King James Version · Under the Greeks
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 6
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1Instead of a friend become not an enemy; for thereby thou shalt an ill name, , and : even so shall a that hath a double . 2Extol not thyself in the of thine own ; that thy be not torn in pieces as a bull straying alone. 3Thou shalt eat up thy leaves, and lose thy fruit, and leave thyself as a dry tree. 4A shall destroy him that hath it, and shall make him to be laughed to scorn of his . 5Sweet language will multiply friends: and a fairspeaking will increase kind greetings. 6Be in peace with many: nevertheless have but one counsellor of a thousand. 7If thou wouldest get a friend, prove him first and be not hasty to credit him. 8For some man is a friend for his own occasion, and will not in the day of thy trouble. 9And there is a friend, who being turned to enmity, and strife will discover thy . 10Again, some friend is a companion , and will not continue in the day of thy affliction. 11But in thy prosperity he will be as thyself, and will be bold over thy servants. 12If thou be brought low, he will be against thee, and will hide himself from thy . 13Separate thyself from thine , and take heed of thy friends. 14A faithfull friend is a strong defence: and he that hath found such an one hath found a . 15Nothing doth countervail a friend, and his excellency is invaluable. 16A friend is the medicine of life; and they that shall find him. 17Whoso feareth shall direct his friendship aright: for as he is, so shall his neighbour be also. 18My son, gather from thy youth up: so shalt thou find till thine old age. 19Come unto her as one that ploweth and soweth, and wait for her good fruits: for thou shalt not toil much in labouring about her, but thou shalt eat of her fruits right soon. 20She is very unpleasant to the unlearned: he that is without understanding will not with her. 21She will lie upon him as a mighty stone of ; and he will cast her from him ere it be long. 22For is according to her name, and she is not manifest unto many. 23Give ear, my son, receive my , and refuse not my , 24And put thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chain. 25 thy shoulder, and bear her, and be not grieved with her bonds. 26Come unto her with thy , and keep her ways with all thy . 27Search, and seek, and she shall be unto thee: and when thou hast got hold of her, let her not go. 28For at the last thou shalt find her rest, and that shall be turned to thy joy. 29Then shall her fetters be a strong defence for thee, and her chains a robe of . 30For there is a golden ornament upon her, and her bands are purple lace. 31Thou shalt put her on as a robe of , and shalt put her about thee as a of joy. 32My son, if thou wilt, thou shalt be taught: and if thou wilt apply thy , thou shalt be prudent. 33If thou love to hear, thou shalt receive understanding: and if thou bow thine ear, thou shalt be , 34Stand in of the ; and cleave unto him that is . 35Be willing to hear every godly discourse; and let not the parables of understanding escape thee. 36And if thou seest a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto him, and let thy foot wear the steps of his door. 37Let thy be upon the ordinances of and continually in his : he shall establish thine , and give thee at thine owns .
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)