,
\n4showing that you can save from every danger,
\nso that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea.
\n5It is your will that works of your wisdom should not be without effect;
\ntherefore people trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood,
\nand passing through the billows on a raft they come safely to land.
\n6For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing,
\nthe hope of the world took refuge on a raft,
\nand guided by your hand left to the world the seed of a new generation.
\n7For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes.<\/p>\n
8But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is the one who made it\u2014
\nhe for having made it, and the perishable thing because it was named a god.
\n9For equally hateful to God are the ungodly and their ungodliness;
\n10for what was done will be punished together with the one who did it.
\n11Therefore there will be a visitation also upon the heathen idols,
\nbecause, though part of what God created, they became an abomination,
\nsnares for human souls and a trap for the feet of the foolish.<\/p>\n
Idols Are the Invention of Human Vanity<\/p>\n
12For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication,
\nand the invention of them was the corruption of life;
\n13for they did not exist from the beginning,
\nnor will they last forever.
\n14For through human vanity they entered the world,
\nand therefore their speedy end has been planned.<\/p>\n
15For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely bereavement,
\nmade an image of his child, who had been suddenly taken from him;
\nhe now honored as a god what was once a dead human being,
\nand handed on to his dependants secret rites and initiations.
\n16Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as a law,
\nand at the command of monarchs carved images were worshiped.
\n17When people could not honor monarchs in their presence, since they lived
\nat a distance, they imagined their appearance far away,
\nand made a visible image of the king whom they honored,
\nso that by their zeal they might flatter the absent one as though present.<\/p>\n
18Then the ambition of the artisan impelled
\neven those who did not know the king to intensify their worship.
\n19For he, perhaps wishing to please his ruler,
\nskillfully forced the likeness to take more beautiful form,
\n20and the multitude, attracted by the charm of his work,
\nnow regarded as an object of worship the one whom shortly
\nbefore they had honored as human being.
\n21And this became a hidden trap for humankind,
\nbecause people, in bondage to misfortune or to royal authority,
\nbestowed on objects of stone or wood the name that ought not to be shared.<\/p>\n
The Repercussions of Idolatry<\/p>\n
22Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God,
\nbut though living in great strife due to ignorance,
\nthey call such great evils peace.
\n23 For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries,
\nor hold frenzied revels with strange customs,
\n24they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure,
\nbut they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery,
\n25and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption,
\nfaithlessness, tumult, perjury,
\n26confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors,
\ndefiling of souls, sexual perversion,
\ndisorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.
\n27For the worship of idols not to be named
\nis the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
\n28For their worshipers either rave in exultation,
\nor prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
\n29for because they trust in lifeless idols
\nthey swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.
\n30But just penalties will overtake them on two counts:
\nbecause they thought wrongly about God in devoting themselves to idols,
\nand because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness.
\n31For it is not the power of the things by which people swear,
\nbut the just penalty for those who sin,
\nthat always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous.<\/p>\n
The Benefits of True Worship<\/p>\n
15:1But you, our God, are kind and true,
\npatient, and ruling all things in mercy.
\n2For even if we sin we are yours, knowing your power;
\nbut we will not sin, because we know that you acknowledge us as yours.
\n3For to know you is complete righteousness,
\nand to know your power is the root of immortality.
\n4For neither has the evil intent of human art misled us,
\nnor the fruitless toil of painters,
\na figure stained with varied colors,
\n5whose appearance arouses yearning in fools,
\nso that they desire the lifeless form of a dead image.
\n6Lovers of evil things and fit for such objects of hope
\nare those who either make or desire or worship them.<\/p>\n
The Fabrication of Idols<\/p>\n
7A potter kneads the soft earth
\nand laboriously molds each vessel for our service,
\nfashioning out of the same clay
\nboth the vessels that serve clean uses
\nand those for contrary uses, making all alike;
\nbut which shall be the use of each of them
\nthe worker in clay decides.
\n8With misspent toil, these workers form a futile god from the same clay\u2014
\nthese mortals who were made of earth a short time before
\nand after a little while go to the earth from which all mortals are taken,
\nwhen the time comes to return the souls that were borrowed.
\n9But the workers are not concerned that mortals are destined to die
\nor that their life is brief,
\nbut they compete with workers in gold and silver,
\nand imitate workers in copper;
\nand they count it a glorious thing to mold counterfeit gods.
\n10Their heart is ashes, their hope is cheaper than dirt,
\nand their lives are of less worth than clay,
\n11because they failed to know the one who formed them
\nand inspired them with active souls
\nand breathed a living spirit into them.
\n12But they considered our existence an idle game,
\nand life a festival held for profit,
\nfor they say one must get money however one can, even by base means.
\n13For these persons, more than all others, know that they sin
\nwhen they make from earthy matter fragile vessels and carved images.<\/p>\n
14But most foolish, and more miserable than an infant,
\nare all the enemies who oppressed your people.
\n15For they thought that all their heathen idols were gods,
\nthough these have neither the use of their eyes to see with,
\nnor nostrils with which to draw breath,
\nnor ears with which to hear,
\nnor fingers to feel with,
\nand their feet are of no use for walking.
\n16For a human being made them,
\nand one whose spirit is borrowed formed them;
\nfor none can form gods that are like themselves.
\n17People are mortal, and what they make with lawless hands is dead;
\nfor they are better than the objects they worship,
\nsince they have life, but the idols never had.<\/p>\n
18Moreover, they worship even the most hateful animals,
\nwhich are worse than all others when judged by their lack of intelligence;
\n19and even as animals they are not so beautiful in appearance that one would
\ndesire them, but they have escaped both the praise of God and his blessing.<\/p>\n
The Second Contrast<\/p>\n
16:1Therefore those people were deservedly punished through such creatures,
\nand were tormented by a multitude of animals.
\n2Instead of this punishment you showed kindness to your people,
\nand you prepared quails to eat,
\na delicacy to satisfy the desire of appetite;
\n3in order that those people, when they desired food,
\nmight lose the least remnant of appetite
\nbecause of the odious creatures sent to them,
\nwhile your people, after suffering want a short time,
\nmight partake of delicacies.
\n4For it was necessary that upon those oppressors inescapable want should come,
\nwhile to these others it was merely shown how their enemies were being tormented.<\/p>\n
The Third Contrast<\/p>\n
5For when the terrible rage of wild animals came upon your people
\nand they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents,
\nyour wrath did not continue to the end;
\n6they were troubled for a little while as a warning,
\nand received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your law\u2019s command.<\/p>\n
7For the one who turned toward it was saved, not by the thing that was beheld,
\nbut by you, the Savior of all.
\n8And by this also you convinced our enemies
\nthat it is you who deliver from every evil.
\n9For they were killed by the bites of locusts and flies,
\nand no healing was found for them,
\nbecause they deserved to be punished by such things.
\n10But your children were not conquered even by the fangs of venomous serpents,
\nfor your mercy came to their help and healed them.
\n11To remind them of your oracles they were bitten,
\nand then were quickly delivered,
\nso that they would not fall into deep forgetfulness
\nand become unresponsive to your kindness.
\n12For neither herb nor poultice cured them,
\nbut it was your word, O LORD, that heals all people.
\n13For you have power over life and death;
\nyou lead mortals down to the gates of Hades and back again.
\n14A person in wickedness kills another,
\nbut cannot bring back the departed spirit,
\nor set free the imprisoned soul.<\/p>\n
The Fourth Contrast<\/p>\n
15To escape from your hand is impossible;
\n16for the ungodly, refusing to know you,
\nwere flogged by the strength of your arm,
\npursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms,
\nand utterly consumed by fire.
\n17For\u2014most incredible of all\u2014in water, which quenches all things,
\nthe fire had still greater effect,
\nfor the universe defends the righteous.
\n18At one time the flame was restrained,
\nso that it might not consume the creatures sent against the ungodly,
\nbut that seeing this they might know
\nthat they were being pursued by the judgment of God;
\n19and at another time even in the midst of water it burned more intensely than fire,
\nto destroy the crops of the unrighteous land.
\n20Instead of these things you gave your people food of angels,
\nand without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread ready to eat,
\nproviding every pleasure and suited to every taste.
\n21For your sustenance manifested your sweetness toward your children;
\nand the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it,
\nwas changed to suit everyone\u2019s liking.
\n22Snow and ice withstood fire without melting,
\nso that they might know that the crops of their enemies
\nwere being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail
\nand flashed in the showers of rain;
\n23whereas the fire, in order that the righteous might be fed,
\neven forgot its native power.
\n24For creation, serving you who made it,
\nexerts itself to punish the unrighteous,
\nand in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in you.
\n25Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms,
\nit served your all-nourishing bounty,
\naccording to the desire of those who had need,
\n26so that your children, whom you loved, O LORD, might learn
\nthat it is not the production of crops that feeds humankind
\nbut that your word sustains those who trust in you.
\n27For what was not destroyed by fire
\nwas melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun,
\n28to make it known that one must rise before the sun to give you thanks,
\nand must pray to you at the dawning of the light;
\n29for the hope of an ungrateful person will melt like wintry frost,
\nand flow away like waste water.<\/p>\n
The Fifth Contrast<\/p>\n
17:1Great are your judgments and hard to describe;
\ntherefore uninstructed souls have gone astray.
\n2For when lawless people supposed that they held the holy nation in their power,
\nthey themselves lay as captives of darkness and prisoners of long night,
\nshut in under their roofs, exiles from eternal providence.
\n3For thinking that in their secret sins they were unobserved
\nbehind a dark curtain of forgetfulness,
\nthey were scattered, terribly alarmed,
\nand appalled by specters.
\n4For not even the inner chamber that held them protected them from fear,
\nbut terrifying sounds rang out around them,
\nand dismal phantoms with gloomy faces appeared.<\/p>\n
5And no power of fire was able to give light,
\nnor did the brilliant flames of the stars
\navail to illumine that hateful night.
\n6Nothing was shining through to them
\nexcept a dreadful, self-kindled fire,
\nand in terror they deemed the things that they saw
\nto be worse than that unseen appearance.
\n7The delusions of their magic art lay humbled,
\nand their boasted wisdom was scornfully rebuked.
\n8For those who promised to drive off the fears and disorders of a sick soul
\nwere sick themselves with ridiculous fear.
\n9For even if nothing disturbing frightened them,
\nyet, scared by the passing of wild animals and the hissing of snakes
\n10they perished in trembling fear,
\nrefusing to look even at the air, though it nowhere could be avoided.
\n11For wickedness is a cowardly thing, condemned by its own testimony;
\ndistressed by conscience, it has always exaggerated the difficulties.
\n12For fear is nothing but a giving up of the helps that come from reason;
\n13and hope, defeated by this inward weakness,
\nprefers ignorance of what causes the torment.
\n14But throughout the night, which was really powerless
\nand which came upon them from the recesses of powerless Hades,
\nthey all slept the same sleep,
\n15and now were driven by monstrous specters,
\nand now were paralyzed by their souls\u2019 surrender;
\nfor sudden and unexpected fear overwhelmed them.
\n16And whoever was there fell down,
\nand thus was kept shut up in a prison not made of iron;
\n17for whether they were farmers or shepherds
\nor workers who toiled in the wilderness,
\nthey were seized, and endured the inescapable fate;
\nfor with one chain of darkness they all were bound.
\n18Whether there came a whistling wind,
\nor a melodious sound of birds in wide-spreading branches,
\nor the rhythm of violently rushing water,
\n19or the harsh crash of rocks hurled down,
\nor the unseen running of leaping animals,
\nor the sound of the most savage roaring beasts,
\nor an echo thrown back from a hollow of the mountains,
\nit paralyzed them with terror.
\n20For the whole world was illumined with brilliant light,
\nand went about its work unhindered,
\n21while over those people alone heavy night was spread,
\nan image of the darkness that was destined to receive them;
\nbut still heavier than darkness were they to themselves.<\/p>\n
18:1But for your holy ones there was very great light.
\nTheir enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms,
\nand counted them happy for not having suffered,
\n2and were thankful that your holy ones, though previously wronged, were
\ndoing them no injury;
\nand they begged their pardon for having been at variance with them.
\n3Therefore you provided a flaming pillar of fire
\nas a guide for your people\u2019s unknown journey,
\nand a harmless sun for their glorious wandering.
\n4For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness,
\nthose who had kept your children imprisoned,
\nthrough whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world.<\/p>\n
The Sixth Contrast<\/p>\n
5When they had resolved to kill the infants of your holy ones,
\nand one child had been abandoned and rescued,
\nyou in punishment took away a multitude of their children;
\nand you destroyed them all together by a mighty flood.
\n6That night was made known beforehand to our ancestors,
\nso that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted.
\n7The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies
\nwere expected by your people.
\n8For by the same means by which you punished our enemies
\nyou called us to yourself and glorified us.
\n9For in secret the holy children of good people offered sacrifices,
\nand with one accord agreed to the divine law,
\nso that the saints would share alike the same things,
\nboth blessings and dangers;
\nand already they were singing the praises of the ancestors.
\n10But the discordant cry of their enemies echoed back,
\nand their piteous lament for their children was spread abroad.
\n11The slave was punished with the same penalty as the master,
\nand the commoner suffered the same loss as the king;
\n12and they all together, by the one form of death,
\nhad corpses too many to count.
\nFor the living were not sufficient even to bury them,
\nsince in one instant their most valued children had been destroyed.
\n13For though they had disbelieved everything because of their magic arts,
\nyet, when their firstborn were destroyed, they acknowledged your people
\nto be God\u2019s child.
\n14For while gentle silence enveloped all things,
\nand night in its swift course was now half gone,
\n15your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne,
\ninto the midst of the land that was doomed,
\na stern warrior
\n16carrying the sharp sword of your authentic command,
\nand stood and filled all things with death,
\nand touched heaven while standing on the earth.<\/p>\n
17Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them,
\nand unexpected fears assailed them;
\n18and one here and another there, hurled down half dead,
\nmade known why they were dying;
\n19for the dreams that disturbed them forewarned them of this,
\nso that they might not perish without knowing why they suffered.
\n20The experience of death touched also the righteous,
\nand a plague came upon the multitude in the desert,
\nbut the wrath did not long continue.
\n21For a blameless man was quick to act as their champion;
\nhe brought forward the shield of his ministry,
\nprayer and propitiation by incense;
\nhe withstood the anger and put an end to the disaster,
\nshowing that he was your servant.
\n22He conquered the wrath not by strength of body,
\nnot by force of arms,
\nbut by his word he subdued the avenger,
\nappealing to the oaths and covenants given to our ancestors.
\n23For when the dead had already fallen on one another in heaps,
\nhe intervened and held back the wrath,
\nand cut off its way to the living.
\n24 For on his long robe the whole world was depicted,
\nand the glories of the ancestors were engraved on the four rows of stones,
\nand your majesty was on the diadem upon his head.
\n25To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared;
\nfor merely to test the wrath was enough.<\/p>\n
The Seventh Contrast<\/p>\n
19:1But the ungodly were assailed to the end by pitiless anger,
\nfor God knew in advance even their future actions:
\n2how, though they themselves had permitted your people to depart
\nand hastily sent them out,
\nthey would change their minds and pursue them.
\n3For while they were still engaged in mourning,
\nand were lamenting at the graves of their dead,
\nthey reached another foolish decision,
\nand pursued as fugitives those whom they had begged and compelled to leave.
\n4For the fate they deserved drew them on to this end,
\nand made them forget what had happened,
\nin order that they might fill up the punishment that their torments still lacked,
\n5and that your people might experience an incredible journey,
\nbut they themselves might meet a strange death.<\/p>\n
6For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew,
\ncomplying with your commands,
\nso that your children might be kept unharmed.
\n7The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp,
\nand dry land emerging where water had stood before,
\nan unhindered way out of the Red Sea,
\nand a grassy plain out of the raging waves,
\n8where those protected by your hand passed through as one nation,
\nafter gazing on marvelous wonders.
\n9For they ranged like horses,
\nand leaped like lambs,
\npraising you, O LORD, who delivered them.
\n10For they still recalled the events of their sojourn,
\nhow instead of producing animals the earth brought forth gnats,
\nand instead of fish the river spewed out vast numbers of frogs.
\n11Afterward they saw also a new kind of birds,
\nwhen desire led them to ask for luxurious food;
\n12for, to give them relief, quails came up from the sea.<\/p>\n
13The punishments did not come upon the sinners
\nwithout prior signs in the violence of thunder,
\nfor they justly suffered because of their wicked acts;
\nfor they practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers.
\n14Others had refused to receive strangers when they came to them,
\nbut these made slaves of guests who were their benefactors.
\n15And not only so\u2014but, while punishment of some sort will come upon the former
\nfor having received strangers with hostility,
\n16the latter, having first received them with festal celebrations,
\nafterward afflicted with terrible sufferings
\nthose who had already shared the same rights.
\n17They were stricken also with loss of sight\u2014
\njust as were those at the door of the righteous man\u2014
\nwhen, surrounded by yawning darkness,
\nall of them tried to find the way through their own doors.
\n18For the elements changed places with one another,
\nas on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm,
\nwhile each note remains the same.
\nThis may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place.
\n19For land animals were transformed into water creatures,
\nand creatures that swim moved over to the land.
\n20Fire even in water retained its normal power,
\nand water forgot its fire-quenching nature.
\n21Flames, on the contrary, failed to consume
\nthe flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them,
\nnor did they melt the crystalline, quick-melting kind of heavenly food.<\/p>\n
The Concluding Doxology<\/p>\n
22For in everything, O LORD, you have exalted and glorified your people,
\nand you have not neglected to help them at all times and in all places.<\/p>\n
Wisdom of Ben Sira<\/p>\n
Benjamin G. Wright III<\/p>\n
The Wisdom of Ben Sira is a Jewish Wisdom book composed in the tradition of other ancient Near Eastern and biblical Wisdom Literature, such as the biblical book of Proverbs. It contains a range of practical advice and speculative wisdom, apparently intended for young Jerusalemite men who were training to be scribes. In it we can find many parallels to other Wisdom books in both form and content; but at the same time it displays a number of developments from older Wisdom texts, such as the sophisticated theology of the relationship between Wisdom and the Torah in chapter 24 and the inclusion of the long hymn in Praise of the Ancestors in chapters 44\u201350. The book is an important witness to the place and use of Wisdom traditions in Judaism of the Second Temple period.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The Wisdom of Ben Sira was written in Hebrew by a Jerusalemite scribe\/sage, whose grandson translated the book into Greek, which became the primary form of transmission of this important ancient work. Manuscript B from the Cairo Genizah provides us with the author\u2019s name, given in Sir. 50:27 as \u201cSimeon ben (\u201cson of\u201d) Joshua ben Eleazar ben Sira.\u201d Greek manuscripts have the form \u201cJesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach,\u201d suggesting that the Hebrew text has \u201cSimeon\u201d in error. No Hebrew manuscript survives with the title of the book, although a postscript in Manuscript B has two titles: \u201cThe words of Simeon, the son of Joshua, who is called Ben Sira\u201d and \u201cThe Wisdom of Simeon, the son of Joshua, the son of Eleazar, the son of Sira.\u201d Superscriptions in Greek manuscripts simply call the book \u201cThe Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach.\u201d
\nIn subsequent tradition the book has gone by three names: (1) The Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sira, which derives from the Hebrew tradition, the name by which the book is generally known (Jesus being the Greek form of Joshua); (2) The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, or simply Sirach, which represents the Greek tradition, Sirach being the transliteration of Hebrew Sira; and (3) the Latin Ecclesiasticus (meaning \u201cthe Church\u2019s book\u201d), the name given in many manuscripts of the Vulgate, and the title it usually goes by in Roman Catholic tradition. Although the book did not make it into the Jewish canon, it was part of the Christian Old Testament (where it remains in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles) up until the Reformation, when Protestants removed it and placed it into a group of texts known as the Apocrypha.
\nJoshua Ben Sira lived in Jerusalem and most likely wrote sometime between 195 BCE and 180 BCE, dates that are determined in relationship with other contemporary figures. Ben Sira includes in his book a praise of the high priest Simon II (219 BCE\u2013196 BCE), who was probably high priest during Ben Sira\u2019s lifetime and after whose death Ben Sira likely composed the book. But Ben Sira shows no awareness of the tragic events that unfolded under the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175 BCE\u2013164 BCE), which provoked the Hasmonean revolt. Ben Sira\u2019s grandson, who translated the book into Greek, tells us in the prologue to his translation that he arrived in Egypt \u201cin the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes,\u201d most probably Ptolemy VIII Physcon Euergetes II, about 132 BCE. The language of the prologue suggests that the grandson published his translation after Ptolemy\u2019s death in 117 BCE. Working back about two generations from this date, we arrive in the same time period, somewhere around 180, for the original composition.
\nThe history of the transmission of the text of the Wisdom of Ben Sira is complicated. The Hebrew and the Greek eventually circulated in two separate forms each. The original Hebrew text (HTI), although not canonical, continued to be read, and underwent a process of expansion with additional proverbs that resulted in a second Hebrew version (HTII). The grandson made his original Greek translation (GI) from his grandfather\u2019s Hebrew, but by the time he translated, some corruptions had already entered the Hebrew tradition. Later a second Greek version (GII) incorporated the material from the second Hebrew version. We have not included the HTII and GII additions here.
\nThe evidence from Rabbinic literature shows that the Rabbinic sages knew the Wisdom of Ben Sira, but in exactly what form is difficult to know. In Rabbinic texts, quotations from the work often appear as if Ben Sira were himself a Rabbinic authority, and sometimes they even have the introduction \u201cit is written,\u201d usually reserved for scriptural citations. While some of the Rabbinic quotations are close to the textual forms found in manuscripts of the book, others are divergent or altogether different. We find Rabbinic quotations attributed to Ben Sira as late as Saadia Gaon in the early Middle Ages.
\nThe Hebrew book eventually fell into obscurity, however, and until the late 19th century, the Wisdom of Ben Sira\u2019s primary languages of transmission were Greek, Latin, and Syriac. In 1896 a large number of manuscript fragments from a genizah (a storeroom for manuscripts) from a synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, came to the attention of Solomon Schechter at Cambridge University. Among these fragments Schechter identified several belonging to the Wisdom of Ben Sira, and currently six fragmentary manuscripts of the work, designated A through F, have come out of the Cairo Genizah materials. The Hebrew text had apparently reemerged in the Middle Ages in Karaite communities on the margins of normative Judaism, perhaps becoming known to the Karaites as part of a discovery of Hebrew manuscripts in the area of the Dead Sea around 800 CE. Later in the 20th century two small fragments came to light in Cave 2 at Qumran, containing 6:14\u201315, 20\u201331. Although they do not preserve much text, they show that the Wisdom of Ben Sira was written in poetic lines at Qumran. The work shows up in a second Qumran find, 11QPsalmsa, which preserves portions of 51:13\u201319, 30. Finally, Yigael Yadin\u2019s excavations at Masada turned up an important manuscript of the Wisdom of Ben Sira containing portions of 39:27\u201344:17, whose text confirms the basic authenticity of the Cairo Genizah manuscripts. Currently about two-thirds of the book survives in Hebrew. Even though a sizable amount of Hebrew text is now available, most scholars still regard the grandson\u2019s Greek translation as the best witness to the text of the book.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Joshua Ben Sira was a scribe\/sage who lived during an important period in Jewish history. He was alive during the changeover from domination of ancient Judah by the Ptolemaic dynasty to control by the rival Seleucids around 200 BCE, and some passages in the book can be construed as comments on his contemporary political situation. Given his occupation, he likely worked for the aristocratic priestly class in Jerusalem, for which he expresses ardent support. As a teacher, he trained young, budding sages for careers in public service in a formal pedagogical setting (see Sir. 51:23). As a scribe, Ben Sira would have had expert training in the traditions of ancient Israel, which would have included general wisdom fare but also a close familiarity with traditions and texts that would later become part of Hebrew Scripture. As part of his Wisdom instruction, Ben Sira includes a discussion of the scribe in 38:24c\u201339:11 in which he distinguishes the scribe\u2019s work from that of farmers, merchants, and artisans. He notes that to be learned one needs \u201cleisure time\u201d that does not bring the distractions of other occupations. Scribes like Ben Sira held a high social status, but they were not at the top of the ladder. Ben Sira frequently mentions that his students must negotiate their relationships with the rich and powerful, on the one hand, but are also required to care for the poor and disadvantaged, on the other. Comments like these that hint at Ben Sira\u2019s and his students\u2019 dependence on the aristocratic and wealthy class for their social standing and economic well-being have prompted some scholars to use the designation \u201cretainer\u201d to describe Ben Sira\u2019s social position.
\nAlthough the Wisdom of Ben Sira bears the scholarly descriptor \u201cWisdom book,\u201d it is more complex than that label often intimates. Like the biblical book of Proverbs, the basic building block of the work is the mashal or proverb, but Ben Sira also employs a range of other literary forms, such as the hymn of praise, the lament, lists, and the prophetic \u201cWoe.\u201d He writes most of his proverbs in poetic bicola (two-line stanzas), and most often they are woven together to form self-contained poems on a topic or topics. The book has no agreed-upon general structure, but it does divide roughly into a first part extending from Sir. 1:1 to 23:27; a second part that begins with the famous self-praise of Wisdom in 24:1 through to 43:33; a third part, the Praise of the Ancestors (44:1\u201350:24); and a concluding section, 50:25\u201351:30.
\nAlthough no clear structure organizes the entire book, several themes emerge as critical for understanding Ben Sira\u2019s worldview:
\nFear of the LORD. For Ben Sira, this phrase epitomizes the proper motivation for doing God\u2019s commandments and the response that the pious should have toward God, one characterized by thankfulness, reverence, and awe. In the first two chapters, Ben Sira mentions fearing God 17 times, and he connects this attitude to wisdom. The fear of the LORD brings joy (1:11), \u201cis the beginning of wisdom\u201d (1:14), and \u201cis the root of wisdom\u201d (1:20). Those who fear the LORD persevere in testing, \u201cwait for his mercy,\u201d and \u201ctrust in him\u201d (2:1\u20138). In 2:15\u201316, Ben Sira places in parallel cola \u201cthose who fear the LORD\u201d and \u201cthose who love him.\u201d These people \u201cdo not disobey his word,\u201d \u201cseek to please him,\u201d and \u201care filled with his law.\u201d Elsewhere in his book, Ben Sira brings Wisdom and Law into close association, and together with fear of the LORD they form a theological triad.
\nWisdom. The concept of wisdom underlies almost all of Ben Sira\u2019s instruction. As in other Wisdom texts, he speaks of Wisdom as a woman whom the aspiring sage must pursue. In 51:13\u201322, he includes a first-person poem on the paradigmatic search for her. In the famous chapter 24, Ben Sira provides the theological basis for Wisdom being such a pervasive theme. Wisdom\u2019s origin is in heaven, and she was present at Creation. God sent her to dwell in the Temple in Jerusalem where she ministers \u201cbefore him\u201d (24:10). \u201cAll this [i.e., Wisdom],\u201d Ben Sira writes, \u201cis the book of the covenant of the Most High God\u201d (24:23). In this grand statement, then, Ben Sira finds Wisdom in creation, in the cultic sacrificial system, and in the Torah.
\nCreation. Since Wisdom was present in the beginning and built into the created order, Ben Sira understands creation as having an observable structure and meaning. In the longest of several poems whose subject is the \u201cworks of the LORD,\u201d 42:15\u201343:33, Ben Sira emphasizes that God is separate from his creation and in control of it. He commands, and the created order obeys. As Ben Sira considers the structure of creation, he observes that God has made everything in pairs of opposites that are complete in themselves (42:24\u201325).
\nTheodicy. The doctrine of pairs also forms one support for Ben Sira\u2019s views of God\u2019s justice. Throughout the book, he refers to many different kinds of pairs; for example, the wise and the fool, the rich and the poor, good things and bad things, life and death, festival days and ordinary days. A world structured by the existence of these pairs enables Ben Sira to account for both good and evil in the world; everything falls under God\u2019s sovereign control. Within this general view, Ben Sira holds to the idea that God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked, so at least in this sense, human beings have the ability to make choices and thus bear responsibility for their decisions (cf. 15:15\u201317). Yet, he seems to be aware that life does not always work this way, since in 40:8\u201311 he recognizes that \u201cdeath and bloodshed and strife and sword, calamities and famine and ruin and plague\u201d affect all people, but in order to maintain his beliefs, he claims that they happen \u201cto sinners seven times more.\u201d
\nHonor and Shame. Deeply embedded in the cultural system of Second Temple Judea are the values of honor and shame, which determine a man\u2019s social standing. In general, honor is accrued as a man is able to control what society sees as the defining aspects of his life, such as property, household, friendship, piety; he receives shame when he cannot control these things. Of particular interest to Ben Sira in this regard are women, and his remarks about wives and daughters have generated a large volume of scholarly comment. Women pose a unique risk to male honor due to their sexuality, and Ben Sira spends considerable time advising his charges about how to deal with the women in their lives. Ben Sira lived in a world where the male head of a household had authority over his \u201cpossessions,\u201d which included his wife and children. Women were regarded as especially problematic, because they did not generally accrue honor themselves, but their behavior directly affected the status of the men\u2014father and husband\u2014in their lives. So, a good wife is a blessing and honor to a man; an evil wife brings shame. A good daughter reflects well on her father; a headstrong daughter makes him a laughingstock. Ben Sira\u2019s general attitude is summed up in his remarks in 42:14: \u201cBetter the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.\u201d
\nDeath, Name, and Memory. Ben Sira did not believe in any kind of afterlife where the pious received reward and the ungodly were punished. All go to the common place of the dead, Sheol, where they live a shade-like existence. Consequently, Ben Sira thought that God recompensed one\u2019s deeds in this life, often in the form of a happy or grievous death. There was opportunity for a sort of immortality, though, which came in two related ways\u2014a good name and a good memory. One\u2019s name survived in one\u2019s sons, and so Ben Sira places great importance on raising pious children who will treat their parents properly and who will carry on the good name of their father. After death, the community would sing the praises of the righteous person, and thus his memory would live on in the assembly. In 44:13\u201315, Ben Sira gives an epitome of his beliefs: \u201cTheir [i.e., godly men\u2019s] offspring will continue forever, and their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation. The assembly declares their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise.\u201d<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
One could approach reading the Wisdom of Ben Sira in different ways. In at least two places, Ben Sira notes that he left his instruction \u201cin writing\u201d (39:32) and \u201cin this book\u201d (50:27), and although over the course of its history the book has been subject to expansions and changes, there is every reason to think that the book we have is the product of this sage. Thus, a straightforward reading will be of benefit, since often Ben Sira uses keywords to connect poems back-to-back, which suggests that he intended to have these topics follow each other. However, given that this Wisdom book has no clear structure, the reader could also look at all the passages that treat a specific topic, such as women or friends. In this way, one can get Ben Sira\u2019s complete thoughts about the subject. The one section that should be approached from beginning to end is the Praise of the Ancestors, since it forms the only truly unified part of the book. It begins with a general introduction to the famous ancestors and then moves in an \u201chistorical\u201d order praising a series of ancient figures. Ben Sira emphasizes the office and accomplishments of each figure, focusing especially on those with whom God made a covenant. Yet, even this section has connections with the earlier chapters. So, for instance, the Praise of Simon II at the end of the Praise recalls Ben Sira\u2019s earlier description of Wisdom in chapter 24 (as it does also the praise of Aaron earlier in the Praise).<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Argall, Randal A. 1 Enoch and Sirach. Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature 8. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995.
\nBeentjes, Pancratius C., ed. The Book of Ben Sira in Modern Research. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift f\u00fcr die alttesta-mentaliche Wissenschaft 255. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1997.
\nCamp, Claudia V. \u201cUnderstanding a Patriarchy: Women in Second Century Jerusalem Through the Eyes of Ben Sira.\u201d In \u201cWomen like This\u201d: New Perspectives on Jewish Women in the Greco-Roman World, 1\u201339. Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature 1. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991.
\nCollins, John J. Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
\nDi Lella, Alexander A. \u201cWisdom of Ben Sira.\u201d Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6:931\u201345. David Noel Freedman, ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
\nHorsley, Richard A. Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
\nMack, Burton L. Wisdom and the Hebrew Epic: Ben Sira\u2019s Hymn in Praise of the Fathers. Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.
\nPerdue, Leo G. Wisdom Literature: A Theological History. Louisville ky: Westminster John Knox, 2007. On Ben Sira, see pp. 217\u201366.
\nSkehan, Patrick W., and Alexander A. Di Lella. The Wisdom of Ben Sira. Anchor Bible 39. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1989.
\nWright, Benjamin G. No Small Difference: Sirach\u2019s Relationship to Its Hebrew Parent Text. Society of Biblical Literature Septuagint and Cognate Studies 26. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1989.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Prologue<\/p>\n
Many great teachings have been given to us through the Law and the Prophets and the others that followed them, and for these we should praise Israel for instruction and wisdom. Now, those who read the Scriptures must not only themselves understand them, but must also as lovers of learning be able through the spoken and written word to help the outsiders. So my grandfather Jesus, who had devoted himself especially to the reading of the Law and the Prophets and the other books of our ancestors, and had acquired considerable proficiency in them, was himself also led to write something pertaining to instruction and wisdom, so that by becoming familiar also with his book those who love learning might make even greater progress in living according to the law.
\nYou are invited therefore to read it with goodwill and attention, and to be indulgent in cases where, despite our diligent labor in translating, we may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly. For what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the same sense when translated into another language. Not only this book, but even the Law itself, the Prophecies, and the rest of the books differ not a little when read in the original.
\nWhen I came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes and stayed for some time, I found opportunity for no little instruction. It seemed highly necessary that I should myself devote some diligence and labor to the translation of this book. During that time I have applied my skill day and night to complete and publish the book for those living abroad who wished to gain learning and are disposed to live according to the law.<\/p>\n
1:1All wisdom is from the LORD,
\nand with him it remains forever.
\n2The sand of the sea, the drops of rain,
\nand the days of eternity\u2014who can count them?
\n3The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,
\nthe abyss, and wisdom\u2014who can search them out?
\n4Wisdom was created before all other things,
\nand prudent understanding from eternity.
\n6The root of wisdom\u2014to whom has it been revealed?
\nHer subtleties\u2014who knows them?
\n8There is but one who is wise, greatly to be feared,
\nseated upon his throne\u2014the LORD.
\n9It is he who created her;
\nhe saw her and took her measure;
\nhe poured her out upon all his works,
\n10upon all the living according to his gift;
\nhe lavished her upon those who love him.
\n11The fear of the LORD is glory and exultation,
\nand gladness and a crown of rejoicing.
\n12The fear of the LORD delights the heart,
\nand gives gladness and joy and long life.
\n13Those who fear the LORD will have a happy end;
\non the day of their death they will be blessed.<\/p>\n
14To fear the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
\nshe is created with the faithful in the womb.
\n15She made among human beings an eternal foundation,
\nand among their descendants she will abide faithfully.
\n16To fear the LORD is fullness of wisdom;
\nshe inebriates mortals with her fruits;
\n17she fills their whole house with desirable goods,
\nand their storehouses with her produce.
\n18The fear of the LORD is the crown of wisdom,
\nmaking peace and perfect health to flourish.
\n19She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension,
\nand she heightened the glory of those who held her fast.
\n20To fear the LORD is the root of wisdom,
\nand her branches are long life.
\n22Unjust anger cannot be justified,
\nfor anger tips the scale to one\u2019s ruin.
\n23Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment,
\nand then cheerfulness comes back to them.
\n24They hold back their words until the right moment;
\nthen the lips of many tell of their good sense.<\/p>\n
25In the treasuries of wisdom are wise sayings,
\nbut godliness is an abomination to a sinner.
\n26If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,
\nand the LORD will lavish her upon you.
\n27For the fear of the LORD is wisdom and discipline,
\nfidelity and humility are his delight.<\/p>\n
28Do not disobey the fear of the LORD;
\ndo not approach him with a divided mind.
\n29Do not be a hypocrite before others,
\nand keep watch over your lips.
\n30Do not exalt yourself, or you may fall
\nand bring dishonor upon yourself.
\nThe LORD will reveal your secrets
\nand overthrow you before the whole congregation,
\nbecause you did not come in the fear of the LORD,
\nand your heart was full of deceit.<\/p>\n
2:1My child, when you come to serve the LORD,
\nprepare yourself for testing.
\n2Set your heart right and be steadfast,
\nand do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
\n3Cling to him and do not depart,
\nso that your last days may be prosperous.
\n4Accept whatever befalls you,
\nand in times of humiliation be patient.
\n5For gold is tested in the fire,
\nand those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.
\n6Trust in him, and he will help you;
\nmake your ways straight, and hope in him.<\/p>\n
7You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy;
\ndo not stray, or else you may fall.
\n8You who fear the LORD, trust in him,
\nand your reward will not be lost.
\n9You who fear the LORD, hope for good things,
\nfor lasting joy and mercy.
\n10Consider the generations of old and see:
\nhas anyone trusted in the LORD and been disappointed?
\nOr has anyone persevered in the fear of the LORD and been forsaken?
\nOr has anyone called upon him and been neglected?
\n11For the LORD is compassionate and merciful;
\nhe forgives sins and saves in time of distress.<\/p>\n
12Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands,
\nand to the sinner who walks a double path!
\n13Woe to the faint-hearted who have no trust!
\nTherefore they will have no shelter.
\n14Woe to you who have lost your nerve!
\nWhat will you do when the LORD\u2018s reckoning comes?<\/p>\n
15Those who fear the LORD do not disobey his words,
\nand those who love him keep his ways.
\n16Those who fear the LORD seek to please him,
\nand those who love him are filled with his law.
\n17Those who fear the LORD prepare their hearts,
\nand humble themselves before him.
\n18Let us fall into the hands of the LORD,
\nbut not into the hands of mortals;
\nfor equal to his majesty is his mercy,
\nand equal to his name are his works.<\/p>\n
3:1Listen to me your father, O children;
\nact accordingly, that you may be kept in safety.
\n2For the LORD honors a father above his children,
\nand he confirms a mother\u2019s right over her children.
\n3Those who honor their father atone for sins,
\n4and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure.
\n5Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children,
\nand when they pray they will be heard.
\n6Those who respect their father will have long life,
\nand those who honor their mother obey the LORD;
\n7they will serve their parents as their masters.
\n8Honor your father by word and deed,
\nthat his blessing may come upon you.
\n9For a father\u2019s blessing strengthens the houses of the children,
\nbut a mother\u2019s curse uproots their foundations.
\n10Do not glorify yourself by dishonoring your father,
\nfor your father\u2019s dishonor is no glory to you.
\n11The glory of one\u2019s father is one\u2019s own glory,
\nand it is a disgrace for children not to respect their mother.<\/p>\n
12My child, help your father in his old age,
\nand do not grieve him as long as he lives;
\n13even if his mind fails, be patient with him;
\nbecause you have all your faculties do not despise him.
\n14For kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
\nand will be credited to you against your sins;
\n15in the day of your distress it will be remembered in your favor;
\nlike frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away.
\n16Whoever forsakes a father is like a blasphemer,
\nand whoever angers a mother is cursed by the LORD.<\/p>\n
17My child, perform your tasks with humility;
\nthen you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
\n18The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
\nso you will find favor in the sight of the LORD.
\n20For great is the might of the LORD;
\nbut by the humble he is glorified.
\n21Neither seek what is too difficult for you,
\nnor investigate what is beyond your power.
\n22Reflect upon what you have been commanded,
\nfor what is hidden is not your concern.
\n23Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you,
\nfor more than you can understand has been shown to you.
\n24For their conceit has led many astray,
\nand wrong opinion has impaired their judgment.<\/p>\n
25Without eyes there is no light;
\nwithout knowledge there is no wisdom.
\n26A stubborn mind will fare badly at the end,
\nand whoever loves danger will perish in it.
\n27A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles,
\nand the sinner adds sin to sins.
\n28When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing,
\nfor an evil plant has taken root in him.
\n29The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs,
\nand an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.
\n30As water extinguishes a blazing fire,
\nso almsgiving atones for sin.
\n31Those who repay favors give thought to the future;
\nwhen they fall they will find support.<\/p>\n
4:1My child, do not cheat the poor of their living,
\nand do not keep needy eyes waiting.
\n2Do not grieve the hungry,
\nor anger one in need.
\n3Do not add to the troubles of the desperate,
\nor delay giving to the needy.
\n4Do not reject a suppliant in distress,
\nor turn your face away from the poor.
\n5Do not avert your eye from the needy,
\nand give no one reason to curse you;
\n6for if in bitterness of soul some should curse you,
\ntheir Creator will hear their prayer.<\/p>\n
7Endear yourself to the congregation;
\nbow your head low to the great.
\n8Give a hearing to the poor,
\nand return their greeting politely.
\n9Rescue the oppressed from the oppressor;
\nand do not be hesitant in giving a verdict.
\n10Be a father to orphans,
\nand be like a husband to their mother;
\nyou will then be like a son of the Most High,
\nand he will love you more than does your mother.<\/p>\n
11Wisdom teaches her children
\nand gives help to those who seek her.
\n12Whoever loves her loves life,
\nand those who seek her from early morning are filled with joy.
\n13Whoever holds her fast inherits glory,
\nand the LORD blesses the place she enters.
\n14Those who serve her minister to the Holy One;
\nthe LORD loves those who love her.
\n15Those who obey her will judge the nations,
\nand all who listen to her will live secure.
\n16If they remain faithful, they will inherit her;
\ntheir descendants will also obtain her.
\n17For at first she will walk with them on tortuous paths;
\nshe will bring fear and dread upon them,
\nand will torment them by her discipline
\nuntil she trusts them,
\nand she will test them with her ordinances.
\n18Then she will come straight back to them again and gladden them,
\nand will reveal her secrets to them.
\n19If they go astray she will forsake them,
\nand hand them over to their ruin.<\/p>\n
20Watch for the opportune time, and beware of evil,
\nand do not be ashamed to be yourself.
\n21For there is a shame that leads to sin,
\nand there is a shame that is glory and favor.
\n22Do not show partiality, to your own harm,
\nor deference, to your downfall.
\n23Do not refrain from speaking at the proper moment,
\nand do not hide your wisdom.
\n24For wisdom becomes known through speech,
\nand education through the words of the tongue.
\n25Never speak against the truth,
\nbut be ashamed of your ignorance.
\n26Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,
\nand do not try to stop the current of a river.
\n27Do not subject yourself to a fool,
\nor show partiality to a ruler.
\n28Fight to the death for truth,
\nand the LORD God will fight for you.
\n29Do not be reckless in your speech,
\nor sluggish and remiss in your deeds.
\n30Do not be like a lion in your home,
\nor suspicious of your servants.
\n31Do not let your hand be stretched out to receive
\nand closed when it is time to give.<\/p>\n
5:1Do not rely on your wealth,
\nor say, \u201cI have enough.\u201d
\n2Do not follow your inclination and strength
\nin pursuing the desires of your heart.
\n3Do not say, \u201cWho can have power over me?\u201d
\nfor the LORD will surely punish you.<\/p>\n
4Do not say, \u201cI sinned, yet what has happened to me?\u201d
\nfor the LORD is slow to anger.
\n5Do not be so confident of forgiveness
\nthat you add sin to sin.
\n6Do not say, \u201cHis mercy is great,
\nhe will forgive the multitude of my sins,\u201d
\nfor both mercy and wrath are with him,
\nand his anger will rest on sinners.
\n7Do not delay to turn back to the LORD,
\nand do not postpone it from day to day;
\nfor suddenly the wrath of the LORD will come upon you,
\nand at the time of punishment you will perish.
\n8Do not depend on dishonest wealth,
\nfor it will not benefit you on the day of calamity.<\/p>\n
9Do not winnow in every wind,
\nor follow every path.
\n10Stand firm for what you know,
\nand let your speech be consistent.
\n11Be quick to hear,
\nbut deliberate in answering.
\n12If you know what to say, answer your neighbor;
\nbut if not, put your hand over your mouth.<\/p>\n
13Honor and dishonor come from speaking,
\nand the tongue of mortals may be their downfall.
\n14Do not be called double-tongued
\nand do not lay traps with your tongue;
\nfor shame comes to the thief,
\nand severe condemnation to the double-tongued.
\n15In great and small matters cause no harm,
\n6:1and do not become an enemy instead of a friend;
\nfor a bad name incurs shame and reproach;
\nso it is with the double-tongued sinner.<\/p>\n
2Do not fall into the grip of passion,
\nor you may be torn apart as by a bull.
\n3Your leaves will be devoured and your fruit destroyed,
\nand you will be left like a withered tree.
\n4Evil passion destroys those who have it,
\nand makes them the laughingstock of their enemies.<\/p>\n
5Pleasant speech multiplies friends,
\nand a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
\n6Let those who are friendly with you be many,
\nbut let your advisers be one in a thousand.
\n7When you gain friends, gain them through testing,
\nand do not trust them hastily.
\n8For there are friends who are such when it suits them,
\nbut they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
\n9And there are friends who change into enemies,
\nand tell of the quarrel to your disgrace.
\n10And there are friends who sit at your table,
\nbut they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
\n11When you are prosperous, they become your second self,
\nand lord it over your servants;
\n12but if you are brought low, they turn against you,
\nand hide themselves from you.
\n13Keep away from your enemies,
\nand be on guard with your friends.
\n14Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:
\nwhoever finds one has found a treasure.
\n15Faithful friends are beyond price;
\nno amount can balance their worth.
\n16Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
\nand those who fear the LORD will find them.
\n17Those who fear the LORD direct their friendship aright,
\nfor as they are, so are their neighbors also.<\/p>\n
18My child, from your youth choose discipline,
\nand when you have gray hair you will still find wisdom.
\n19Come to her like one who plows and sows,
\nand wait for her good harvest.
\nFor when you cultivate her you will toil but little,
\nand soon you will eat of her produce.
\n20She seems very harsh to the undisciplined;
\nfools cannot remain with her.
\n21She will be like a heavy stone to test them,
\nand they will not delay in casting her aside.
\n22For wisdom is like her name;
\nshe is not readily perceived by many.
\n23Listen, my child, and accept my judgment;
\ndo not reject my counsel.
\n24Put your feet into her fetters,
\nand your neck into her collar.
\n25Bend your shoulders and carry her,
\nand do not fret under her bonds.
\n26Come to her with all your soul,
\nand keep her ways with all your might.
\n27Search out and seek, and she will become known to you;
\nand when you get hold of her, do not let her go.
\n28For at last you will find the rest she gives,
\nand she will be changed into joy for you.
\n29Then her fetters will become for you a strong defense,
\nand her collar a glorious robe.
\n30Her yoke is a golden ornament,
\nand her bonds a purple cord.
\n31You will wear her like a glorious robe,
\nand put her on like a splendid crown.<\/p>\n
32If you are willing, my child, you can be disciplined,
\nand if you apply yourself you will become clever.
\n33If you love to listen you will gain knowledge,
\nand if you pay attention you will become wise.
\n34Stand in the company of the elders.
\nWho is wise? Attach yourself to such a one.
\n35Be ready to listen to every godly discourse,
\nand let no wise proverbs escape you.
\n36If you see an intelligent person, rise early to visit him;
\nlet your foot wear out his doorstep.
\n37Reflect on the statutes of the LORD,
\nand meditate at all times on his commandments.
\nIt is he who will give insight to your mind,
\nand your desire for wisdom will be granted.<\/p>\n
7:1Do no evil, and evil will never overtake you.
\n2Stay away from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
\n3Do not sow in the furrows of injustice,
\nand you will not reap a sevenfold crop.<\/p>\n
4Do not seek from the LORD high office,
\nor the seat of honor from the king.
\n5Do not assert your righteousness before the LORD,
\nor display your wisdom before the king.
\n6Do not seek to become a judge,
\nor you may be unable to root out injustice;
\nyou may be partial to the powerful,
\nand so mar your integrity.
\n7Commit no offense against the public,
\nand do not disgrace yourself among the people.<\/p>\n
8Do not commit a sin twice;
\nnot even for one will you go unpunished.
\n9Do not say, \u201cHe will consider the great number of my gifts,
\nand when I make an offering to the Most High God, he will accept it.\u201d
\n10Do not grow weary when you pray;
\ndo not neglect to give alms.
\n11Do not ridicule a person who is embittered in spirit,
\nfor there is One who humbles and exalts.
\n12Do not devise a lie against your brother,
\nor do the same to a friend.
\n13Refuse to utter any lie,
\nfor it is a habit that results in no good.
\n14Do not babble in the assembly of the elders,
\nand do not repeat yourself when you pray.<\/p>\n
15Do not hate hard labor
\nor farm work, which was created by the Most High.
\n16Do not enroll in the ranks of sinners;
\nremember that retribution does not delay.
\n17Humble yourself to the utmost,
\nfor the punishment of the ungodly is fire and worms.<\/p>\n
18Do not exchange a friend for money,
\nor a real brother for the gold of Ophir.
\n19Do not dismiss a wise and good wife,
\nfor her charm is worth more than gold.
\n20Do not abuse slaves who work faithfully,
\nor hired laborers who devote themselves to their task.
\n21Let your soul love intelligent slaves;
\ndo not withhold from them their freedom.<\/p>\n
22Do you have cattle? Look after them;
\nif they are profitable to you, keep them.
\n23Do you have children? Discipline them,
\nand make them obedient from their youth.
\n24Do you have daughters? Be concerned for their chastity,
\nand do not show yourself too indulgent with them.
\n25Give a daughter in marriage, and you complete a great task;
\nbut give her to a sensible man.
\n26Do you have a wife who pleases you? Do not divorce her;
\nbut do not trust yourself to one whom you detest.<\/p>\n
27With all your heart honor your father,
\nand do not forget the birth pangs of your mother.
\n28Remember that it was of your parents you were born;
\nhow can you repay what they have given to you?<\/p>\n
29With all your soul fear the LORD,
\nand revere his priests.
\n30With all your might love your Maker,
\nand do not neglect his ministers.
\n31Fear the LORD and honor the priest,
\nand give him his portion, as you have been commanded:
\nthe firstfruits, the guilt offering, the gift of the shoulders,
\nthe sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things.<\/p>\n
32Stretch out your hand to the poor,
\nso that your blessing may be complete.
\n33Give graciously to all the living;
\ndo not withhold kindness even from the dead.
\n34Do not avoid those who weep,
\nbut mourn with those who mourn.
\n35Do not hesitate to visit the sick,
\nbecause for such deeds you will be loved.
\n36In all you do, remember the end of your life,
\nand then you will never sin.<\/p>\n
8:1Do not contend with the powerful,
\nor you may fall into their hands.
\n2Do not quarrel with the rich,
\nin case their resources outweigh yours;
\nfor gold has ruined many,
\nand has perverted the minds of kings.
\n3Do not argue with the loud of mouth,
\nand do not heap wood on their fire.
\n4Do not make fun of one who is ill-bred,
\nor your ancestors may be insulted.
\n5Do not reproach one who is turning away from sin;
\nremember that we all deserve punishment.
\n6Do not disdain one who is old,
\nfor some of us are also growing old.
\n7Do not rejoice over anyone\u2019s death;
\nremember that we must all die.<\/p>\n
8Do not slight the discourse of the sages,
\nbut busy yourself with their maxims;
\nbecause from them you will learn discipline
\nand how to serve princes.
\n9Do not ignore the discourse of the aged,
\nfor they themselves learned from their parents;
\nfrom them you learn how to understand
\nand to give an answer when the need arises.<\/p>\n
10Do not kindle the coals of sinners,
\nor you may be burned in their flaming fire.
\n11Do not let the insolent bring you to your feet,
\nor they may lie in ambush against your words.
\n12Do not lend to one who is stronger than you;
\nbut if you do lend anything, count it as a loss.
\n13Do not give surety beyond your means;
\nbut if you give surety, be prepared to pay.<\/p>\n
14Do not go to law against a judge,
\nfor the decision will favor him because of his standing.
\n15Do not go traveling with the reckless,
\nor they will be burdensome to you;
\nfor they will act as they please,
\nand through their folly you will perish with them.
\n16Do not pick a fight with the quick-tempered,
\nand do not journey with them through lonely country,
\nbecause bloodshed means nothing to them,
\nand where no help is at hand they will strike you down.
\n17Do not consult with fools,
\nfor they cannot keep a secret.
\n18In the presence of strangers do nothing that is to be kept secret,
\nfor you do not know what they will divulge.
\n19Do not reveal your thoughts to anyone,
\nor you may drive away your happiness.<\/p>\n
9:1Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom,
\nor you will teach her an evil lesson to your own hurt.
\n2Do not give yourself to a woman
\nand let her trample down your strength.
\n3Do not go near a loose woman,
\nor you will fall into her snares.
\n4Do not dally with a singing girl,
\nor you will be caught by her tricks.
\n5Do not look intently at a virgin,
\nor you may stumble and incur penalties for her.
\n6Do not give yourself to prostitutes,
\nor you may lose your inheritance.
\n7Do not look around in the streets of a city,
\nor wander about in its deserted sections.
\n8Turn away your eyes from a shapely woman,
\nand do not gaze at beauty belonging to another;
\nmany have been seduced by a woman\u2019s beauty,
\nand by it passion is kindled like a fire.
\n9Never dine with another man\u2019s wife,
\nor revel with her at wine;
\nor your heart may turn aside to her,
\nand in blood you may be plunged into destruction.<\/p>\n
10Do not abandon old friends,
\nfor new ones cannot equal them.
\nA new friend is like new wine;
\nwhen it has aged, you can drink it with pleasure.<\/p>\n
11Do not envy the success of sinners,
\nfor you do not know what their end will be like.
\n12Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly;
\nremember that they will not be held guiltless all their lives.<\/p>\n
13Keep far from those who have power to kill,
\nand you will not be haunted by the fear of death.
\nBut if you approach them, take no false step,
\nor they may rob you of your life.
\nKnow that you are stepping among snares,
\nand that you are walking on the city battlements.<\/p>\n
14As much as you can, aim to know your neighbors,
\nand consult with the wise.
\n15Let your conversation be with intelligent people,
\nand let all your discussion be about the law of the Most High.
\n16Let the righteous be your dinner companions,
\nand let your glory be in the fear of the LORD.<\/p>\n
17A work is praised for the skill of the artisan;
\nso a people\u2019s leader is proved wise by his words.
\n18The loud of mouth are feared in their city,
\nand the one who is reckless in speech is hated.
\n10:1A wise magistrate educates his people,
\nand the rule of an intelligent person is well ordered.
\n2As the people\u2019s judge is, so are his officials;
\nas the ruler of the city is, so are all its inhabitants.
\n3An undisciplined king ruins his people,
\nbut a city becomes fit to live in through the understanding of its rulers.
\n4The government of the earth is in the hand of the LORD,
\nand over it he will raise up the right leader for the time.
\n5Human success is in the hand of the LORD,
\nand it is he who confers honor upon the lawgiver.<\/p>\n
6Do not get angry with your neighbor for every injury,
\nand do not resort to acts of insolence.
\n7Arrogance is hateful to the LORD and to mortals,
\nand injustice is outrageous to both.
\n8Sovereignty passes from nation to nation
\non account of injustice and insolence and wealth.
\n9How can dust and ashes be proud?
\nEven in life the human body decays.
\n10A long illness baffles the physician;
\nthe king of today will die tomorrow.
\n11For when one is dead
\nhe inherits maggots and vermin and worms.
\n12The beginning of human pride is to forsake the LORD;
\nthe heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
\n13For the beginning of pride is sin,
\nand the one who clings to it pours out abominations.
\nTherefore the LORD brings upon them unheard-of calamities,
\nand destroys them completely.
\n14The LORD overthrows the thrones of rulers,
\nand enthrones the lowly in their place.
\n15The LORD plucks up the roots of the nations,
\nand plants the humble in their place.
\n16The LORD lays waste the lands of the nations,
\nand destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
\n17He removes some of them and destroys them,
\nand erases the memory of them from the earth.
\n18Pride was not created for human beings,
\nor violent anger for those born of women.
\n19Whose offspring are worthy of honor?
\nHuman offspring.
\nWhose offspring are worthy of honor?
\nThose who fear the LORD.
\nWhose offspring are unworthy of honor?
\nHuman offspring.
\nWhose offspring are unworthy of honor?
\nThose who break the commandments.
\n20Among family members their leader is worthy of honor,
\nbut those who fear the LORD are worthy of honor in his eyes.
\n22The rich, and the eminent, and the poor\u2014
\ntheir glory is the fear of the LORD.
\n23It is not right to despise one who is intelligent but poor,
\nand it is not proper to honor one who is sinful.
\n24The prince and the judge and the ruler are honored,
\nbut none of them is greater than the one who fears the LORD.
\n25Free citizens will serve a wise servant,
\nand an intelligent person will not complain.<\/p>\n
26Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work,
\nand do not boast when you are in need.
\n27Better is the worker who has goods in plenty
\nthan the boaster who lacks bread.
\n28My child, honor yourself with humility,
\nand give yourself the esteem you deserve.
\n29Who will acquit those who condemn themselves?
\nAnd who will honor those who dishonor themselves?
\n30The poor are honored for their knowledge,
\nwhile the rich are honored for their wealth.
\n31One who is honored in poverty, how much more in wealth!
\nAnd one dishonored in wealth, how much more in poverty!<\/p>\n
11:1The wisdom of the humble lifts their heads high,
\nand seats them among the great.
\n2Do not praise individuals for their good looks,
\nor loathe anyone because of appearance alone.
\n3The bee is small among flying creatures,
\nbut what it produces is the best of sweet things.
\n4Do not boast about wearing fine clothes,
\nand do not exalt yourself when you are honored;
\nfor the works of the LORD are wonderful,
\nand his works are concealed from humankind.
\n5Many kings have had to sit on the ground,
\nbut one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
\n6Many rulers have been utterly disgraced,
\nand the honored have been handed over to others.<\/p>\n
7Do not find fault before you investigate;
\nexamine first, and then criticize.
\n8Do not answer before you listen,
\nand do not interrupt when another is speaking.
\n9Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
\nand do not sit with sinners when they judge a case.<\/p>\n
10My child, do not busy yourself with many matters;
\nif you multiply activities, you will not be held blameless.
\nIf you pursue, you will not overtake,
\nand by fleeing you will not escape.
\n11There are those who work and struggle and hurry,
\nbut are so much the more in want.
\n12There are others who are slow and need help,
\nwho lack strength and abound in poverty;
\nbut the eyes of the LORD look kindly upon them;
\nhe lifts them out of their lowly condition
\n13and raises up their heads
\nto the amazement of many.<\/p>\n
14Good things and bad, life and death,
\npoverty and wealth, come from the LORD.
\n17The LORD\u2019s gift remains with the devout,
\nand his favor brings lasting success.
\n18One becomes rich through diligence and self-denial,
\nand the reward allotted to him is this:
\n19when he says, \u201cI have found rest,
\nand now I shall feast on my goods!\u201d
\nhe does not know how long it will be
\nuntil he leaves them to others and dies.
\n20Stand by your agreement and attend to it,
\nand grow old in your work.
\n21Do not wonder at the works of a sinner,
\nbut trust in the LORD and keep at your job;
\nfor it is easy in the sight of the LORD
\nto make the poor rich suddenly, in an instant.
\n22The blessing of the LORD is the reward of the pious,
\nand quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.
\n23Do not say, \u201cWhat do I need,
\nand what further benefit can be mine?\u201d
\n24Do not say, \u201cI have enough,
\nand what harm can come to me now?\u201d
\n25In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten,
\nand in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.
\n26For it is easy for the LORD on the day of death
\nto reward individuals according to their conduct.
\n27An hour\u2019s misery makes one forget past delights,
\nand at the close of one\u2019s life one\u2019s deeds are revealed.
\n28Call no one happy before his death;
\nby how he ends, a person becomes known.<\/p>\n
29Do not invite everyone into your home,
\nfor many are the tricks of the crafty.
\n30Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the mind of the proud,
\nand like spies they observe your weakness;
\n31for they lie in wait, turning good into evil,
\nand to worthy actions they attach blame.
\n32From a spark many coals are kindled,
\nand a sinner lies in wait to shed blood.
\n33Beware of scoundrels, for they devise evil,
\nand they may ruin your reputation forever.
\n34Receive strangers into your home and they will stir up trouble for you,
\nand will make you a stranger to your own family.<\/p>\n
12:1If you do good, know to whom you do it,
\nand you will be thanked for your good deeds.
\n2Do good to the devout, and you will be repaid\u2014
\nif not by them, certainly by the Most High.
\n3No good comes to one who persists in evil
\nor to one who does not give alms.
\n4Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.
\n5Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly;
\nhold back their bread, and do not give it to them,
\nfor by means of it they might subdue you;
\nthen you will receive twice as much evil
\nfor all the good you have done to them.
\n6For the Most High also hates sinners
\nand will inflict punishment on the ungodly.
\n7Give to one who is good, but do not help the sinner.
\n8A friend is not known in prosperity,
\nnor is an enemy hidden in adversity.
\n9One\u2019s enemies are friendly when one prospers,
\nbut in adversity even one\u2019s friend disappears.
\n10Never trust your enemy,
\nfor like corrosion in copper, so is his wickedness.
\n11Even if he humbles himself and walks bowed down,
\ntake care to be on your guard against him.
\nBe to him like one who polishes a mirror,
\nto be sure it does not become completely tarnished.
\n12Do not put him next to you,
\nor he may overthrow you and take your place.
\nDo not let him sit at your right hand,
\nor else he may try to take your own seat,
\nand at last you will realize the truth of my words,
\nand be stung by what I have said.<\/p>\n
13Who pities a snake-charmer when he is bitten,
\nor all those who go near wild animals?
\n14So no one pities a person who associates with a sinner
\nand becomes involved in the other\u2019s sins.
\n15He stands by you for a while,
\nbut if you falter, he will not be there.
\n16An enemy speaks sweetly with his lips,
\nbut in his heart he plans to throw you into a pit;
\nan enemy may have tears in his eyes,
\nbut if he finds an opportunity he will never have enough of your blood.
\n17If evil comes upon you, you will find him there ahead of you;
\npretending to help, he will trip you up.
\n18Then he will shake his head, and clap his hands,
\nand whisper much, and show his true face.<\/p>\n
13:1Whoever touches pitch gets dirty,
\nand whoever associates with a proud person becomes like him.
\n2Do not lift a weight too heavy for you,
\nor associate with one mightier and richer than you.
\nHow can the clay pot associate with the iron kettle?
\nThe pot will strike against it and be smashed.
\n3A rich person does wrong, and even adds insults;
\na poor person suffers wrong, and must add apologies.
\n4A rich person will exploit you if you can be of use to him,
\nbut if you are in need he will abandon you.
\n5If you own something, he will live with you;
\nhe will drain your resources without a qualm.
\n6When he needs you he will deceive you,
\nand will smile at you and encourage you;
\nhe will speak to you kindly and say, \u201cWhat do you need?\u201d
\n7He will embarrass you with his delicacies,
\nuntil he has drained you two or three times,
\nand finally he will laugh at you.
\nShould he see you afterward, he will pass you by
\nand shake his head at you.<\/p>\n
8Take care not to be led astray
\nand humiliated when you are enjoying yourself.
\n9When an influential person invites you, be reserved,
\nand he will invite you more insistently.
\n10Do not be forward, or you may be rebuffed;
\ndo not stand aloof, or you will be forgotten.
\n11Do not try to treat him as an equal,
\nor trust his lengthy conversations;
\nfor he will test you by prolonged talk,
\nand while he smiles he will be examining you.
\n12Cruel are those who do not keep your secrets;
\nthey will not spare you harm or imprisonment.
\n13Be on your guard and very careful,
\nfor you are walking about with your own downfall.
\n15Every creature loves its like,
\nand every person a neighbor.
\n16All living beings associate with their own kind,
\nand people stick close to those like themselves.
\n17What does a wolf have in common with a lamb?
\nNo more has a sinner with the devout.
\n18What peace is there between a hyena and a dog?
\nAnd what peace between the rich and the poor?
\n19Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions;
\nlikewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.
\n20Humility is an abomination to the proud;
\nlikewise the poor are an abomination to the rich.<\/p>\n
21When the rich person totters, he is supported by friends,
\nbut when the humble falls, he is pushed away even by friends.
\n22If the rich person slips, many come to the rescue;
\nhe speaks unseemly words, but they justify him.
\nIf the humble person slips, they even criticize him;
\nhe talks sense, but is not given a hearing.
\n23The rich person speaks and all are silent;
\nthey extol to the clouds what he says.
\nThe poor person speaks and they say, \u201cWho is this fellow?\u201d
\nAnd should he stumble, they even push him down.
\n24Riches are good if they are free from sin;
\npoverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly.
\n25The heart changes the countenance,
\neither for good or for evil.
\n26The sign of a happy heart is a cheerful face,
\nbut to devise proverbs requires painful thinking.
\n14:1Happy are those who do not blunder with their lips,
\nand need not suffer remorse for sin.
\n2Happy are those whose hearts do not condemn them,
\nand who have not given up their hope.<\/p>\n
3Riches are inappropriate for a small-minded person;
\nand of what use is wealth to a miser?
\n4What he denies himself he collects for others;
\nand others will live in luxury on his goods.
\n5If one is mean to himself, to whom will he be generous?
\nHe will not enjoy his own riches.
\n6No one is worse than one who is grudging to himself;
\nthis is the punishment for his meanness.
\n7If ever he does good, it is by mistake;
\nand in the end he reveals his meanness.
\n8The miser is an evil person;
\nhe turns away and disregards people.
\n9The eye of the greedy person is not satisfied with his share;
\ngreedy injustice withers the soul.
\n10A miser begrudges bread,
\nand it is lacking at his table.<\/p>\n
11My child, treat yourself well, according to your means,
\nand present worthy offerings to the LORD.
\n12Remember that death does not tarry,
\nand the decree of Hades has not been shown to you.
\n13Do good to friends before you die,
\nand reach out and give to them as much as you can.
\n14Do not deprive yourself of a day\u2019s enjoyment;
\ndo not let your share of desired good pass by you.
\n15Will you not leave the fruit of your labors to another,
\nand what you acquired by toil to be divided by lot?
\n16Give, and take, and indulge yourself,
\nbecause in Hades one cannot look for luxury.
\n17All living beings become old like a garment,
\nfor the decree from of old is, \u201cYou must die!\u201d
\n18Like abundant leaves on a spreading tree
\nthat sheds some and puts forth others,
\nso are the generations of flesh and blood:
\none dies and another is born.
\n19Every work decays and ceases to exist,
\nand the one who made it will pass away with it.<\/p>\n
20Happy is the person who meditates on wisdom
\nand reasons intelligently,
\n21who reflects in his heart on her ways
\nand ponders her secrets,
\n22pursuing her like a hunter,
\nand lying in wait on her paths;
\n23who peers through her windows
\nand listens at her doors;
\n24who camps near her house
\nand fastens his tent-peg to her walls;
\n25who pitches his tent near her,
\nand so occupies an excellent lodging place;
\n26who places his children under her shelter,
\nand lodges under her boughs;
\n27who is sheltered by her from the heat,
\nand dwells in the midst of her glory.<\/p>\n
15:1Whoever fears the LORD will do this,
\nand whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom.
\n2She will come to meet him like a mother,
\nand like a young bride she will welcome him.
\n3She will feed him with the bread of learning,
\nand give him the water of wisdom to drink.
\n4He will lean on her and not fall,
\nand he will rely on her and not be put to shame.
\n5She will exalt him above his neighbors,
\nand will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.
\n6He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing,
\nand will inherit an everlasting name.
\n7The foolish will not obtain her,
\nand sinners will not see her.
\n8She is far from arrogance,
\nand liars will never think of her.
\n9Praise is unseemly on the lips of a sinner,
\nfor it has not been sent from the LORD.
\n10For in wisdom must praise be uttered,
\nand the LORD will make it prosper.<\/p>\n
11Do not say, \u201cIt was the LORD\u2019s doing that I fell away\u201d;
\nfor he does not do what he hates.
\n12Do not say, \u201cIt was he who led me astray\u201d;
\nfor he has no need of the sinful.
\n13The LORD hates all abominations;
\nsuch things are not loved by those who fear him.
\n14It was he who created humankind in the beginning,
\nand he left them in the power of their own free choice.
\n15If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
\nand to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
\n16He has placed before you fire and water;
\nstretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
\n17Before each person are life and death,
\nand whichever one chooses will be given.
\n18For great is the wisdom of the LORD;
\nhe is mighty in power and sees everything;
\n19his eyes are on those who fear him,
\nand he knows every human action.
\n20He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
\nand he has not given anyone permission to sin.<\/p>\n
16:1Do not desire a multitude of worthless children,
\nand do not rejoice in ungodly offspring.
\n2If they multiply, do not rejoice in them,
\nunless the fear of the LORD is in them.
\n3Do not trust in their survival,
\nor rely on their numbers;
\nfor one can be better than a thousand,
\nand to die childless is better than to have ungodly children.
\n4For through one intelligent person a city can be filled with people,
\nbut through a clan of outlaws it becomes desolate.<\/p>\n
5Many such things my eye has seen,
\nand my ear has heard things more striking than these.
\n6In an assembly of sinners a fire is kindled,
\nand in a disobedient nation wrath blazes up.
\n7He did not forgive the ancient giants
\nwho revolted in their might.
\n8He did not spare the neighbors of Lot,
\nwhom he loathed on account of their arrogance.
\n9He showed no pity on the doomed nation,
\non those dispossessed because of their sins;
\n10or on the six hundred thousand foot-soldiers
\nwho assembled in their stubbornness.
\n11Even if there were only one stiff-necked person,
\nit would be a wonder if he remained unpunished.
\nFor mercy and wrath are with the LORD;
\nhe is mighty to forgive\u2014but he also pours out wrath.
\n12Great as is his mercy, so also is his chastisement;
\nhe judges a person according to his or her deeds.
\n13The sinner will not escape with plunder,
\nand the patience of the godly will not be frustrated.
\n14He makes room for every act of mercy;
\neveryone receives in accordance with his or her deeds.<\/p>\n
17Do not say, \u201cI am hidden from the LORD,
\nand who from on high has me in mind?
\nAmong so many people I am unknown,
\nfor what am I in a boundless creation?
\n18Lo, heaven and the highest heaven,
\nthe abyss and the earth, tremble at his visitation!
\n19The very mountains and the foundations of the earth
\nquiver and quake when he looks upon them.
\n20But no human mind can grasp this,
\nand who can comprehend his ways?
\n21Like a tempest that no one can see,
\nso most of his works are concealed.
\n22Who is to announce his acts of justice?
\nOr who can await them? For his decree is far off.\u201d
\n23Such are the thoughts of one devoid of understanding;
\na senseless and misguided person thinks foolishly.<\/p>\n
24Listen to me, my child, and acquire knowledge,
\nand pay close attention to my words.
\n25I will impart discipline precisely
\nand declare knowledge accurately.<\/p>\n
26When the LORD created his works from the beginning,
\nand, in making them, determined their boundaries,
\n27he arranged his works in an eternal order,
\nand their dominion for all generations.
\nThey neither hunger nor grow weary,
\nand they do not abandon their tasks.
\n28They do not crowd one another,
\nand they never disobey his word.
\n29Then the LORD looked upon the earth,
\nand filled it with his good things.
\n30With all kinds of living beings he covered its surface,
\nand into it they must return.<\/p>\n
17:1The LORD created human beings out of earth,
\nand makes them return to it again.
\n2He gave them a fixed number of days,
\nbut granted them authority over everything on the earth.
\n3He endowed them with strength like his own,
\nand made them in his own image.
\n4He put the fear of them in all living beings,
\nand gave them dominion over beasts and birds.
\n6Discretion and tongue and eyes,
\nears and a mind for thinking he gave them.
\n7He filled them with knowledge and understanding,
\nand showed them good and evil.
\n8He put the fear of him into their hearts
\nto show them the majesty of his works.
\n10And they will praise his holy name,
\nto proclaim the grandeur of his works.<\/p>\n
11He bestowed knowledge upon them,
\nand allotted to them the law of life.
\n12He established with them an eternal covenant,
\nand revealed to them his decrees.
\n13Their eyes saw his glorious majesty,
\nand their ears heard the glory of his voice.
\n14He said to them, \u201cBeware of all evil.\u201d
\nAnd he gave the commandment to each of them concerning a neighbor.
\n15Their ways are always known to him;
\nthey will not be hid from his eyes.
\n17He appointed a ruler for every nation,
\nbut Israel is the LORD\u2018s own portion.
\n19All their works are as clear as the sun before him,
\nand his eyes are ever upon their ways.
\n20Their iniquities are not hidden from him,
\nand all their sins are before the LORD.
\n22One\u2019s almsgiving is like a signet ring with the LORD,
\nand he will keep a person\u2019s kindness like the apple of his eye.
\n23Afterward he will rise up and repay them,
\nand he will bring their recompense on their heads.
\n24Yet to those who repent he grants a return,
\nand he encourages those who are losing hope.<\/p>\n
25Turn back to the LORD and forsake your sins;
\npray in his presence and lessen your offense.
\n26Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity,
\nand hate intensely what he abhors.<\/p>\n
27Who will sing praises to the Most High in Hades
\nin place of the living who give thanks?
\n28From the dead, as from one who does not exist, thanksgiving has ceased;
\nthose who are alive and well sing the LORD\u2018s praises.
\n29How great is the mercy of the LORD,
\nand his forgiveness for those who return to him!
\n30For not everything is within human capability,
\nsince human beings are not immortal.
\n31What is brighter than the sun? Yet it can be eclipsed.
\nSo flesh and blood devise evil.
\n32He marshals the host of the height of heaven;
\nbut all human beings are dust and ashes.<\/p>\n
18:1He who lives forever created the whole universe;
\n2the LORD alone is just.
\n4To none has he given power to proclaim his works;
\nand who can search out his mighty deeds?
\n5Who can measure his majestic power?
\nAnd who can fully recount his mercies?
\n6It is not possible to diminish or increase them,
\nnor is it possible to fathom the wonders of the LORD.
\n7When human beings have finished, they are just beginning,
\nand when they stop, they are still perplexed.
\n8What are human beings, and of what use are they?
\nWhat is good in them, and what is evil?
\n9The number of days in their life is great if they reach one hundred years.
\n10Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand,
\nso are a few years among the days of eternity.
\n11That is why the LORD is patient with them
\nand pours out his mercy upon them.
\n12He sees and recognizes that their end is miserable;
\ntherefore he grants them forgiveness all the more.
\n13The compassion of human beings is for their neighbors,
\nbut the compassion of the LORD is for every living thing.
\nHe rebukes and trains and teaches them,
\nand turns them back, as a shepherd his flock.
\n14He has compassion on those who accept his discipline
\nand who are eager for his precepts.<\/p>\n
15My child, do not mix reproach with your good deeds,
\nor spoil your gift by harsh words.
\n16Does not the dew give relief from the scorching heat?
\nSo a word is better than a gift.
\n17Indeed, does not a word surpass a good gift?
\nBoth are to be found in a gracious person.
\n18A fool is ungracious and abusive,
\nand the gift of a grudging giver makes the eyes dim.<\/p>\n
19Before you speak, learn;
\nand before you fall ill, take care of your health.
\n20Before judgment comes, examine yourself;
\nand at the time of scrutiny you will find forgiveness.
\n21Before falling ill, humble yourself;
\nand when you have sinned, repent.
\n22Let nothing hinder you from paying a vow promptly,
\nand do not wait until death to be released from it.
\n23Before making a vow, prepare yourself;
\ndo not be like one who puts the LORD to the test.
\n24Think of his wrath on the day of death,
\nand of the moment of vengeance when he turns away his face.
\n25In the time of plenty think of the time of hunger;
\nin days of wealth think of poverty and need.
\n26From morning to evening conditions change;
\nall things move swiftly before the LORD.<\/p>\n
27One who is wise is cautious in everything;
\nwhen sin is all around, one guards against wrongdoing.
\n28Every intelligent person knows wisdom,
\nand praises one who finds her.
\n29Those who are skilled in words become wise themselves,
\nand pour forth apt proverbs.<\/p>\n
30Do not follow your base desires,
\nbut restrain your appetites.
\n31If you allow your soul to take pleasure in base desire,
\nit will make you the laughing-stock of your enemies.
\n32Do not revel in great luxury,
\nor you may become impoverished by its expense.
\n33Do not become a beggar by feasting with borrowed money
\nwhen you have nothing in your purse.
\n19:1The one who does this will not become rich;
\none who despises small things will fail little by little.
\n2Wine and women lead intelligent men astray,
\nand the man who consorts with prostitutes is reckless.
\n3Decay and worms will take possession of him,
\nand the reckless person will be snatched away.<\/p>\n
4One who trusts others too quickly has a shallow mind,
\nand one who sins does wrong to himself.
\n5One who rejoices in wickedness will be condemned,
\n6but one who hates gossip has less evil.
\n7Never repeat a conversation,
\nand you will lose nothing at all.
\n8With friend or foe do not report it,
\nand unless it would be a sin for you, do not reveal it;
\n9for someone may have heard you and watched you,
\nand in time will hate you.
\n10Have you heard something? Let it die with you.
\nBe brave, it will not make you burst!
\n11Having heard something, the fool suffers birth pangs
\nlike a woman in labor with a child.
\n12Like an arrow stuck in a person\u2019s thigh,
\nso is gossip inside a fool.<\/p>\n
13Question a friend; perhaps he did not do it;
\nor if he did, so that he may not do it again.
\n14Question a neighbor; perhaps he did not say it;
\nor if he said it, so that he may not repeat it.
\n15Question a friend, for often it is slander;
\nso do not believe everything you hear.
\n16A person may make a slip without intending it.
\nWho has not sinned with his tongue?
\n17Question your neighbor before you threaten him;
\nand let the law of the Most High take its course.<\/p>\n
20The whole of wisdom is fear of the LORD,
\nand in all wisdom there is the fulfillment of the law.
\n22The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom,
\nnor is there prudence in the counsel of sinners.
\n23There is a cleverness that is detestable,
\nand there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.
\n24Better are the God-fearing who lack understanding
\nthan the highly intelligent who transgress the law.
\n25There is a cleverness that is exact but unjust,
\nand there are people who abuse favors to gain a verdict.
\n26There is the villain bowed down in mourning,
\nbut inwardly he is full of deceit.
\n27He hides his face and pretends not to hear,
\nbut when no one notices, he will take advantage of you.
\n28Even if lack of strength keeps him from sinning,
\nhe will nevertheless do evil when he finds the opportunity.
\n29A person is known by his appearance,
\nand a sensible person is known when first met face to face.
\n30A person\u2019s attire and hearty laughter,
\nand the way he walks, show what he is.<\/p>\n
20:1There is a rebuke that is untimely,
\nand there is the person who is wise enough to keep silent.
\n2How much better it is to rebuke than to fume!
\n3And the one who admits his fault will be kept from failure.
\n4Like a eunuch lusting to violate a girl
\nis the person who does right under compulsion.
\n5Some people keep silent and are thought to be wise,
\nwhile others are detested for being talkative.
\n6Some people keep silent because they have nothing to say,
\nwhile others keep silent because they know when to speak.
\n7The wise remain silent until the right moment,
\nbut a boasting fool misses the right moment.
\n8Whoever talks too much is detested,
\nand whoever pretends to authority is hated.<\/p>\n
9There may be good fortune for a person in adversity,
\nbut a windfall may result in a loss.
\n10There is the gift that profits you nothing,
\nand the gift to be paid back double.
\n11There are losses for the sake of glory,
\nand there are some who have raised their heads from humble circumstances.
\n12Some buy much for little,
\nbut pay for it seven times over.
\n13The wise make themselves beloved by only few words,
\nbut the courtesies of fools are wasted.
\n14A fool\u2019s gift will profit you nothing,
\nfor he looks for recompense sevenfold.
\n15He gives little and upbraids much;
\nhe opens his mouth like a town crier.
\nToday he lends and tomorrow he asks for it back;
\nsuch a one is hateful to God and humans.
\n16The fool says, \u201cI have no friends,
\nand I get no thanks for my good deeds.
\nThose who eat my bread are evil-tongued.\u201d
\n17How many will ridicule him, and how often!<\/p>\n
18A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue;
\nthe downfall of the wicked will occur just as speedily.
\n19A coarse person is like an inappropriate story
\ncontinually on the lips of the ignorant.
\n20A proverb from a fool\u2019s lips will be rejected,
\nfor he does not tell it at the proper time.<\/p>\n
21One may be prevented from sinning by poverty;
\nso when he rests he feels no remorse.
\n22One may lose his life through shame,
\nor lose it because of human respect.
\n23Another out of shame makes promises to a friend,
\nand so makes an enemy for nothing.<\/p>\n
24A lie is an ugly blot on a person;
\nit is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
\n25A thief is preferable to a habitual liar,
\nbut the lot of both is ruin.
\n26A liar\u2019s way leads to disgrace,
\nand his shame is ever with him.<\/p>\n
Proverbial Sayings<\/p>\n
27The wise person advances himself by his words,
\nand one who is sensible pleases the great.
\n28Those who cultivate the soil heap up their harvest,
\nand those who please the great atone for injustice.
\n29Favors and gifts blind the eyes of the wise;
\nlike a muzzle on the mouth they stop reproofs.
\n30Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure,
\nof what value is either?
\n31Better are those who hide their folly
\nthan those who hide their wisdom.<\/p>\n
21:1Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more,
\nbut ask forgiveness for your past sins.
\n2Flee from sin as from a snake;
\nfor if you approach sin, it will bite you.
\nIts teeth are lion\u2019s teeth,
\nand can destroy human lives.
\n3All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
\nthere is no healing for the wound it inflicts.<\/p>\n
4Panic and insolence will waste away riches;
\nthus the house of the proud will be laid waste.
\n5The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God,
\nand his judgment comes speedily.
\n6Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner\u2019s steps,
\nbut those who fear the LORD repent in their heart.
\n7The mighty in speech are widely known;
\nwhen they slip, the sensible person knows it.<\/p>\n
8Whoever builds his house with other people\u2019s money
\nis like one who gathers stones for his burial mound.
\n9An assembly of the wicked is like a bundle of tow,
\nand their end is a blazing fire.
\n10The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones,
\nbut at its end is the pit of Hades.<\/p>\n
11Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts,
\nand the fulfillment of the fear of the LORD is wisdom.
\n12The one who is not clever cannot be taught,
\nbut there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.
\n13The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood,
\nand their counsel like a life-giving spring.
\n14The mind of a fool is like a broken jar;
\nit can hold no knowledge.<\/p>\n
15When an intelligent person hears a wise saying,
\nhe praises it and adds to it;
\nwhen a fool hears it, he laughs at it
\nand throws it behind his back.
\n16A fool\u2019s chatter is like a burden on a journey,
\nbut delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.
\n17The utterance of a sensible person is sought in the assembly,
\nand they ponder his words in their minds.<\/p>\n
18Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool,
\nand to the ignorant, knowledge is talk that has no meaning.
\n19To a senseless person education is fetters on his feet,
\nand like manacles on his right hand.
\n20A fool raises his voice when he laughs,
\nbut the wise smile quietly.
\n21To the sensible person education is like a golden ornament,
\nand like a bracelet on the right arm.<\/p>\n
22The foot of a fool rushes into a house,
\nbut an experienced person waits respectfully outside.
\n23A boor peers into the house from the door,
\nbut a cultivated person remains outside.
\n24It is ill-mannered for a person to listen at a door;
\nthe discreet would be grieved by the disgrace.
\n25The lips of babblers speak of what is not their concern,
\nbut the words of the prudent are weighed in the balance.
\n26The mind of fools is in their mouth,
\nbut the mouth of the wise is in their mind.
\n27When an ungodly person curses an adversary,
\nhe curses himself.
\n28A whisperer degrades himself
\nand is hated in his neighborhood.<\/p>\n
22:1The idler is like a filthy stone,
\nand everyone hisses at his disgrace.
\n2The idler is like the filth of dunghills;
\nanyone that picks it up will shake it off his hand.<\/p>\n
3It is a disgrace to be the father of an undisciplined son,
\nand the birth of a daughter is a loss.
\n4A sensible daughter obtains a husband of her own,
\nbut one who acts shamefully is a grief to her father.
\n5An impudent daughter disgraces father and husband,
\nand is despised by both.
\n6Like music in time of mourning is ill-timed conversation,
\nbut a thrashing and discipline are at all times wisdom.<\/p>\n
9Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together,
\nor who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
\n10Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man;
\nand at the end he will say, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n11Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind;
\nand weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind.
\nWeep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest;
\nbut the life of the fool is worse than death.
\n12Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
\nbut for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.<\/p>\n
13Do not talk much with a senseless person
\nor visit an unintelligent person.
\nStay clear of him, or you may have trouble,
\nand be spattered when he shakes himself off.
\nAvoid him and you will find rest,
\nand you will never be wearied by his lack of sense.
\n14What is heavier than lead?
\nAnd what is its name except \u201cFool\u201d?
\n15Sand, salt, and a piece of iron
\nare easier to bear than a stupid person.<\/p>\n
16A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building
\nis not loosened by an earthquake;
\nso the mind firmly resolved after due reflection
\nwill not be afraid in a crisis.
\n17A mind settled on an intelligent thought
\nis like stucco decoration that makes a wall smooth.
\n18Fences set on a high place
\nwill not stand firm against the wind;
\nso a timid mind with a fool\u2019s resolve
\nwill not stand firm against any fear.<\/p>\n
19One who pricks the eye brings tears,
\nand one who pricks the heart makes clear its feelings.
\n20One who throws a stone at birds scares them away,
\nand one who reviles a friend destroys a friendship.
\n21Even if you draw your sword against a friend,
\ndo not despair, for there is a way back.
\n22If you open your mouth against your friend,
\ndo not worry, for reconciliation is possible.
\nBut as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow\u2014
\nin these cases any friend will take to flight.<\/p>\n
23Gain the trust of your neighbor in his poverty,
\nso that you may rejoice with him in his prosperity.
\nStand by him in time of distress,
\nso that you may share with him in his inheritance.
\n24The vapor and smoke of the furnace precede the fire;
\nso insults precede bloodshed.
\n25I am not ashamed to shelter a friend,
\nand I will not hide from him.
\n26But if harm should come to me because of him,
\nwhoever hears of it will beware of him.<\/p>\n
27Who will set a guard over my mouth,
\nand an effective seal upon my lips,
\nso that I may not fall because of them,
\nand my tongue may not destroy me?
\n23:1O LORD, Father and Master of my life,
\ndo not abandon me to their designs,
\nand do not let me fall because of them!
\n2Who will set whips over my thoughts,
\nand the discipline of wisdom over my mind,
\nso as not to spare me in my errors,
\nand not overlook my sins?
\n3Otherwise my mistakes may be multiplied,
\nand my sins may abound,
\nand I may fall before my adversaries,
\nand my enemy may rejoice over me.
\n4O LORD, Father and God of my life,
\ndo not give me haughty eyes,
\n5and remove evil desire from me.
\n6Let neither gluttony nor lust overcome me,
\nand do not give me over to shameless passion.<\/p>\n
Discipline of the Tongue<\/p>\n
7Listen, my children, to instruction concerning the mouth;
\none who observes it will never be caught.
\n8Sinners are overtaken through their lips;
\nby them the reviler and the arrogant are tripped up.
\n9Do not accustom your mouth to oaths,
\nnor habitually utter the name of the Holy One;
\n10for as a servant who is constantly under scrutiny
\nwill not lack bruises,
\nso also the person who always swears and utters the Name
\nwill never be cleansed from sin.
\n11The one who swears many oaths is full of iniquity,
\nand the scourge will not leave his house.
\nIf he swears in error, his sin remains on him,
\nand if he disregards it, he sins doubly;
\nif he swears a false oath, he will not be justified,
\nfor his house will be filled with calamities.<\/p>\n
12There is a manner of speaking comparable to death;
\nmay it never be found in the inheritance of Jacob!
\nSuch conduct will be far from the godly,
\nand they will not wallow in sins.
\n13Do not accustom your mouth to coarse, foul language,
\nfor it involves sinful speech.
\n14Remember your father and mother
\nwhen you sit among the great,
\nor you may forget yourself in their presence,
\nand behave like a fool through bad habit;
\nthen you will wish that you had never been born,
\nand you will curse the day of your birth.
\n15Those who are accustomed to using abusive language
\nwill never become disciplined as long as they live.<\/p>\n
16Two kinds of individuals multiply sins,
\nand a third incurs wrath.
\nHot passion that blazes like a fire
\nwill not be quenched until it burns itself out;
\none who commits fornication with his near of kin
\nwill never cease until the fire burns him up.
\n17To a fornicator all bread is sweet;
\nhe will never weary until he dies.
\n18The one who sins against his marriage bed
\nsays to himself, \u201cWho can see me?
\nDarkness surrounds me, the walls hide me,
\nand no one sees me. Why should I worry?
\nThe Most High will not remember sins.\u201d
\n19His fear is confined to human eyes
\nand he does not realize that the eyes of the LORD
\nare ten thousand times brighter than the sun;
\nthey look upon every aspect of human behavior
\nand see into hidden corners.
\n20Before the universe was created, it was known to him,
\nand so it is since its completion.
\n21This man will be punished in the streets of the city,
\nand where he least suspects it, he will be seized.<\/p>\n
22So it is with a woman who leaves her husband
\nand presents him with an heir by another man.
\n23For first of all, she has disobeyed the law of the Most High;
\nsecond, she has committed an offense against her husband;
\nand third, through her fornication she has committed adultery
\nand brought forth children by another man.
\n24She herself will be brought before the assembly,
\nand her punishment will extend to her children.
\n25Her children will not take root,
\nand her branches will not bear fruit.
\n26She will leave behind an accursed memory
\nand her disgrace will never be blotted out.
\n27Those who survive her will recognize
\nthat nothing is better than the fear of the LORD,
\nand nothing sweeter than to heed the commandments of the LORD.<\/p>\n
The Praise of Wisdom<\/p>\n
24:1Wisdom praises herself,
\nand tells of her glory in the midst of her people.
\n2In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth,
\nand in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory:
\n3\u201cI came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
\nand covered the earth like a mist.
\n4I dwelt in the highest heavens,
\nand my throne was in a pillar of cloud.
\n5Alone I compassed the vault of heaven
\nand traversed the depths of the abyss.
\n6Over waves of the sea, over all the earth,
\nand over every people and nation I have held sway.
\n7Among all these I sought a resting place;
\nin whose territory should I abide?<\/p>\n
8\u201cThen the Creator of all things gave me a command,
\nand my Creator chose the place for my tent.
\nHe said, \u2018Make your dwelling in Jacob,
\nand in Israel receive your inheritance.\u2019
\n9Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me,
\nand for all the ages I shall not cease to be.
\n10In the holy tent I ministered before him,
\nand so I was established in Zion.
\n11Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place,
\nand in Jerusalem was my domain.
\n12I took root in an honored people,
\nin the portion of the LORD, his heritage.<\/p>\n
13\u201cI grew tall like a cedar in Lebanon,
\nand like a cypress on the heights of Hermon.
\n14I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi,
\nand like rosebushes in Jericho;
\nlike a fair olive tree in the field,
\nand like a plane tree beside water I grew tall.
\n15Like cassia and camel\u2019s thorn I gave forth perfume,
\nand like choice myrrh I spread my fragrance,
\nlike galbanum, onycha, and stacte,
\nand like the odor of incense in the tent.
\n16Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,
\nand my branches are glorious and graceful.
\n17Like the vine I bud forth delights,
\nand my blossoms become glorious and abundant fruit.<\/p>\n
19\u201cCome to me, you who desire me,
\nand eat your fill of my fruits.
\n20For the memory of me is sweeter than honey,
\nand the possession of me sweeter than the honeycomb.
\n21Those who eat of me will hunger for more,
\nand those who drink of me will thirst for more.
\n22Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,
\nand those who work with me will not sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
23All this is the book of the covenant of the Most High God,
\nthe law that Moses commanded us
\nas an inheritance for the congregations of Jacob.
\n25It overflows, like the Pishon, with wisdom,
\nand like the Tigris at the time of the firstfruits.
\n26It runs over, like the Euphrates, with understanding,
\nand like the Jordan at harvest time.
\n27It pours forth instruction like the Nile,
\nlike the Gihon at the time of vintage.
\n28The first man did not know wisdom fully,
\nnor will the last one fathom her.
\n29For her thoughts are more abundant than the sea,
\nand her counsel deeper than the great abyss.<\/p>\n
30As for me, I was like a canal from a river,
\nlike a water channel into a garden.
\n31I said, \u201cI will water my garden
\nand drench my flower-beds.\u201d
\nAnd lo, my canal became a river,
\nand my river a sea.
\n32I will again make instruction shine forth like the dawn,
\nand I will make it clear from far away.
\n33I will again pour out teaching like prophecy,
\nand leave it to all future generations.
\n34Observe that I have not labored for myself alone,
\nbut for all who seek wisdom.<\/p>\n
25:1I take pleasure in three things,
\nand they are beautiful in the sight of God and of mortals:
\nagreement among brothers and sisters, friendship among neighbors,
\nand a wife and husband who live in harmony.
\n2I hate three kinds of people,
\nand I loathe their manner of life:
\na pauper who boasts, a rich person who lies,
\nand an old fool who commits adultery.<\/p>\n
3If you gathered nothing in your youth,
\nhow can you find anything in your old age?
\n4How attractive is sound judgment in the gray-haired,
\nand for the aged to possess good counsel!
\n5How attractive is wisdom in the aged,
\nand understanding and counsel in the venerable!
\n6Rich experience is the crown of the aged,
\nand their boast is the fear of the LORD.<\/p>\n
7I can think of nine whom I would call blessed,
\nand a tenth my tongue proclaims:
\na man who can rejoice in his children;
\na man who lives to see the downfall of his foes.
\n8Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife,
\nand the one who does not plow with ox and ass together.
\nHappy is the one who does not sin with the tongue,
\nand the one who has not served an inferior.
\n9Happy is one who finds a friend,
\nand one who speaks to attentive listeners.
\n10How great is the one who finds wisdom!
\nBut none is superior to the one who fears the LORD.
\n11Fear of the LORD surpasses everything;
\nto whom can we compare the one who has it?<\/p>\n
13Any wound, but not a wound of the heart!
\nAny wickedness, but not the wickedness of a woman!
\n14Any suffering, but not suffering from those who hate!
\nAnd any vengeance, but not the vengeance of enemies!
\n15There is no venom worse than a snake\u2019s venom,
\nand no anger worse than a woman\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n
16I would rather live with a lion and a dragon
\nthan live with an evil woman.
\n17A woman\u2019s wickedness changes her appearance,
\nand darkens her face like that of a bear.
\n18Her husband sits among the neighbors,
\nand he cannot help sighing bitterly.
\n19Any iniquity is small compared to a woman\u2019s iniquity;
\nmay a sinner\u2019s lot befall her!
\n20A sandy ascent for the feet of the aged\u2014
\nsuch is a garrulous wife to a quiet husband.
\n21Do not be ensnared by a woman\u2019s beauty,
\nand do not desire a woman for her possessions.
\n22There is wrath and impudence and great disgrace
\nwhen a wife supports her husband.
\n23Dejected mind, gloomy face,
\nand wounded heart come from an evil wife.
\nDrooping hands and weak knees
\ncome from the wife who does not make her husband happy.
\n24From a woman sin had its beginning,
\nand because of her we all die.
\n25Allow no outlet to water,
\nand no boldness of speech to an evil wife.
\n26If she does not go as you direct,
\nseparate her from yourself.<\/p>\n
26:1Happy is the husband of a good wife;
\nthe number of his days will be doubled.
\n2A loyal wife brings joy to her husband,
\nand he will complete his years in peace.
\n3A good wife is a great blessing;
\nshe will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the LORD.
\n4Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
\nand at all times his face is cheerful.
\n5Of three things my heart is frightened,
\nand of a fourth I am in great fear:
\nSlander in the city, the gathering of a mob,
\nand false accusation\u2014all these are worse than death.
\n6But it is heartache and sorrow when a wife is jealous of a rival,
\nand a tongue-lashing makes it known to all.
\n7A bad wife is a chafing yoke;
\ntaking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion.
\n8A drunken wife arouses great anger;
\nshe cannot hide her shame.
\n9The haughty stare betrays an unchaste wife;
\nher eyelids give her away.<\/p>\n
10Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter,
\nor else, when she finds liberty, she will make use of it.
\n11Be on guard against her impudent eye,
\nand do not be surprised if she sins against you.
\n12As a thirsty traveler opens his mouth
\nand drinks from any water near him,
\nso she will sit in front of every tent peg
\nand open her quiver to the arrow.<\/p>\n
13A wife\u2019s charm delights her husband,
\nand her skill puts flesh on his bones.
\n14A silent wife is a gift from the LORD,
\nand nothing is so precious as her self-discipline.
\n15A modest wife adds charm to charm,
\nand no scales can weigh the value of her chastity.
\n16Like the sun rising in the heights of the LORD,
\nso is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.
\n17Like the shining lamp on the holy lampstand,
\nso is a beautiful face on a stately figure.
\n18Like golden pillars on silver bases,
\nso are shapely legs and steadfast feet.<\/p>\n
28At two things my heart is grieved,
\nand because of a third anger comes over me:
\na warrior in want through poverty,
\nintelligent men who are treated contemptuously,
\nand a man who turns back from righteousness to sin\u2014
\nthe LORD will prepare him for the sword!<\/p>\n
29A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing,
\nnor is a tradesman innocent of sin.
\n27:1Many have committed sin for gain,
\nand those who seek to get rich will avert their eyes.
\n2As a stake is driven firmly into a fissure between stones,
\nso sin is wedged in between selling and buying.
\n3If a person is not steadfast in the fear of the LORD,
\nhis house will be quickly overthrown.
\n4When a sieve is shaken, the refuse appears;
\nso do a person\u2019s faults when he speaks.
\n5The kiln tests the potter\u2019s vessels;
\nso the test of a person is in his conversation.
\n6Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree;
\nso a person\u2019s speech discloses the cultivation of his mind.
\n7Do not praise anyone before he speaks,
\nfor this is the way people are tested.<\/p>\n
8If you pursue justice, you will attain it
\nand wear it like a glorious robe.
\n9Birds roost with their own kind,
\nso honesty comes home to those who practice it.
\n10A lion lies in wait for prey;
\nso does sin for evildoers.<\/p>\n
11The conversation of the godly is always wise,
\nbut the fool changes like the moon.
\n12Among stupid people limit your time,
\nbut among thoughtful people linger on.
\n13The talk of fools is offensive,
\nand their laughter is wantonly sinful.
\n14Their cursing and swearing make one\u2019s hair stand on end,
\nand their quarrels make others stop their ears.
\n15The strife of the proud leads to bloodshed,
\nand their abuse is grievous to hear.<\/p>\n
16Whoever betrays secrets destroys confidence,
\nand will never find a congenial friend.
\n17Love your friend and keep faith with him;
\nbut if you betray his secrets, do not follow after him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Qumran, and Ps. 154 is not a sectarian composition. In fact the positive view of King Jonathan in this text contradicts the anti-Hasmonean attitude expressed in many of the sectarian scrolls. Thus it is likely that the composition originated elsewhere and was brought to Qumran by one of the sect\u2019s members. Significance The King Jonathan … <\/p>\n