Sirach 5
Study resource: not ScriptureKing James Version Apocrypha (1769 standardized text) · public domain
1Set thy heart upon thy goods; and say not, I have enough for my life.
2Follow not thine own mind and thy strength, to walk in the ways of thy heart:
3And say not, Who shall controul me for my works? for the Lord will surely revenge thy pride.
4Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go.
5Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add sin unto sin:
6And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners.
7Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.
8Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity.
9Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so doth the sinner that hath a double tongue.
10Be stedfast in thy understanding; and let thy word be the same.
11Be swift to hear; and let thy life be sincere; and with patience give answer.
12If thou hast understanding, answer thy neighbour; if not, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
13Honour and shame is in talk: and the tongue of man is his fall.
14Be not called a whisperer, and lie not in wait with thy tongue: for a foul shame is upon the thief, and an evil condemnation upon the double tongue.
15Be not ignorant of any thing in a great matter or a small.
The study layer for this book is being written chapter by chapter. 1 Enoch carries it first, and this shelf follows. The text itself, and the book page’s full history, stand ready meanwhile.
1Set thy heart upon thy goods; and say not, I have enough for my life.
2Follow not thine own mind and thy strength, to walk in the ways of thy heart:
3And say not, Who shall controul me for my works? for the Lord will surely revenge thy pride.
4Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go.
5Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add sin unto sin:
6And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners.
7Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.
8Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity.
9Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so doth the sinner that hath a double tongue.
10Be stedfast in thy understanding; and let thy word be the same.
11Be swift to hear; and let thy life be sincere; and with patience give answer.
12If thou hast understanding, answer thy neighbour; if not, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
13Honour and shame is in talk: and the tongue of man is his fall.
14Be not called a whisperer, and lie not in wait with thy tongue: for a foul shame is upon the thief, and an evil condemnation upon the double tongue.
15Be not ignorant of any thing in a great matter or a small.
The language it was written in
Hebrew, by Yeshua ben Sira (c. 180 BC, hedged); translated into Greek by his grandson (after 132 BC, per the prologue).
What survives, and where
Hebrew: recovered
About two-thirds of the Hebrew came back to light: Cairo Genizah manuscripts (1896), Masada scroll (1964), Qumran fragments.
Greek: complete
The grandson's translation in the Septuagint tradition, the base of the church's text.
What you are reading here
The KJV Apocrypha (1611), translated from the Greek — public domain.
No tagged word floor; the Hebrew recovery story is told on the book page.