Sirach chapter 9

[This chapter is in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles] Wisdom in relationships with women. Wisdom in relationships with friends. Wisdom in relationships with rulers.

 


 

The Book of Sirach is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches

 


 

WISDOM IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN

 

VERSE 1. Be not jealous over the wife of your bosom, And teach her not an evil lesson against yourself.

Be not jealous. Jealousy has a terrible effect on a love-relationship.

 

VERSE 2. Give not your soul to a woman, That she should set her foot upon your strength.

NAB translation. Give no woman power over you to trample upon your dignity.

trample upon your dignity. We should let nobody trample on us.

 

VERSE 3. Don’t go to meet a woman who plays the harlot, Lest haply you fall into her snares.

 

VERSE 4. Use not the company of a woman that is a singer, Lest haply you be caught by her attempts.

NAB translation. With a singing girl do not be familiar.

What?

 

VERSE 5. Gaze not on a maid, lest haply you be trapped in her penalties.

 

VERSE 6. Give not your soul to harlots, That you lose not your inheritance.

 

VERSE 7. Look not round about you in the streets of the city, Neither wander you in the solitary places thereof.

 

VERSE 8. Turn away your eye from a comely woman, And gaze not on another’s beauty: By the beauty of a woman many have been led astray; And with this, love is kindled as a fire.

Turn away your eye from a comely woman. The human eye is naturally attracted to beauty.

However, some people can be ensnared by beauty and fall into an affair. They need to avert their eyes.

 

VERSE 9. Sit not at all with a woman that has a husband; And revel not with her at the wine; Lest haply your soul turn away to her, And with your spirit you slide into destruction.

 

WISDOM IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS

 

VERSE 10. Forsake not an old friend; For the new is not comparable to him: As new wine, so is a new friend; If it become old, you will drink it with gladness.

Forsake not an old friend. Old friendships are not to be discarded.

A new friendship is like new wine. It is not mature. It needs to ferment.

 

VERSE 11. Envy not the glory of a sinner; For you know not what will be his overthrow.

 

VERSE 12. Delight not in the delights of the ungodly: Remember they will not go unpunished to the grave.

 

VERSE 13. Keep you far from the man that has power to kill, And you will have no suspicion of the fear of death: And if you come to him, commit no fault, Lest he take away your life: Know surely that you go about in the midst of snares, And walk upon the battlements of a city.

Keep you far from the man that has power to kill. Keep far away from anyone who can kill you.

walk upon the battlements of a city. That is, “step among snares.”

 

VERSE 14. As well as you can, guess at your neighbors; And take counsel with the wise.

take counsel with the wise. Many people pay a lot of attention to fools.

 

VERSE 15. Let your converse be with men of understanding; And let all your discourse be in the law of the Most High.

NAB translation. With the learned exchange ideas; and let all your conversation be about the law of the Most High.

The LORD God calls us to base our lives on the Bible.

We are to talk about the Bible with learned people as much as we can.

 

VERSE 16. Let just men be the companions of your board; And let your glorying be in the fear of the Lord.

let your glorying be in the fear of the Lord. This is our greatest treasure.

Somehow we are blessed to have a reverential respect for the LORD God.

 

WISDOM IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH RULERS

 

VERSE 17. For the hand of the artificers a work will be commended: And he that rules the people will be counted wise for his speech.

 

VERSE 18. A man full of tongue is dangerous in his city; And he that is headlong in his speech will be hated.

full of tongue. That is, a man of railing speech.

Some people are always raging out. They are to be avoided, not esteemed. Read more »

is dangerous. Make no doubt. A person of railing speech is dangerous to a society.

Yet in our day, we give them a lot of attention. And we vote them into positions of political leadership.

 


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SIRACH

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Chronology

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.