Sirach · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Sirach 15 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her,
1 He who fears the Lord will do this. He who has possession of the law will obtain her.
2 And she will meet him as an honourable mother, and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin.
2 She will meet him like a mother, and receive him like a wife married in her virginity.
3 With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved:
3 She will feed him with bread of understanding and give him water of wisdom to drink.
4 And she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbours.
4 He will be stayed upon her, and will not be moved. He will rely upon her, and will not be confounded.
5 And in the midst of the church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory.
5 She will exalt him above his neighbors. She will open his mouth in the midst of the congregation.
6 She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name.
6 He will inherit joy, a crown of gladness, and an everlasting name.
7 But foolish men shall not obtain her, and wise men shall meet her, foolish men shall not see her: for she is far from pride and deceit.
7 Foolish men will not obtain her. Sinners will not see her.
8 Lying men shall not be mindful of her: but men that speak truth shall be found with her, and shall advance, even till they come to the sight of God.
8 She is far from pride. Liars will not remember her.
9 Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner:
9 Praise is not attractive in the mouth of a sinner; for it was not sent to him from the Lord.
10 For wisdom came forth from God: for praise shall be with the wisdom of God, and shall abound in a faithful mouth, and the sovereign Lord will give praise unto it.
10 For praise will be spoken in wisdom; The Lord will prosper it.
11 Say not: It is through God, that she is not with me: for do not thou the things that he hateth.
11 Don’t say, “It is through the Lord that I fell away;” for you shall not do the things that he hates.
12 Say not: He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of wicked men.
12 Don’t say, “It is he that caused me to err;” for he has no need of a sinful man.
13 The Lord hateth all abomination of error, and they that fear him shall not love it.
13 The Lord hates every abomination; and those who fear him don’t love them.
14 God made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his own counsel.
14 He himself made man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his own counsel.
15 He added his commandments and precepts.
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments. To be faithful is a matter of your choice.
16 If thou wilt keep the commandments and perform acceptable fidelity for ever, they shall preserve thee.
16 He has set fire and water before you. You will stretch forth your hand to whichever you desire.
17 He hath set water and fire before thee: stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt.
17 Before man is life and death. Whichever he likes, it will be given to him.
18 Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him:
18 For the wisdom of the Lord is great. He is mighty in power, and sees all things.
19 For the wisdom of God is great, and he is strong in power, seeing all men without ceasing.
19 His eyes are upon those who fear him. He knows every act of man.
20 The eyes of the Lord are towards them that fear him, and he knoweth all the work of man.
20 He has not commanded any man to be ungodly. He has not given any man license to sin.
21 He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, and he hath given no man license to sin:
21 Not in this translation
22 For he desireth not a multitude of faithless and unprofitable children.
22 Not in this translation
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).
For the covenant from the beginning is, Thou shall die the death." Now, as the law was more plainly given afterward, and the apostle says, "Where no law is, there is no prevarication," on what supposition is what is said in the psalm true, "I accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators," except that all who are held liable …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
In another place it is said, "Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner." If then in the mouth of a sinner praise is not seemly, neither is it pleasant, for that only is pleasant which is seemly....For praise may be pleasant to a man, when he heareth one praising with neat and clever sentiments, and with a …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)