1 My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation. 2 Set thy heart aright, and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble. 3 Cleave unto him, and depart not away, that thou mayest be increased at thy last end. 4 Whatsoever is brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate. 5 For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. 6 Believe in him, and he will help thee; order thy way aright, and trust in him. 7 Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; and go not aside, lest ye fall. 8 Ye that fear the Lord, believe him; and your reward shall not fail. 9 Ye that fear the Lord, hope for good, and for everlasting joy and mercy. 10 Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him? 11 For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, longsuffering, and very pitiful, and forgiveth sins, and saveth in time of affliction. 12 Woe be to fearful hearts, and faint hands, and the sinner that goeth two ways! 13 Woe unto him that is fainthearted! for he believeth not; therefore shall he not be defended. 14 Woe unto you that have lost patience! and what will ye do when the Lord shall visit you? 15 They that fear the Lord will not disobey his Word; and they that love him will keep his ways. 16 They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well, pleasing unto him; and they that love him shall be filled with the law. 17 They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and humble their souls in his sight, 18 Saying, We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men: for as his majesty is, so is his mercy.
Sirach · King James Version (with Apocrypha)
Sirach 2 King James Version (with Apocrypha)
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).
… rise again but what falls, whence they conclude that resurrection pertains to bodies only, and not to souls, because bodies fall, why do they make nothing of the words, "Ye that fear the Lord, wait for His mercy; and go not aside lest ye fall;" and "To his own Master he stands or falls;" and "He that thinketh he standeth, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Where then is that, "Who hath called upon God, and hath been forsaken by Him?" where again is that, "Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord, shall be delivered." Immediately reaching forth the help of His right hand, He lifted him up as he was sinking, and rebuked his distrust; "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
In such manner evidently Thou wilt be angry, because it hath been written, "My son, drawing near unto the service of God, stand thou in righteousness and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation." Think not that now the wrath of God hath passed away, because thou hast been converted.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)