King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 19
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1A labouring man that A is given to drunkenness shall not be rich: and he that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little. 2 and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that cleaveth to harlots will become impudent. 3Moths and worms shall have him to heritage, and a bold man shall be taken away. 4He that is hasty to give credit is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall offend against his own . 5Whoso taketh pleasure in wickedness shall be condemned: but he that resisteth pleasures crowneth his life. 6He that can rule his shall live without strife; and he that hateth babbling shall have less evil. 7Rehearse not unto another that which is told unto thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse. 8Whether it be to friend or foe, talk not of other men’s lives; and if thou canst without offence, them not. 9For he heard and observed thee, and when time cometh he will hate thee. 10If thou hast heard a word, let it with thee; and be bold, it will not burst thee. 11A fool travaileth with a word, as a woman in labour of a child. 12As an arrow that sticketh in a man’s thigh, so is a word within a fool’s belly. 13Admonish a friend, it may be he hath not done it: and if he have done it, that he do it no more. 14Admonish thy friend, it may be he hath not said it: and if he have, that he speak it not again. 15Admonish a friend: for many times it is a slander, and not every tale. 16There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from ; and who is he that hath not offended with his ? 17Admonish thy neighbour before thou threaten him; and not being angry, give place to of . 18The is the first step to be accepted of him, and obtaineth his love. 19The knowledge of of is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality. 20The is all ; and in all is the performance of , and the knowledge of his omnipotency. 21If a servant say to his master, I will not do as it pleaseth thee; though afterward he do it, he angereth him that nourisheth him. 22The knowledge of wickedness is not , neither at any time the of prudence. 23There is a wickedness, and the same an ; and there is a fool wanting in . 24He that hath small understanding, and feareth , is better than one that hath much , and transgresseth of . 25There is an exquisite subtilty, and the same is unjust; and there is one that turneth aside to make appear; and there is a man that justifieth in . 26There is a man that hangeth down his head sadly; but inwardly he is full of deceit, 27Casting down his countenance, and making as if he heard not: where he is not known, he will do thee a mischief before thou be aware. 28And if for want of he be hindered from sinning, yet when he findeth opportunity he will do evil. 29A man may be known by his look, and one that hath understanding by his countenance, when thou meetest him. 30A man’s attire, and excessive laughter, and gait, shew what he is.
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)