King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27
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1Many have for a small matter; and he that seeketh for abundance will turn his eyes away. 2As a nail sticketh between the joinings of the stones; so doth stick close between buying and selling. 3Unless a man hold himself diligently in the , his house shall soon be overthrown. 4As when one sifteth with a sieve, the refuse remaineth; so the filth of man in his talk. 5The furnace proveth the ’s vessels; so the of man is in his reasoning. 6The fruit declareth if the tree have been dressed; so is the utterance of a conceit in of man. 7 no man before thou hearest him speak; for this is the of men. 8If thou followest , thou shalt obtain her, and put her on, as a long robe. 9The birds will resort unto their like; so will truth return unto them that practise in her. 10As the lion lieth in wait for the prey; so for them that work . 11The discourse of a godly man is always with ; but a fool changeth as the moon. 12If thou be among the indiscreet, observe the time; but be continually among men of understanding. 13The discourse of fools is irksome, and their sport is the wantonness of . 14The talk of him that sweareth much maketh the hair stand upright; and their brawls make one stop his ears. 15The strife of the proud is bloodshedding, and their revilings are grievous to the ear. 16Whoso discovereth secrets loseth his credit; and shall never find friend to his . 17Love thy friend, and be unto him: but if thou betrayest his secrets, follow no more after him. 18For as a man hath destroyed his enemy; so hast thou lost the love of thy neighbor. 19As one that letteth a bird go out of his hand, so hast thou let thy neighbour go, and shalt not get him again 20Follow after him no more, for he is too far off; he is as a roe escaped out of the snare. 21As for a wound, it may be bound up; and after reviling there may be reconcilement: but he that betrayeth secrets is without . 22He that winketh with the eyes worketh evil: and he that knoweth him will depart from him. 23When thou art present, he will speak sweetly, and will admire thy words: but at the last he will writhe his , and slander thy sayings. 24I have hated many things, but nothing like him; for will hate him. 25Whoso casteth a stone on high casteth it on his own head; and a deceitful stroke shall make wounds. 26Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that setteth a trap shall be taken therein. 27He that worketh mischief, it shall fall upon him, and he shall not know whence it cometh. 28Mockery and are from the proud; but , as a lion, shall lie in wait for them. 29They that rejoice at the fall of shall be taken in the snare; and anguish shall consume them before they . 30Malice and , even these are ; and the man shall have them both.
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)