Sirach · Updated Brenton English Septuagint
Sirach 24 Updated Brenton English Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Same Septuagint text as Brenton, with modernised spelling.
1 Wisdom shall praise herself, And shall glory in the midst of her people.
1 Wisdom will praise her own soul, and will proclaim her glory in the midst of her people.
2 In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, And triumph before his power.
2 She will open her mouth in the congregation of the Most High, and proclaim her glory in the presence of his power.
3 I came out of the mouth of the most High, And covered the earth as a cloud.
3 “I came out of the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth as a mist.
4 I dwelt in high places, And my throne is in a cloudy pillar.
4 I lived in high places, and my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.
5 I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, And walked in the bottom of the deep.
5 Alone I surrounded the circuit of heaven, and walked in the depth of the abyss.
6 In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, And in every people and nation, I got a possession.
6 In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I obtained a possession.
7 With all these I sought rest: And in whose inheritance shall I abide?
7 With all these I sought rest. In whose inheritance shall I lodge?
8 So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, And he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, And said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, And thine inheritance in Israel.
8 Then the Creator of all things gave me a command. He who created me made my tent to rest, and said, ‘Let your dwelling be in Jacob, and your inheritance in Israel.’
9 He created me from the beginning before the world, And I shall never fail.
9 He created me from the beginning, before the ages. For all ages, I will not cease to exist.
10 In the holy tabernacle I served before him; And so was I established in Zion.
10 In the holy tabernacle, I ministered before him. So I was established in Zion.
11 Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, And in Jerusalem was my power.
11 In the beloved city, likewise he gave me rest. In Jerusalem was my domain.
12 And I took root in an honorable people, Even in the portion of the Lord’s inheritance.
12 I took root in a people that was honored, even in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.
13 I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, And as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.
13 I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, And like a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.
14 I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, And as a rose plant in Jericho, As a fair olive tree in a plain, And grew up as a plane tree.
14 I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, like rose bushes in Jericho, and like a fair olive tree in the plain. I was exalted like a plane tree.
15 I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, And I yielded a pleasant odor like the best myrrh, As galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, And as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
15 Like cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent to perfumes. Like choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant fragrance, like galbanum, onycha, stacte, and as the smell of frankincense in the tabernacle.
16 As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, And my branches are the branches of honor and grace.
16 Like the terebinth, I stretched out my branches. My branches are glorious and graceful.
17 As the vine brought I forth pleasant savor, And my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches.
17 Like the vine, I put forth grace. My flowers are the fruit of glory and riches. 18 Not in this translation
19 Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, And fill yourselves with my fruits.
19 “Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled with my fruits.
20 For my memorial is sweeter than honey, And mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
20 For my memory is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance than the honeycomb.
21 They that eat me shall yet be hungry, And they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
21 Those who eat me will be hungry for more. Those who drink me will be thirsty for more.
22 He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, And they that work by me shall not do amiss.
22 He who obeys me will not be ashamed. Those who work with me will not sin.”
23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, [Even] the law which Moses commanded For a heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.
23 All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God, the law which Moses commanded us for an inheritance for the assemblies of Jacob. 24 Not in this translation
25 He filleth all things with his wisdom, As Pishon and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.
25 It is he who makes wisdom abundant, as Pishon, and as Tigris in the days of first fruits.
26 He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, And as Jordan in the time of the harvest.
26 He makes understanding full as the Euphrates, and as the Jordan in the days of harvest,
27 He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, And as Gihon in the time of vintage.
27 who makes instruction shine forth as the light, as Gihon in the days of vintage.
28 The first man knew her not perfectly: No more shall the last find her out.
28 The first man didn’t know her perfectly. In like manner, the last has not explored her.
29 For her thoughts are more than the sea, And her counsels profounder than the great deep.
29 For her thoughts are filled from the sea, and her counsels from the great deep.
30 I also came out as a brook from a river, And as a conduit into a garden.
30 I came out as a canal stream from a river, and as an irrigation ditch into a garden.
31 I said, I will water my best garden, And will water abundantly my garden bed: And, lo, my brook became a river, And my river became a sea.
31 I said, “I will water my garden, and will drench my garden bed.” Behold, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea.
32 I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, And will send forth her light afar off.
32 I will yet bring instruction to light as the morning, and will make these things clear from far away.
33 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, And leave it to all ages forever.
33 I will continue to pour out teaching like prophecy, and leave it to all generations.
34 Behold that I have not labored for myself only, But for all them that seek wisdom.
34 See that I have not labored for myself only, but for all those who diligently seek wisdom.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… to have been emitted from the mouth of God; and if we believe that is the soul, we must consequently acknowledge it to be of the same substance, and equal to that wisdom, which says, "I come out of the mouth of the Most High." Wisdom, indeed, does not say it was breathed out of the mouth of God, but …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For while He said, "Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled;" it is again said of Wisdom, "Those who eat Thee shall hunger again, and those who drink shall thirst again." Nay, but He did not say "again," but he said, "still:" for "shall thirst again" is as if once having been filled he departed and digested, and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)