1 All wisdom [cometh ] from the Lord, And is with him for ever. 2 The sand of the seas, and the drops of rain, And the days of eternity, who shall number? 3 The height of the heaven, and the breadth of the earth, And the deep, and wisdom, who shall search [them ] out? 4 Wisdom hath been created before all things, And the understanding of prudence from everlasting. 5 Not in this translation 6 To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? And who hath known her shrewd counsels? 7 Not in this translation 8 There is one wise, greatly to be feared, The Lord sitting upon his throne: 9 He created her, And saw, and numbered her, And poured her out upon all his works. 10 [She is ] with all flesh according to his gift; And he gave her freely to them that love him. 11 The fear of the Lord is glory, and exultation, And gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. 12 The fear of the Lord shall delight the heart, And shall give gladness, and joy, and length of days. 13 Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, And in the day of his death he shall be blessed. 14 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; And it was created together with the faithful in the womb. 15 With men she laid an eternal foundation; And with their seed shall she be had in trust. 16 To fear the Lord is the fulness of wisdom; And she satiateth men with her fruits. 17 She shall fill all her house with desirable things, And her garners with her produce. 18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, Making peace and perfect health to flourish. 19 He both saw and numbered her; He rained down skill and knowledge of understanding, And exalted the honour of them that hold her fast. 20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom; And her branches are length of days. 21 Not in this translation 22 Unjust wrath can never be justified; For the sway of his wrath is his downfall. 23 A man that is longsuffering will bear for a season, And afterward gladness shall spring up unto him; 24 He will hide his words for a season, And the lips of many shall tell forth his understanding. 25 A parable of knowledge is in the treasures of wisdom; But godliness is an abomination to a sinner. 26 If thou desire wisdom, keep the commandments, And the Lord shall give her unto thee freely: 27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction; And [in ] faith and meekness is his good pleasure. 28 Disobey not the fear of the Lord; And come not unto him with a double heart. 29 Be not a hypocrite in the mouths of men; And take good heed to thy lips. 30 Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, And bring dishonour upon thy soul; And [so ] the Lord shall reveal thy secrets, And shall cast thee down in the midst of the congregation; Because thou camest not unto the fear of the Lord, And thy heart was full of deceit.
Sirach · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Sirach 1 Revised 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).
For although we find no time before it, for wisdom was created before all things, --not certainly that Wisdom manifestly co-eternal and equal unto Thee, our God, His Father, and by Whom all things were created, and in Whom, as the Beginning, Thou createdst heaven and earth; but truly that wisdom which has been created, namely, the intellectual nature, which, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Wherefore also one said, "The sway of his fury shall be his fall;" by this most of all showing its tyranny, that in a short time it works great ills, and needs not to continue long with us, so that if in addition to its strength it were apt to last, it would indeed be hard to strive against.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… things, --not certainly that Wisdom manifestly co-eternal and equal unto Thee, our God, His Father, and by Whom all things were created, and in Whom, as the Beginning, Thou createdst heaven and earth; but truly that wisdom which has been created, namely, the intellectual nature, which, in the contemplation of light, is light.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Now "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." As then the things above belong to the perfect, so what he is now going to say belongs to beginners.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)