OLD TESTAMENT							NEW TESTAMENT
The 7 Books	Old Testament History		Wisdom Books	Major Prophets	Minor Prophets		NT History	Epistles of St. Paul		General Writings
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuter. Joshua Judges	Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chron. 2 Chron.	Ezra Nehem. Tobit Judith Esther 1 Macc. 2 Macc.	Job Psalms Proverbs Eccles. Songs Wisdom Sirach	Isaiah Jeremiah Lament. Baruch Ezekiel Daniel	Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah	Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi	Matthew Mark Luke John Acts	Romans 1 Corinth. 2 Corinth. Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians	1 Thess. 2 Thess. 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews	James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Sirach 1

« 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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 »

11 φόβος κυρίου δόξα καὶ καύχημα καὶ εὐφροσύνη καὶ στέφανος ἀγαλλιάματος 12 φόβος κυρίου τέρψει καρδίαν καὶ δώσει εὐφροσύνην καὶ χαρὰν καὶ μακροημέρευσιν 13 τῷ φοβουμένῳ τὸν κύριον εὖ ἔσται ἐ{P'} ἐσχάτων καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ εὐλογηθήσεται 14 15 16 ἀρχὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον καὶ μετὰ πιστῶν ἐν μήτρᾳ συνεκτίσθη αὐτοῖς 17 μετὰ ἀνθρώπων θεμέλιον αἰῶνος ἐνόσσευσεν καὶ μετὰ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν ἐμπιστευθήσεται 18 19 20 πλησμονὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον καὶ μεθύσκει αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῆς 21 πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσει ἐπιθυμημάτων καὶ τὰ ἀποδοχεῖα ἀπὸ τῶν γενημάτων αὐτῆς 22 στέφανος σοφίας φόβος κυρίου ἀναθάλλων εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγίειαν ἰάσεως 23 καὶ εἶδεν καὶ ἐξηρίθμησεν αὐτήν 24 ἐπιστήμην καὶ γνῶσιν συνέσεως ἐξώμβρησεν καὶ δόξαν κρατούντων αὐτῆς ἀνύψωσεν 25 ῥίζα σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον καὶ οἱ κλάδοι αὐτῆς μακροημέρευσις

11 To fear the Lord is man’s pride and boast, is joy, is a prize proudly worn; 12 comfort it brings to the heart, happiness and content and a long life bestows; 13 well it is, at his last hour, for the man who fears the Lord; his day of death shall be a day of blessing. 14 Love of God is wisdom worth the having; 15 welcome the sight when it shews itself, when it gives proof of its wondrous power. 16 Wouldst thou be wise, the first step is fear of the Lord; to his chosen servants, a gift connatural from the womb; it goes with holy motherhood, and where his true worshippers are, shews manifest. 17 The fear of the Lord lends wisdom that piety which is hers; 18 such piety as shall keep the heart safe and make it acceptable, bring it joy and content. 19 Well it shall be indeed for the man who fears the Lord; at his last end he shall win blessing. 20 The fear of the Lord is wisdom’s fulfilment, yields the deep draught that satisfies; 21 never a nook or cranny in thy house but shall be filled with the store of its harvesting. 22 The fear of the Lord is wisdom’s crown; with this, peace and health are thine to enjoy; 23 this fear itself is God’s gift, no less than the wisdom which is counted out under his eye. 24 Wisdom it is that imparts to us all our knowledge, all our powers of discernment; hold her fast, and she will set thee on a pinnacle of renown; 25 root of her is fear of the Lord, and long life the fruit of her.

11

Timor Domini gloria, et gloriatio,
et lætitia, et corona exsultationis. 12
Timor Domini delectabit cor,
et dabit lætitiam, et gaudium, et longitudinem dierum. 13
Timenti Dominum bene erit in extremis,
et in die defunctionis suæ benedicetur. 14
Dilectio Dei honorabilis sapientia: 15
quibus autem apparuerit in visu diligunt eam in visione,
et in agnitione magnalium suorum. 16
Initium sapientiæ timor Domini:
et cum fidelibus in vulva concreatus est:
cum electis feminis graditur,
et cum justis et fidelibus agnoscitur. 17
Timor Domini scientiæ religiositas: 18
religiositas custodiet et justificabit cor;
jucunditatem atque gaudium dabit. 19
Timenti Dominum bene erit,
et in diebus consummationis illius benedicetur. 20
Plenitudo sapientiæ est timere Deum,
et plenitudo a fructibus illius. 21
Omnem domum illius implebit a generationibus,
et receptacula a thesauris illius. 22
Corona sapientiæ timor Domini,
replens pacem et salutis fructum: 23
et vidit, et dinumeravit eam:
utraque autem sunt dona Dei. 24
Scientiam et intellectum prudentiæ sapientia compartietur,
et gloriam tenentium se exaltat. 25
Radix sapientiæ est timere Dominum,
et rami illius longævi.

26 27 28 οὐ δυνήσεται θυμὸς ἄδικος δικαιωθῆναι ἡ γὰρ ῥοπὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ πτῶσις αὐτῷ 29 ἕως καιροῦ ἀνθέξεται μακρόθυμος καὶ ὕστερον αὐτῷ ἀναδώσει εὐφροσύνη 30 ἕως καιροῦ κρύψει τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ καὶ χείλη πολλῶν ἐκδιηγήσεται σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ 31 ἐν θησαυροῖς σοφίας παραβολαὶ ἐπιστήμης 32 βδέλυγμα δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ θεοσέβεια 33 ἐπιθυμήσας σοφίαν διατήρησον ἐντολάς καὶ κύριος χορηγήσει σοι αὐτήν 34 σοφία γὰρ καὶ παιδεία φόβος κυρίου καὶ ἡ εὐδοκία αὐτοῦ 35 πίστις καὶ πραότης

26 True insight wisdom has in her treasure-house, and the piety that comes of knowledge; no wonder if sinners hate the name of her. 27 The fear of the Lord drives out sin; 28 soul that feels no fear shall find no pardon, its own wild mood overbalances it. 29 Patience bides her time, and with time, content comes back to her; 30 praise shall be upon every lip for the wise thought that checked, for a while, her utterance. 31 Hidden in wisdom’s treasure-house is the secret of all discernment; 32 and still sinners hate the name of piety. 33 My son, if on wisdom thy heart is set, keep the commandments, and God will grant thy wish; 34 fear of the Lord is true wisdom, true learning, and his will 35 is to see thee loyal and patient; thou shalt have no empty coffers then.

26
In thesauris sapientiæ intellectus et scientiæ religiositas:
execratio autem peccatoribus sapientia. 27
Timor Domini expellit peccatum: 28
nam qui sine timore est non poterit justificari:
iracundia enim animositatis illius subversio illius est. 29
Usque in tempus sustinebit patiens,
et postea redditio jucunditatis. 30
Bonus sensus usque in tempus abscondet verba illius,
et labia multorum enarrabunt sensum illius. 31
In thesauris sapientiæ significatio disciplinæ: 32
execratio autem peccatori cultura Dei. 33
Fili, concupiscens sapientiam, conserva justitiam,
et Deus præbebit illam tibi. 34
Sapientia enim et disciplina timor Domini:
et quod beneplacitum est illi, 35
fides et mansuetudo,
et adimplebit thesauros illius.

36 μὴ ἀπειθήσῃς φόβῳ κυρίου καὶ μὴ προσέλθῃς αὐτῷ ἐν καρδίᾳ δισσῇ

36 Let not thy fear of the Lord be overcast with doubt; never come to him with a heart that hesitates.

36
Ne sis incredibilis timori Domini,
et ne accesseris ad illum duplici corde.

37 μὴ ὑποκριθῇς ἐν στόμασιν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσίν σου πρόσεχε 38 μὴ ἐξύψου σεαυτόν ἵνα μὴ πέσῃς καὶ ἐπαγάγῃς τῇ ψυχῇ σου ἀτιμίαν 39 καὶ ἀποκαλύψει κύριος τὰ κρυπτά σου καὶ ἐν μέσῳ συναγωγῆς καταβαλεῖ σε 40 ὅτι οὐ προσῆλθες φόβῳ κυρίου καὶ ἡ καρδία σου πλήρης δόλου

37 Do not play false in thy dealings with men, nor suffer thy own words to ensnare thee. 38 Watch those words well, or they may trip thee up; thou wilt have compassed thy own disgrace, 39 if God should reveal thy secret thoughts at last; wouldst thou be thrown down, in full sight of all thy neighbours assembled, 40 a heart that came to meet the Lord grudgingly, full all the while of treachery and deceit?

37
Ne fueris hypocrita in conspectu hominum,
et non scandalizeris in labiis tuis. 38
Attende in illis, ne forte cadas,
et adducas animæ tuæ inhonorationem: 39
et revelet Deus absconsa tua,
et in medio synagogæ elidat te: 40
quoniam accessisti maligne ad Dominum,
et cor tuum plenum est dolo et fallacia.

[1] The words printed in brackets are not found in the Greek. There are many other differences of detail between the Greek and the Latin, too numerous to be mentioned in these notes. The Hebrew original (which has been preserved to us only in small part) must have been current in several different forms at the time when our versions were made; and it seems probable that the Latin has sometimes included two alternatives side by side (cf. verses 26 and 31, 32 of this chapter).

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd