King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 50
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1Simon the , the son of , who in his life repaired the house again, and in his days fortified : 2And by him was built from the foundation the double height, the high of the wall about : 3In his days the cistern to receive water, being in compass as the sea, was covered with plates of brass: 4He took care of that it should not fall, and fortified the city against besieging: 5How was he honoured in the midst of the people in his coming out of ! 6He was as the in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full: 7As the sun shining upon of , and as the rainbow giving in the bright clouds: 8And as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, as lilies by the rivers of waters, and as the of the tree in the time of summer: 9As and in the censer, and as a of beaten gold set with all manner of precious stones: 10And as a fair olive tree budding forth fruit, and as a cypress tree which groweth up to the clouds. 11When he put on the robe of , and was clothed with the perfection of , when he went up to the , he made the garment of honourable. 12When he took the portions out of the priests’ hands, he himself stood by the hearth of the , compassed about, as a young cedar in Libanus; and as palm trees compassed they him round about. 13So were all the sons of in their , and the oblations of in their hands, before all of Israel. 14And finishing the at the , that he might adorn the of Almighty, 15He stretched out his hand to , and poured of of the grape, he poured out at the foot of the a sweetsmelling savour unto King of all. 16Then shouted the sons of , and sounded the silver , and made a great noise to be heard, for a remembrance before . 17Then all the people together hasted, and fell down to the earth upon their faces to their , . 18The singers also sang with their voices, with great variety of sounds was there made sweet melody. 19And the people besought , , by before him that is merciful, till the solemnity of was ended, and they had finished his . 20Then he went down, and lifted up his hands over the whole of the , to give the of with his , and to rejoice in his name. 21And they bowed themselves down to the second time, that they might receive a from . 22Now therefore ye the of all, which only doeth wondrous things every where, which exalteth our days from the , and dealeth with us according to his mercy. 23He grant us joyfulness of , and that peace may be in our days in Israel for ever: 24That he would confirm his mercy with us, and us at his time! 25There be two manner of nations which abhorreth, and the third is no nation: 26They that sit upon the mountain of , and they that among the , and that foolish people that in Sichem. 27 of hath written in this book the of understanding and knowledge, who out of poured forth . 28 is he that shall be exercised in these things; and he that layeth them up in shall become . 29For if he do them, he shall be strong to all things: for of leadeth him, who giveth to the godly. be the name of for ever. , .
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)