King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 34
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1The hopes of a man void of understanding are and false: and lift up fools. 2Whoso regardeth is like him that catcheth at a shadow, and followeth after the wind. 3The of is the resemblance of one thing to another, even as the of a to a . 4Of an thing what can be cleansed? and from that thing which is false what truth can come? 5Divinations, and soothsayings, and , are : and fancieth, as a woman’s in travail. 6If they be not sent from in thy visitation, set not thy upon them. 7For have deceived many, and they have failed that put their in them. 8 shall be found perfect without lies: and is perfection to a . 9A man that hath travelled knoweth many things; and he that hath much experience will declare . 10He that hath no experience knoweth little: but he that hath travelled is full of prudence. 11When I travelled, I saw many things; and I understand more than I can express. 12I was ofttimes in danger of : yet I was because of these things. 13 of those that shall live; for their is in him that saveth them. 14Whoso feareth shall not fear nor be afraid; for he is his . 15 is the of him that feareth : to whom doth he look? and who is his strength? 16For the eyes of are upon them that love him, he is their mighty protection and strong stay, a defence from heat, and a cover from the sun at noon, a preservation from stumbling, and an help from falling. 17He raiseth up the , and lighteneth the eyes: he giveth health, life, and . 18He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his is ridiculous; and the gifts of unjust men are not accepted. 19 is not pleased with the of ; neither is he pacified for by of . 20Whoso bringeth an of the goods of doeth as one that killeth the son before his ’s eyes. 21The bread of is their life: he that defraudeth him thereof is a man of . 22He that taketh away his neighbour’s living slayeth him; and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a bloodshedder. 23When one buildeth, and another pulleth down, what profit have they then but labour? 24When one prayeth, and another curseth, whose voice will hear? 25He that washeth himself after the touching of a body, if he touch it again, what availeth his washing? 26So is it with a man that fasteth for his , and goeth again, and doeth the same: who will hear his ? or what doth his humbling profit him?
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)