Sirach 15 Clementine Vulgate
1 [Qui timet Deum faciet bona, et qui continens est justitiæ apprehendet illam:
1 He who fears the Lord will do this. He who has possession of the law will obtain her.
2 et obviabit illi quasi mater honorificata, et quasi mulier a virginitate suscipiet illum.
2 She will meet him like a mother, and receive him like a wife married in her virginity.
3 Cibabit illum pane vitæ et intellectus, et aqua sapientiæ salutaris potabit illum: et firmabitur in illo, et non flectetur:
3 She will feed him with bread of understanding and give him water of wisdom to drink.
4 et continebit illum, et non confundetur: et exaltabit illum apud proximos suos,
4 He will be stayed upon her, and will not be moved. He will rely upon her, and will not be confounded.
5 et in medio ecclesiæ aperiet os ejus, et adimplebit illum spiritu sapientiæ et intellectus, et stola gloriæ vestiet illum.
5 She will exalt him above his neighbors. She will open his mouth in the midst of the congregation.
6 Jucunditatem et exsultationem thesaurizabit super illum, et nomine æterno hæreditabit illum.
6 He will inherit joy, a crown of gladness, and an everlasting name.
7 Homines stulti non apprehendent illam, et homines sensati obviabunt illi. Homines stulti non videbunt eam: longe enim abest a superbia et dolo.
7 Foolish men will not obtain her. Sinners will not see her.
8 Viri mendaces non erunt illius memores: et viri veraces invenientur in illa, et successum habebunt usque ad inspectionem Dei.
8 She is far from pride. Liars will not remember her.
9 Non est speciosa laus in ore peccatoris,
9 Praise is not attractive in the mouth of a sinner; for it was not sent to him from the Lord.
10 quoniam a Deo profecta est sapientia. Sapientiæ enim Dei astabit laus, et in ore fideli abundabit, et Dominator dabit eam illi.]
10 For praise will be spoken in wisdom; The Lord will prosper it.
11 [Non dixeris: Per Deum abest: quæ enim odit ne feceris.
11 Don’t say, “It is through the Lord that I fell away;” for you shall not do the things that he hates.
12 Non dicas: Ille me implanavit: non enim necessarii sunt ei homines impii.
12 Don’t say, “It is he that caused me to err;” for he has no need of a sinful man.
13 Omne execramentum erroris odit Dominus, et non erit amabile timentibus eum.
13 The Lord hates every abomination; and those who fear him don’t love them.
14 Deus ab initio constituit hominem, et reliquit illum in manu consilii sui:
14 He himself made man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his own counsel.
15 adjecit mandata et præcepta sua.
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments. To be faithful is a matter of your choice.
16 Si volueris mandata servare, conservabunt te, et in perpetuum fidem placitam facere.
16 He has set fire and water before you. You will stretch forth your hand to whichever you desire.
17 Apposuit tibi aquam et ignem, ad quod volueris porrige manum tuam.
17 Before man is life and death. Whichever he likes, it will be given to him.
18 Ante hominem vita et mors, bonum et malum: quod placuerit ei dabitur illi:
18 For the wisdom of the Lord is great. He is mighty in power, and sees all things.
19 quoniam multa sapientia Dei, et fortis in potentia, videns omnes sine intermissione.
19 His eyes are upon those who fear him. He knows every act of man.
20 Oculi Domini ad timentes eum, et ipse agnoscit omnem operam hominis.
20 He has not commanded any man to be ungodly. He has not given any man license to sin.
21 Nemini mandavit impie agere, et nemini dedit spatium peccandi:
21 Not in this translation
22 non enim concupiscit multitudinem filiorum infidelium et inutilium.]
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)