King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 21
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is.
1My son, hast thou ? do so no more, but ask pardon for thy former . 2Flee from as from the of a : for if thou comest too near it, it will bite thee: the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a lion, slaying the of men. 3All is as a two edged , the wounds whereof cannot be healed. 4To terrify and do wrong will waste riches: thus the house of proud men shall be made desolate. 5A out of a man’s reacheth to the ears of , and his cometh speedily. 6He that hateth to be reproved is in of : but he that feareth will from . 7An eloquent man is known far and near; but a man of understanding knoweth when he slippeth. 8He that buildeth his house with other men’s money is like one that gathereth himself stones for the of his burial. 9 of is like tow wrapped together: and the end of them is a to destroy them. 10 of is made plain with stones, but at the end thereof is of hell. 11He that keepeth of getteth the understanding thereof: and the perfection of the is . 12He that is not will not be taught: but there is a which multiplieth bitterness. 13The knowledge of a man shall abound like a flood: and his is like a pure fountain of life. 14The inner parts of a fool are like a broken , and he will hold no knowledge as long as he liveth. 15If a skilful man hear a word, he will commend it, and add unto it: but as soon as one of no understanding heareth it, it displeaseth him, and he casteth it behind his back. 16The talking of a fool is like a burden in : but shall be found in of . 17They enquire at the of man in , and they shall his words in their . 18As is a house that is destroyed, so is to a fool: and the knowledge of the unwise is as talk without sense. 19Doctrine unto fools is as fetters on the feet, and like manacles on . 20A fool lifteth up his voice with laughter; but a man doth scarce smile a little. 21Learning is unto a man as an ornament of gold, and like a bracelet upon his right arm. 22A foolish man’s foot is soon in his neighbour’s house: but a man of experience is of him. 23A fool will peep in at the door into the house: but he that is well nurtured will stand without. 24It is the rudeness of a man to at the door: but a man will be grieved with the . 25 of talkers will be telling such things as pertain not unto them: but the words of such as have understanding are weighed in the balance. 26 of fools is in their : but the of is in their . 27When the ungodly curseth , he curseth his own . 28A whisperer defileth his own , and is hated wheresoever he dwelleth.
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)