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Sirach, Chapter 1

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1 All wisdom is from Yahweh, And is with him for eternity.
2 The sand of the seas, and the drops of rain, And the days of eternity: who will number [them]?
3 The height of heaven, and the width of the earth, And the depth of the deep: who will search [them]?[fn]
4 Before all things, wisdom was allotted, And understanding of intelligence from eternity.[fn]
6 The root of wisdom, to whom was it revealed? And her secrets, who knew [them]?[fn]
8 There is one, he alone is to be feared, Yahweh, he rules over her treasuries;[fn]
9 He allotted her and numbered her, And poured her out on all his works,[fn]
10 Among all flesh according to his gift, And he supplied her to those who fear him.[fn]
11 The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation, And gladness and a crown of joy.
12 The fear of the Lord delights the heart. And gives gladness, and joy, and length of days.
13 For him who fears the Lord it will be well at the last. And in the day of his death he will find grace.
14 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Yahweh, And with the faithful, she was interwoven in the womb;[fn]
15 Among men she constructed an eternal foundation, And among their seed, she will be trusted in.
16 The abundance of wisdom is the fear of Yahweh, And she soaks them with her nectar.[fn]
17 Their whole house she fills with delicacies, And their storehouses with her produce.
18 The crown of wisdom is the fear of Yahweh, Blossoming with peace and improving health.[fn]
19 She is a strong staff and a glorious stay; And lifted up the glory of those who held her.
20 The root of wisdom is to fear Yahweh, And her branches are length of days.[fn]
22 Unrighteous wrath cannot be justified, For the wrath of his anger will [occasion] his fall.
23 The longsuffering man endures until the [proper] time, And in the end joy will arise for him;
24 He hides his words until the [proper] time, And the lips of the faithful will declare his understanding.
25 In the treasures of wisdom there is a wise proverb, But godliness is an abomination to the sinner.
26 If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments. And the Lord will grant her freely to you.
27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction, And faith and meekness are his good pleasure.
28 Do not disobey the fear of the Lord, And do not come near thereto with a double heart.
29 Do not be a hypocrite in the sight of men. And take heed to [the utterances of] your lips.
30 Do not exalt yourself lest you fall And bring upon your soul disgrace. And the Lord reveal your hidden [thoughts], And cast you down in the midst of the assembly, Because you did not come to the fear of the Lord, And your heart was full of deceit.

Footnotes

3

And the depth of the deep, follows the Latin. Most Greek manuscripts read 'and the deep and wisdom'.

4

Verse 5 is not in the best Greek manuscripts.

6

secrets, based on the Hebrew word used at Sirach 42:18, which contains the same Greek word as this verse. Also compare Job 11:6. Verse 7 is not in the best Greek manuscripts.

8

This verse follows the Syriac version.

9

Most Greek manuscripts read, 'He himself allotted her, and saw, and numbered her'.

10

Syriac reads to those who fear him.

14

interwoven, literally 'knit together with' or 'joined together with.' See Ps 139:13.

16

them refers back to the men in verse 15 and possibly also their seed.

18

crown, or wreath. May refer to a type of crown made from plants. The crown is what is blossoming in the second part of the verse.

20

Verse 21 in Greek is not likely to be the original text.

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