King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 48
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1Then stood up the as , and his word burned like a lamp. 2He brought a sore upon them, and by his he diminished their number. 3By the word of he shut up the , and also three times brought down . 4O , how wast thou honoured in thy wondrous deeds! and who may like unto thee! 5Who didst raise up a man from , and his from the place of , by the word of : 6Who broughtest kings to , and honorable men from their bed: 7Who heardest the rebuke of in Sinai, and in the of : 8Who annointedst kings to take , and to succeed after him: 9Who was taken up in a whirlwind of , and in a chariot of horses: 10Who wast ordained for reproofs in their times, to pacify the of ’s , before it brake forth into fury, and to turn of unto the son, and to restore the tribes of . 11 are they that saw thee, and slept in love; for we shall surely live. 12 it was, who was covered with a whirlwind: and was filled with his : whilst he lived, he was not moved with the of any prince, neither could any bring him into subjection. 13No word could overcome him; and after his his body prophesied. 14He did wonders in his life, and at his were his works marvellous. 15For all this the people not, neither departed they from their , till they were spoiled and carried out of their land, and were scattered through all the earth: yet there remained a small people, and a ruler in the house of : 16Of whom some did that which was pleasing to , and some multiplied . 17Ezekias fortified his city, and brought in water into the midst thereof: he digged the hard with iron, and made wells for waters. 18In his time came up, and sent Rabsaces, and lifted up his hand against , and boasted proudly. 19Then trembled their and hands, and they were in pain, as women in travail. 20But they called upon which is merciful, and stretched out their hands toward him: and immediately the One heard them out of , and them by the ministry of Esay. 21He smote the host of the , and his destroyed them. 22For Ezekias had done the thing that pleased , and was strong in the ways of his , as Esay the , who was great and in his , had commanded him. 23In his time the sun went backward, and he lengthened the king’s life. 24He saw by an excellent what should come to pass at the last, and he comforted them that mourned in . 25He shewed what should come to pass for ever, and or ever they came.
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)