Chapter 39

True wisdom, that is, the knowledge of God and His holy law accessible to man, belongs to the one who with all his mind, heart, and will is not separated from the source of wisdom – God.

Sirach 39:1. Only the one who dedicates his soul to meditation on the law of the Most High will seek the wisdom of all the ancients and exercise himself in the prophecies: 2. he will notice the sayings of eminent men and delve into the subtle turns of parables; 3. he will investigate the hidden meaning of utterances and engage in the riddles of parables. 4. He will conduct himself in service among the mighty and appear before the ruler; 5. he will travel through the land of foreign peoples, for he has tested both good and evil among men. 6. His heart he will direct toward this end: to turn to the Lord from early morning, his Creator, and he will pray before the Most High; he will open his mouth in prayer and will pray concerning his sins. 7. If it pleases the Lord Most Great, he will be filled with a spirit of understanding, 8. he will pour forth words of his wisdom and in prayer will glorify the Lord; 9. he will direct his will and mind aright and will meditate on the mysteries of the Lord; 10. he will show the wisdom of his teaching and will glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord. 11. Many will praise his knowledge, and he will not be forgotten forever; 12. his memory will not perish, and his name will live through the generations. 13. Nations will praise his wisdom, and the assembly will proclaim his praise; 14. as long as he lives he will gain more glory than thousands; and when he rests, he will increase it. Verses 1–14 serve as a contrast to verses 24–39 of chapter 38.

Sirach 39:15. Having deliberated further, I will tell you, for I am full, as the moon in its fullness. Verse 15. For I am full of wise teachings.

Sirach 39:16. Hear me, you pious children, and grow like a rose growing in a field by a stream; 17. send forth fragrance like frankincense; 18. blossom like a lily, spread your fragrance and sing a song; 19. bless the Lord in all your deeds; magnify His name and praise Him with His praise, 20. with songs from your lips and harps and, praising, say thus: Verses 16–20. Be satisfied with wisdom, prosper, and by your wise and pious life be pure incense to the All-Perfect One.

Sirach 39:21. all the works of the Lord are very good, and every command of His will be fulfilled in its time; 22. and one cannot say: “What is this? Why is this?”, for all will be revealed in its time. 23. By His word the water became a heap, and by the utterance of His mouth the reservoirs of waters appeared. 24. In His commands all is His goodwill, and no one can diminish the saving power of them. 25. Before Him are the works of all flesh, and it is impossible to hide from His eyes. 26. He sees from age to age, and nothing is wonderful before Him. 27. One cannot say: “What is this? Why is this?”, for all things were made for their use. 28. His blessing covers like a river, and like a flood watering the land. 29. But His wrath also is tested by nations, as once He turned waters into salt marshes. 30. His paths are straight for the holy ones, but for the lawless they are stumbling blocks. 31. From the beginning good was created for the good, as for sinners – evil. 32. The chief of all necessities for the life of man – water, fire, iron, salt, wheat flour, honey, milk, grape juice, oil and clothing: 33. all these are beneficial to the pious, but to sinners they can turn into harm. 34. There are winds that were created for vengeance and in their fury strengthen their blows, 35. in the time of their rush they pour forth strength and satisfy the wrath of their Creator. 36. Fire and hail, famine and death – all these were created for vengeance; 37. the teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword avenging the impious with destruction – 38. they will rejoice in His command and are ready on the earth, and when needed, in their time they will not transgress His word. 39. For this reason from the beginning I resolved, deliberated, and set down in writing, 40. that all the works of the Lord are good, and He gives all that is needed in its time; 41. and one cannot say: “this is worse than that”, for all in its time will be acknowledged as good. 42. Therefore, with all your heart and with your mouth sing and bless the name of the Lord. Verses 21–42. All that comes to pass in nature testifies to the might, wisdom, goodness, and justice of the Creator, and should serve man as a reason to sing and bless the name of the Lord with all his heart and mouth. – By His word the water became a heap… the reservoirs of waters appeared (verse 23). Cf. Gen 1:6-10. – Nothing is wonderful before Him (verse 26), that is, all created things are insignificant before the immeasurable greatness of their Creator. – As once He turned waters into salt marshes (verse 29). Cf. Gen 19. – From the beginning good was created for the good… (verse 31). Cf. note to Sir 33:7-14. – There are winds that were created for vengeance (verse 34) against stubborn sinners for their transgressions, as, by God’s permission, there exist for the instruction of the impious also other afflictions (verses 36–38).