Chapter Thirty-Nine

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: Sirach 39:2. he will notice the sayings of eminent men and delve into the subtle turns of parables; Sirach 39:3. he will investigate the hidden meaning of utterances and engage in the riddles of parables. Sirach 39:4. He will conduct himself in service among the mighty and appear before the ruler; Sirach 39:5. he will travel through the land of foreign peoples, for he has tested both good and evil among men. Sirach 39:6. 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. Sirach 39:7. If it pleases the Lord Most Great, he will be filled with a spirit of understanding, Sirach 39:8. he will pour forth words of his wisdom and in prayer will glorify the Lord; Sirach 39:9. he will direct his will and mind aright and will meditate on the mysteries of the Lord; Sirach 39:10. he will show the wisdom of his teaching and will glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord. Sirach 39:11. Many will praise his knowledge, and he will not be forgotten forever; Sirach 39:12. his memory will not perish, and his name will live through the generations. Sirach 39:13. Nations will praise his wisdom, and the assembly will proclaim his praise; Sirach 39:14. 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; Sirach 39:17. send forth fragrance like frankincense; Sirach 39:18. blossom like a lily, spread your fragrance and sing a song; Sirach 39:19. bless the Lord in all your deeds; magnify His name and praise Him with His praise, Sirach 39:20. 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; Sirach 39:22. and one cannot say: “What is this? Why is this?”, for all will be revealed in its time. Sirach 39:23. By His word the water became a heap, and by the utterance of His mouth the reservoirs of waters appeared. Sirach 39:24. In His commands all is His goodwill, and no one can diminish the saving power of them. Sirach 39:25. Before Him are the works of all flesh, and it is impossible to hide from His eyes. Sirach 39:26. He sees from age to age, and nothing is wonderful before Him. Sirach 39:27. One cannot say: “What is this? Why is this?”, for all things were made for their use. Sirach 39:28. His blessing covers like a river, and like a flood watering the land. Sirach 39:29. But His wrath also is tested by nations, as once He turned waters into salt marshes. Sirach 39:30. His paths are straight for the holy ones, but for the lawless they are stumbling blocks. Sirach 39:31. From the beginning good was created for the good, as for sinners – evil. Sirach 39:32. The chief of all necessities for the life of man – water, fire, iron, salt, wheat flour, honey, milk, grape juice, oil and clothing: Sirach 39:33. all these are beneficial to the pious, but to sinners they can turn into harm. Sirach 39:34. There are winds that were created for vengeance and in their fury strengthen their blows, Sirach 39:35. in the time of their rush they pour forth strength and satisfy the wrath of their Creator. Sirach 39:36. Fire and hail, famine and death – all these were created for vengeance; Sirach 39:37. the teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword avenging the impious with destruction – Sirach 39:38. they will rejoice in His command and are ready on the earth, and when needed, in their time they will not transgress His word. Sirach 39:39. For this reason from the beginning I resolved, deliberated, and set down in writing, Sirach 39:40. that all the works of the Lord are good, and He gives all that is needed in its time; Sirach 39:41. and one cannot say: “this is worse than that”, for all in its time will be acknowledged as good. Sirach 39:42. 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).