1 [Sapientia laudabit animam suam, et in Deo honorabitur, et in medio populi sui gloriabitur, 2 et in ecclesiis Altissimi aperiet os suum, et in conspectu virtutis illius gloriabitur, 3 et in medio populi sui exaltabitur, et in plenitudine sancta admirabitur, 4 et in multitudine electorum habebit laudem, et inter benedictos benedicetur, dicens: 5 Ego ex ore Altissimi prodivi, primogenita ante omnem creaturam. 6 Ego feci in cælis ut oriretur lumen indeficiens, et sicut nebula texi omnem terram. 7 Ego in altissimis habitavi, et thronus meus in columna nubis. 8 Gyrum cæli circuivi sola, et profundum abyssi penetravi: in fluctibus maris ambulavi. 9 Et in omni terra steti: et in omni populo, 10 et in omni gente primatum habui: 11 et omnium excellentium et humilium corda virtute calcavi. Et in his omnibus requiem quæsivi, et in hæreditate Domini morabor. 12 Tunc præcepit, et dixit mihi Creator omnium: et qui creavit me, requievit in tabernaculo meo. 13 Et dixit mihi: In Jacob inhabita, et in Israël hæreditare, et in electis meis mitte radices.] 14 [Ab initio et ante sæcula creata sum, et usque ad futurum sæculum non desinam: et in habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi. 15 Et sic in Sion firmata sum, et in civitate sanctificata similiter requievi, et in Jerusalem potestas mea. 16 Et radicavi in populo honorificato, et in parte Dei mei hæreditas illius, et in plenitudine sanctorum detentio mea.] 17 [Quasi cedrus exaltata sum in Libano, et quasi cypressus in monte Sion: 18 quasi palma exaltata sum in Cades, et quasi plantatio rosæ in Jericho: 19 quasi oliva speciosa in campis, et quasi platanus exaltata sum juxta aquam in plateis. 20 Sicut cinnamomum et balsamum aromatizans odorem dedi; quasi myrrha electa dedi suavitatem odoris: 21 et quasi storax, et galbanus, et ungula, et gutta, et quasi Libanus non incisus vaporavi habitationem meam, et quasi balsamum non mistum odor meus. 22 Ego quasi terebinthus extendi ramos meos, et rami mei honoris et gratiæ. 23 Ego quasi vitis fructificavi suavitatem odoris: et flores mei fructus honoris et honestatis. 24 Ego mater pulchræ dilectionis, et timoris, et agnitionis, et sanctæ spei. 25 In me gratia omnis viæ et veritatis: in me omnis spes vitæ et virtutis. 26 Transite ad me, omnes qui concupiscitis me, et a generationibus meis implemini: 27 spiritus enim meus super mel dulcis, et hæreditas mea super mel et favum. 28 Memoria mea in generatione sæculorum. 29 Qui edunt me, adhuc esurient, et qui bibunt me, adhuc sitient. 30 Qui audit me non confundetur, et qui operantur in me non peccabunt: 31 qui elucidant me, vitam æternam habebunt.] 32 [Hæc omnia liber vitæ, et testamentum Altissimi, et agnitio veritatis. 33 Legem mandavit Moyses in præceptis justitiarum, et hæreditatem domui Jacob, et Israël promissiones. 34 Posuit David, puero suo, excitare regem ex ipso fortissimum, et in throno honoris sedentem in sempiternum. 35 Qui implet quasi Phison sapientiam, et sicut Tigris in diebus novorum: 36 qui adimplet quasi Euphrates sensum, qui multiplicat quasi Jordanis in tempore messis: 37 qui mittit disciplinam sicut lucem, et assistens quasi Gehon in die vindemiæ. 38 Qui perficit primus scire ipsam, et infirmior non investigabit eam. 39 A mari enim abundavit cogitatio ejus, et consilium illius ab abysso magna. 40 Ego sapientiam effudi flumina: 41 ego quasi trames aquæ immensæ de fluvio: ego quasi fluvii dioryx, et sicut aquæductus exivi de paradiso. 42 Dixi: Rigabo hortum meum plantationum, et inebriabo prati mei fructum. 43 Et ecce factus est mihi trames abundans, et fluvius meus appropinquavit ad mare: 44 quoniam doctrinam quasi antelucanum illumino omnibus, et enarrabo illam usque ad longinquum. 45 Penetrabo omnes inferiores partes terræ, et inspiciam omnes dormientes, et illuminabo omnes sperantes in Domino. 46 Adhuc doctrinam quasi prophetiam effundam, et relinquam illam quærentibus sapientiam, et non desinam in progenies illorum usque in ævum sanctum. 47 Videte quoniam non soli mihi laboravi, sed omnibus exquirentibus veritatem.]
Sirach 24 Clementine Vulgate
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)