King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 29
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1He that is merciful will lend unto his neighbour; and he that strengtheneth his hand keepeth . 2Lend to thy neighbour in time of his need, and pay thou thy neighbour again in due season. 3Keep thy word, and deal faithfully with him, and thou shalt always find the thing that is necessary for thee. 4Many, when a thing was lent them, it to be found, and put them to trouble that helped them. 5Till he hath received, he will kiss a man’s hand; and for his neighbour’s money he will speak submissly: but when he should repay, he will prolong the time, and return words of grief, and complain of the time. 6If he prevail, he shall hardly receive the half, and he will count as if he had found it: if not, he hath deprived him of his money, and he hath gotten him an enemy without cause: he payeth him with cursings and railings; and for he will pay him . 7Many therefore have refused to lend for other men’s ill dealing, fearing to be defrauded. 8Yet have thou with a man in estate, and delay not to shew him mercy. 9Help for the ’s sake, and turn him not away because of his . 10Lose thy money for thy brother and thy friend, and let it not rust under a stone to be lost. 11Lay up thy according to of , and it shall bring thee more profit than gold. 12Shut up alms in thy storehouses: and it shall thee from all affliction. 13It shall fight for thee against thine better than a mighty shield and strong spear. 14An honest man is surety for his neighbour: but he that is impudent will forsake him. 15Forget not the friendship of thy surety, for he hath given his life for thee. 16A will overthrow the good estate of his surety: 17And he that is of an unthankful will leave him in danger that him. 18Suretiship hath undone many of good estate, and shaken them as a wave of the sea: hath it driven from their houses, so that they wandered among strange nations. 19A man transgressing of shall fall into suretiship: and he that undertaketh and followeth other men’s business for gain shall fall into suits. 20Help thy neighbour according to thy , and beware that thou thyself fall not into the same. 21The chief thing for life is water, and bread, and clothing, and an house to cover . 22Better is the life of a man in a mean cottage, than delicate fare in another man’s house. 23Be it little or much, hold thee contented, that thou hear not the of thy house. 24For it is a miserable life to go from house to house: for where thou art a , thou darest not open thy . 25Thou shalt entertain, and feast, and have no thanks: moreover thou shalt hear bitter words: 26Come, thou , and furnish a table, and feed me of that thou hast ready. 27Give place, thou , to an honourable man; my brother cometh to be lodged, and I have need of mine house. 28These things are grievous to a man of understanding; the upbraiding of houseroom, and reproaching of the lender.
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)