King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 37
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1Every friend saith, I am his friend also: but there is a friend, which is only a friend in name. 2Is it not a grief unto , when a companion and friend is turned to an enemy? 3O imagination, whence camest thou in to cover the earth with deceit? 4There is a companion, which rejoiceth in the prosperity of a friend, but in the time of trouble will be against him. 5There is a companion, which helpeth his friend for the belly, and taketh up the buckler against . 6Forget not thy friend in thy , and be not unmindful of him in thy riches. 7Every counsellor extolleth ; but there is some that counselleth for himself. 8Beware of a counsellor, and know before what need he hath; for he will for himself; lest he cast the lot upon thee, 9And say unto thee, Thy way is good: and afterward he stand on the other side, to see what shall befall thee. 10Consult not with one that suspecteth thee: and hide thy from such as envy thee. 11Neither consult with a woman touching her of whom she is ; neither with a coward in matters of war; nor with a merchant concerning exchange; nor with a buyer of selling; nor with an envious man of thankfulness; nor with an unmerciful man touching kindness; nor with the slothful for any work; nor with an hireling for a year of finishing work; nor with an idle much business: not unto these in any matter of . 12But be continually with a godly man, whom thou knowest to keep of , whose, is according to thy , and will sorrow with thee, if thou shalt miscarry. 13And let the of thine own stand: for there is no man more unto thee than it. 14For a man’s is sometime wont to tell him more than seven watchmen, that sit above in an high tower. 15And above all this to , that he will direct thy way in truth. 16Let reason go before every enterprize, and before every action. 17The countenance is a sign of changing of . 18Four manner of things appear: good and evil, life and : but ruleth over them continually. 19There is one that is and teacheth many, and yet is unprofitable to himself. 20There is one that sheweth in words, and is hated: he shall be destitute of all food. 21For is not given, him from , because he is deprived of all . 22Another is to himself; and the fruits of understanding are commendable in his . 23A man instructeth his people; and the fruits of his understanding fail not. 24A man shall be filled with ; and all they that see him shall count him happy. 25The days of the life of man may be numbered: but the days of Israel are innumerable. 26A man shall among his people, and his name shall be perpetual. 27My son, prove thy in thy life, and see what is evil for it, and give not that unto it. 28For all things are not profitable for all men, neither hath every pleasure in every thing. 29Be not unsatiable in any dainty thing, nor too greedy upon meats: 30For excess of meats bringeth sickness, and surfeiting will turn into choler. 31By surfeiting have many ; but he that taketh heed prolongeth his life.
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)