King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 1
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is.
1All cometh from , and is with him for ever. 2Who can number the sand of the sea, and the drops of , and the days of eternity? 3Who can find out the height of , and the breadth of the earth, and the deep, and ? 4 hath been created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from . 5The word of is the fountain of ; and her ways are . 6To whom hath the root of been ? or who hath known her counsels? 7Unto whom hath the knowledge of been made manifest? and who hath understood her great experience? 8There is one and greatly to be feared, sitting upon his . 9He created her, and saw her, and numbered her, and poured her out upon all his works. 10She is with according to his gift, and he hath given her to them that love him. 11The is , and , and gladness, and a of rejoicing. 12The maketh a merry , and giveth joy, and gladness, and a long life. 13Whoso feareth , it shall go well with him at the last, and he shall find in the day of his . 14To is the beginning of : and it was created with the in the . 15She hath built an foundation with men, and she shall continue with their . 16To is fulness of , and filleth men with her fruits. 17She filleth all their house with things desirable, and the garners with her increase. 18The is a of , making peace and perfect health to flourish; both which are the gifts of : and it enlargeth their rejoicing that love him. 19 raineth down skill and knowledge of understanding standing, and exalteth them to that hold her . 20The root of is to , and the thereof are long life. 21The driveth away : and where it is present, it turneth away . 22A furious man cannot be ; for the sway of his fury shall be his . 23A man will tear for a time, and afterward joy shall spring up unto him. 24He will hide his words for a time, and of many shall declare his . 25The parables of knowledge are in the of : but godliness is an to a . 26If thou , keep , and shall give her unto thee. 27For the is and : and and meekness are his delight. 28Distrust not the when thou art : and come not unto him with a double . 29Be not an in the sight of men, and take good heed what thou speakest. 30Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, and bring dishonour upon thy , and so discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the midst of , because thou camest not in truth to the , but thy is full of deceit.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under the Greeks, 332 BC to 63 BC ›
Alexander's conquest and the kingdoms of his successors. Greek language and custom press in everywhere, and the crisis under Antiochus IV provokes the Maccabean revolt.
- The successors
- Alexander dies at thirty-two and his generals carve up the empire. Judea sits on the border between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, and is fought over by both for a century and a half, which is the ordinary condition of the corridor.
- Hellenism
- Not just conquest but a culture: the gymnasium, the theatre, Greek names, Greek dress, Greek as the language of anyone with ambitions. Some Jews embraced it, some resisted it, and the argument between them is the real subject of the Maccabean books. In Alexandria the Hebrew scriptures are translated into Greek, producing the Septuagint, which is the Bible most New Testament writers quote.
- The crisis
- Antiochus IV bans the practice of Judaism, plunders the temple, and sets up a pagan altar in it in 167 BC. The revolt under the Maccabees wins, the temple is rededicated in 164 BC, which is the origin of Hanukkah, and Judea has about eighty years of independence under the Hasmoneans before Rome arrives.
- Further afield
- Rome fights Carthage three times and ends up master of the Mediterranean. Euclid writes the Elements and Archimedes does his work at Syracuse. In China the Qin unify the country in 221 BC and the Han follow, opening what becomes the Silk Road.
All of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)