1 But do not let yourself be led astray by any of the things that follow.
2 Do not be ashamed
of the law of the Most High and his covenant,
of judging even the wicked fairly,
3 of keeping accounts with a traveling com panion,
and of sharing your inheritance with friends,
4 of checking weights and scales,
5 of making a profit whether small or great,
of bargaining with traders, and of being strict with children,
of severe corporal punishment for a servant who deserves it.
6 With a prying wife or when many pe ple are around, it is wise to make use of seal and lock!
7 For deposits it is essential to reckon by number and weight and keep a written record of what you give and receive.
8 Do not be ashamed of correcting some one who is foolish or stupid or an old man who has become childish.
Doing that, you prove that you are a well-educated person and you will be ge nerally respected.
9 A daughter causes her father hidden worries; anxiety on her account keeps him awake:
Is she young? She may not marry. Is she married? She may be disliked;
10 Is she a virgin? She may be seduced and be come pregnant in her father’s house!
Is she married? She may be unfaithful or un able to have children!
11 Your daughter is unruly? Watch her well, or she may make you a laughingstock to your enemies, the talk of the town and a public disgrace.
12 Do not be taken by human beauty and do not sit down in the company of women;
13 for just as a moth comes out of a garment, woman’s wickedness comes out of a woman.
14 Better a man’s wickedness than a wo man’s kindness; women bring shame and disgrace.
Second Part: God’s Wisdom in History
Wonders of nature
15 Now I shall remind you of the works of the Lord and relate what I have seen.
The Lord’s works depend on his word, and creation obeys his will.
16 The sun shines on everything and the work of the Lord is filled with his glory.
17 Not even to his holy ones has the Lord given full knowledge of all his marvelous works.
The Lord, Master of the universe, has ordained that all should stand firm in his glory.
18 He penetrates both the depth of the abyss and the human heart and knows their secrets.
For the Most High has full knowledge and ordains the signs of the heavens.
19 He knows the past and foretells the future and reveals the traces of the world’s mysteries.
20 No thought escapes him, no word is hidden from him.
21 He has ordered the marvelous works of his wisdom, from ever and for ever. Nothing can be added, nothing can be taken away and he has no need of counsel.
22 All his works are beautiful, even to the smallest spark of light.
23 All this lives and endures forever: all is useful and obedient to his will.
24 All things are in pairs, one opposite the other, and nothing he makes is in any way de ficient.
25 One thing emphasizes the excellence of the other; who could ever weary of admiring his glory?
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Comments Sirach, Chapter 42
• 42.9 Sirach’s original text, written in Hebrew, was much longer in verse 9 and said: “Her room should have no windows and she should not be able to see the entrances to the house.” Such advice is one more proof of the male domination in Hebrew culture which the Greek translator did not dare show his readers who were more liberal-minded. However inspired the authors of the Bible were, God did not miraculously free them from the limitations of their culture.
• 15. Modern civilization separates peo ple from nature. In their work, many people see fluorescent lights more often than they see the sun. Many do not know either the silence or the sounds of nature, because noise has invaded everything. However, as soon as we know something about science, we think we know the mysteries of the universe. In our cities, it is increasingly more difficult for us to ex perience the mystery and the beauty of the universe.
God speaks to us through his creation as authentically as he does in the words of Christ. The lan guages are different, in the same sense that music tells us something in a way that is dif ferent from words. Those who know how to see God in the uni verse are also able to discover him in great human achievements: dams, electronic computers, buildings, new materials, etc. What emerges from hu man hands also belongs to God’s creation.