King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 39
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1But he that giveth his to of , and is occupied in the thereof, will seek out the of all the ancient, and be occupied in prophecies. 2He will keep the sayings of the renowned men: and where subtil parables are, he will be there also. 3He will seek out the secrets of sentences, and be conversant in dark parables. 4He shall among great men, and appear before princes: he will travel through strange countries; for he hath tried the good and the evil among men. 5He will give to resort early to that made him, and will before , and will open his in , and make for his . 6When the great will, he shall be filled with of understanding: he shall pour out sentences, and give thanks unto in his . 7He shall direct his and knowledge, and in his secrets shall he . 8He shall shew forth that which he hath learned, and shall in of of . 9Many shall commend his understanding; and so long as the world endureth, it shall not be blotted out; his memorial shall not depart away, and his name shall live from generation to generation. 10Nations shall shew forth his , and shall declare his . 11If he , he shall leave a greater name than a thousand: and if he live, he shall increase it. 12Yet have I more to say, which I have thought upon; for I am filled as the moon at the full. 13 unto me, ye children, and bud forth as a rose growing by the brook of the field: 14And give ye a sweet savour as , and flourish as a lily, send forth a smell, and sing a song of , in all his works. 15Magnify his name, and shew forth his with the songs of your , and with harps, and in praising him ye shall say after this manner: 16All the works of are exceeding good, and whatsoever he commandeth shall be accomplished in due season. 17And none may say, What is this? wherefore is that? for at time convenient they shall all be sought out: at his the waters stood as an heap, and at the words of his the receptacles of waters. 18At his is done whatsoever pleaseth him; and none can hinder, when he will . 19The works of are before him, and nothing can be hid from his eyes. 20He seeth from to ; and there is nothing wonderful before him. 21A man need not to say, What is this? wherefore is that? for he hath made all things for their uses. 22His covered the dry land as a river, and watered it as a flood. 23As he hath turned the waters into saltness: so shall the heathen his . 24As his ways are plain unto the ; so are they stumblingblocks unto . 25For the good are good things created : so evil things for . 26The principal things for the whole use of man’s life are water, , iron, and salt, flour of wheat, honey, milk, and of the grape, and oil, and clothing. 27All these things are for good to the godly: so to the they are turned into evil. 28There be spirits that are created for , which in their fury lay on sore strokes; in the time of they pour out their force, and appease the of him that made them. 29, and hail, and , and , all these were created for ; 30Teeth of wild , and scorpions, , and punishing to . 31They shall rejoice in his , and they shall be ready upon earth, when need is; and when their time is come, they shall not transgress his word. 32Therefore I was resolved, and thought upon these things, and have left them in writing. 33All the works of are good: and he will give every needful thing in due season. 34So that a man cannot say, This is worse than that: for in time they shall all be well approved. 35And therefore ye with the and , and the name of .
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)