Глава 39

True wisdom, i.e. The knowledge about God and His holy law accessible to man belongs to those who do not separate themselves from the source of wisdom—God—with all their mind, heart and will. Sir.39:1 Only he who devotes his soul to meditation on the law of the Most High will seek the wisdom of all the ancients and practice prophecy: Sir.39:2 he will notice the tales of eminent men and delve into the subtle turns of parables; Sir.39:3 will explore the hidden meaning of sayings and deal with the riddles of parables. Sir.39:4 He will serve among the nobles and appear before the ruler; Sir.39:5 will travel through the land of foreign nations, for he has experienced good and evil among people. Sir.39:6 He will direct his heart to turn to the Lord who created him from early morning, and will pray before the Almighty; He will open his mouth in prayer and pray for his sins. Sir.39:7 If the great Lord wills, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding, Sir.39:8 He will pour forth the words of his wisdom and glorify the Lord in prayer; Sir.39:9 He will order his will and mind well and will meditate on the mysteries of the Lord; Sir.39:10 He will show the wisdom of his teaching and will boast in the law of the covenant of the Lord. Sir.39:11 Many will glorify his knowledge, and he will not be forgotten forever; Sir.39:12 His memory will not perish, and his name will live throughout all generations. Sir.39:13 The nations will glorify his wisdom, and the community will proclaim his praise; Sir.39:14 As long as he lives, he will gain greater glory than thousands; and when he rests, he will increase it. Verses 1–14 serve as a counterpoint to vv. 24–39. Chapter 38 Sir.39:15 Having thought it over again, I will tell you, for I am full, like the moon in its fullness. 15. For I am full of wise instructions. Sir.39:16 Hear me, O pious children, and grow like a rose growing in a field by the stream; Sir.39:17 Give off a fragrance like frankincense; Sir.39:18 Blossom like the lily, spread fragrance and sing a song; Sir.39:19 Bless the Lord in all you do; magnify His name and glorify Him with His praise, Sir.39:20 With the songs of the mouth and the harp, and glorifying, say this: 16–20. Fill yourself with wisdom, prosper, and with your wise and pious life be pure incense to the All-Perfect. Sir.39:21 All the works of the Lord are very beneficial, and every commandment of Him will be fulfilled in due time; Sir.39:22 and one cannot say: “What is this? what is this for?” for everything will be revealed in due time. Sir.39:23 At His word the water became like a haystack, and at the speaking of His mouth the receptacles of the waters appeared. Sir.39:24 In His commandments lies all His good pleasure, and no one can diminish their salvific value. Sir.39:25 The works of all flesh are before Him, and it is impossible to hide from His eyes. Sir.39:26 He sees from age to age, and there is nothing marvelous before Him. Sir.39:27 You cannot say: “What is this? What is this for?”, for everything was created for its own use. Sir.39:28 His blessing covers the land like a river, and waters the dry land like a flood. Sir.39:29 But the nations also experience His wrath, just as He once turned the waters into salt marshes. Sir.39:30 His ways are straight for the saints, but for the wicked they are stumbling blocks. Sir.39:31 From the beginning good was created for the good, as evil was created for sinners. Sir.39:32 The most important of all the needs for human life are water, fire, iron, salt, wheat flour, honey, milk, grape juice, oil and clothing: Sir.39:33 All this serves to benefit the pious, but can be harmful to sinners. Sir.39:34 There are winds that are created for vengeance and in their rage intensify their blows, Sir.39:35 during their aspiration they pour out strength and satisfy the fury of Him who created them. Sir.39:36 Fire and hail, famine and death - all this was created for vengeance; Sir.39:37 The teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and snakes, and the sword that avenges destruction on the wicked - Sir.39:38 They will rejoice at His command and will be ready on earth when needed, and in due time they will not transgress His words. Sir.39:39 Therefore from the very beginning I decided, thought it over and left it in the scripture, Sir.39:40 that all the works of the Lord are wonderful, and He gives everything we need in due time; Sir.39:41 and one cannot say: “this is worse than that,” for everything will be recognized as good in due time. Sir.39:42 Therefore, sing with all your heart and mouth and bless the name of the Lord. 21–42. Everything that happens in nature testifies to the power, wisdom, goodness, justice of the Creator, and should serve as an incentive for a person to sing and bless the name of the Lord with all his heart and lips. – At His word the water became like a haystack... containers of water appeared (23). Wed. Life 1:6–10). – There is nothing marvelous before Him (26), i.e. everything created is insignificant before the immeasurable greatness of its Creator. – Once upon a time He turned the waters into salt marshes (29) Cf. Life XIX. – From the beginning good things were created for the good... (31). Wed. etc. to Sir.33:7–14. – There are winds that are created to take revenge (34) on stubborn sinners for their iniquities, just as, by God’s permission, other disasters exist to admonish the wicked (36-38).