The Bible New Revised Standard Version Apocrypha pg. 1-171

THE APOCRYPHA


with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
ZAINE RIDLING, Ph.D.



Editor



New Revised Standard Version



Copyright ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.



APOCRYPHA, TABLE OF CONTENTS 1


TABLE OF CONTENTS


to the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books

.
HTIntroduction to the Apocrypha.
TH …………….……………………. 2 .
HTTobit.
TH …………………………………………………………………. 16 .
HTJudith.
TH ………………………………………………………………… 44 .
HTAdditions to Esther.
TH ……………………………………..………… 75 .
HTWisdom of Solomon.
TH ……………………………………….…..…. 99 .
HTSirach (Ecclesiasticus).
TH ………………………………..…….……… 138 .
HTBaruch.
TH ………………………………………………………………. 252 .
HTLetter of Jeremiah.
TH ………………………………………..………. 264 .
HTAdditions to Daniel.
TH ………………………………………….…… 270 .
HTPrayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews.
TH ……… 271 .
HTSusanna.
TH ………………………………………………………..… 277 .
HTBel and the Dragon.
TH …………………………………………… 283 .
HT1 Maccabees.
TH ……………………………………………………….. 287 .
HT2 Maccabees.
TH ……………………………………………………….. 350 .
HT1 Esdras.
TH ………………………………………………..……………. 397 .
HTPrayer of Manasseh.
TH …………………………………..………….. 429 .
HTPsalm 151.
TH ………………………………………………..…………. 433 .
HT3 Maccabees.
TH ………………………………………………...…….. 435 .
HT2 Esdras.
TH ………………………………………………………….…. 456 .
HT4 Maccabees.
TH ……………………………………………………..... 517

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 2


INTRODUCTION TO THE


APOCRYPHAL/DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS


Definitions

As the terms are used in the New Revised Standard Version translation,
the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books are those works that were
included in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the
Hebrew Bible with additions, or in the Old Latin and Vulgate
translations, but are not included in the Hebrew text that forms both
the canon for Judaism and the Protestant Old Testament. All of these
works, whether they are individual books or additions to the Hebrew
texts of Esther and Daniel, have been regarded as canonical by one or
more Christian communities, but not by all. (The exception to this is 4
Maccabees, which appears in an appendix to the Greek Bible.)

"Apocrypha" means "hidden things," but it is not clear why the term
was chosen to describe these books. It could mean that they were
"hidden" or withdrawn from common use because they were viewed
as containing mysterious or esoteric teaching, too profound to be
communicated to any except the initiated (see 2 Esdras 14.45-46). Or it
could mean that such books deserved to be "hidden" because they
were spurious or heretical. This ambivalence has continued into the
present, although increasingly even scholars from traditions that do
not regard these books as canonical consider them of great value for
understanding Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and thus
in the wider contexts, both literary and historical, of the later books in
the Hebrew Bible and of the New Testament as well.

"Deuterocanonical," along with it coordinate term "protocanonical," is
used in Roman Catholic tradition to describe the status of the two
groups of books of the Old Testament. The "protocanon" consists of
the books of the Hebrew Bible and the "deuterocanon" of the books
whose inspiration came to be recognized later, after the matter had

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 3

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 3

The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Canons of the Old
Testament

Toward the end of the fourth century CE, Pope Damascus
commissioned Jerome, the most learned Christian biblical scholar of his
day, to prepare a standard Latin version of the scriptures (the
translation that was to become known as the Latin Vulgate). In the Old
Testament Jerome followed the Hebrew canon; though he also
translated the apocryphal books, he called attention to their distinct
status in prefaces. Subsequent copyists of the Latin Bible, however, did
not always include Jerome's prefaces, and during the medieval period
the Western Church generally regarded these books as part of the holy
scriptures without differentiation. In 1546 the Council of Trent decreed
that the canon of the Old Testament includes them (with the
exceptions as listed above). Subsequent editions of the Latin Vulgate
text, officially approved by the Roman Catholic Church, place these
books within the Christian sequence of the Old Testament books. Thus
Tobit and Judith come after Nehemiah; the Wisdom of Solomon and
Ecclesiasticus come after the Song of Solomon; Baruch (with the Letter
of Jeremiah as Chapter 6) comes after Lamentations; and 1 and 2
Maccabees conclude the books of the Old Testament. Esther is given in
its longer (Greek) form rather than in the version based solely on the
Hebrew text; the Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Jews appear
as vv. 24-90 of ch 3 of Daniel, and the stories of Susanna and Bel and
the Dragon as chs 13 and 14 of Daniel. An appendix after the New

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 4

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 4

The Eastern Orthodox Churches recognize several other books as
authoritative. Editions of the Old Testament approved by the Holy
Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church contain, besides the Roman
Catholic Deuterocanonical books, 1 Esdras, Psalm 151, the Prayer of
Manasseh, and 3 Maccabees, while 4 Maccabees appears in the
Appendix. Slavonic Bibles approved by the Russian Orthodox Church
contain besides the Deuterocanonical books, 1 and 2 Esdras (called 2
and 3 Esdras), Psalm 151, and 3 Maccabees.

The Status of the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books in Christianity

During the first centuries of the Common Era, early Christian
theologians (most of whom knew no Hebrew) quoted, in Greek,
passages both from books in the Hebrew canon and from these
additional works without making any distinction between them. Such
citations were usually preceded by a word or phrase making it clear
that the writer regarded the text being cited as canonical. During this
time, only a few thinkers investigated the Jewish canon or
distinguished between, for instance, the Hebrew text of Daniel and the
addition of the story of Susanna in the Greek version.

By the fourth century, theologians in the eastern (Greek) churches had
begun to recognize a distinction between the books of the Hebrew
canon and the rest, thought they continued to cite all of them as
scripture. During the following centuries the matter was debated and,
consequently, practice varied in the East, but at the Synod of Jerusalem
in 1672 (which expressed the Orthodox churches' reaction to the
Protestant Reformation), Tobit, Judith, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom,
Additions to Daniel, and 1 and 2 Maccabees were expressly designated
as canonical.

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 5


In the western (Latin) church, on the other hand, though there has
been some variety of opinion, in general theologians have regarded
these books as canonical. More than one local synodical council (e.g.,
Hippo, 393, and Carthage, 397 and 419) justified and authorized their
use as scripture. The so-called Decretum Gelasianum, a Latin document
probably dating to the sixth century, contains lists of the books to be
read as scripture and of books to be avoided as apocryphal. The former
list, which is not present in all the manuscripts, includes among the
biblical books Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and 1 and 2
Maccabees.

Occasionally, however, theologians questioned the status of these
books, Jerome, near the end of the fourth century, thought that books
not in the Hebrew canon should be classed as apocryphal, and other
thinkers, though always a minority, followed his view, at least
theoretically. Toward the close of the fourteenth century John Wycliffe
and his disciples produced the first English version of the Bible. This
translation of the Latin Vulgate included all of the disputed books,
with the exception of 2 Esdras. In the Prologue to the Old Testament,
however, it makes a distinction between the books of the Hebrew
canon, listed there, and others which, the writer says, "shall be set
among the apocrypha, that is, without authority of belief." In the
books of Esther and Daniel the translators included a rendering of
Jerome's notes calling the reader's attention to the additions.

At the time of the Reformation, Protestant thinkers came to the
conclusion fairly early that they would need to determine which books
were authoritative for the establishment of doctrine and which were
not. For instance, disputes over the doctrine of Purgatory and of the
usefulness o prayers and Masses for the dead involved the authority of
2 Maccabees, which contains what was held to be scriptural warrant for
them (12.43-45). The first extensive Protestant discussion of the canon
was Andreas Bodenstein's treatise De Canonicis Scripturis Libellus
(1520). Bodenstein (or Carlstadt, after his place of birth) distinguished
the books of the Hebrew Old Testament from the books of the
Apocrypha, classifying the Apocrypha into two divisions. Concerning
Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Judith, Tobit, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, he

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 6

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 6

What they contain is not to be despised at once; still it is not
right that Christians should relieve, much less slake, their thirst
with them.... Before all things things the best books must be
read, that is, those that are canonical beyond all controversy;
afterwards, if one has the time, it is allowed to peruse the
controverted books, provided that you have the set purpose
of comparing and collating the non-canonical books with
those which are truly canonical (§118).

The second group, 1 and 2 Esdras, Baruch, Prayer of Manasseh, and the
Additions to Daniel, he declared without worth.

The first Bible in a modern vernacular language to segregate the
apocryphal books from the others was the Dutch Bible published by
Jacob van Liesveldt in 1526 at Antwerp. After Malachi there follows a
section embodying the Apocrypha, which is titled, "The books which
are not in the canon, that is to say, which one does not find among the
Jews in the Hebrew."

The first edition of the Swiss-German Bible was published in six
volumes (Zurich, 1527-29), the fifth of which contains the Apocrypha.
The title page of this volume states, "These are the books which are
not reckoned as biblical by the ancients, nor are found among the
Hebrews." A one-volume edition of the Zurich Bible, which appeared
in 1530, contains the apocryphal books grouped together after the New
Testament. One Swiss reformer, Oecolampadius, declared in 1530: "We
do not despise Judith, Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the last two books
of Esdras, the three books of Maccabees, the Additions to Daniel; but
we do not allow them divine authority with the others."

In reaction to Protestant criticism of the disputed books, on 8 April
1546, the Council of Trent gave what is regarded by Roman Catholics as
the definitive declaration on the canon on the canon of the holy
scriptures. After enumerating the books, which in the Old Testament
include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the two

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 7

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 7

In England, though Protestants were unanimous in declaring that the
apocryphal books were not to be used to establish any doctrine,
differences arose as to the proper use and place of noncanonical
books. A milder view prevailed in the Church of England, and the
lectionary attached to the Book of Common Prayer, from 1549 onward,
has always contained prescribed lessons from the Apocrypha. In
addition, portions of the Song of the Three Jews are used as a canticle,
or song of praise, alongside selected Psalms in the service of Morning
Prayer. In reply to those who urged the discontinuance of reading
lessons from apocryphal books, as being inconsistent with the
sufficiency of scripture, the bishops at the Savoy Conference, held in
1661, replied that the same objection could be raised against the
preaching of sermons, and that it was much to be desired that all
sermons should give as useful instruction as did the chapters selected
from the Apocrypha.

The Historical Background to the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books

With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians
in 586 BCE, and the subsequent exile of the leading citizens of Judah in
Babylon, the history of Israel underwent a decisive break. Henceforth
there would always be Jewish communities outside the land of Israel,

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 8

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 8

For two centuries the Persians controlled the Near East, but little is
known about Jewish history during this time. The Persian period came
to an end when Alexander the Great completed a series of conquests
that put him in control of Greece, the former Persian Empire, and
Egypt. When Alexander died in 323, his empire was divided among his
warring generals, and two of them — Seleucus, king of Syria, and
Ptolemy, king of Egypt — and their successors fought over the territory
of Judah, which fell first under Ptolemaic and then Seleucid dynastic
control. Despite the political changes, however, the overall cultural
influence remained: This was the era of the triumph of Hellenistic
culture, including the use of the Greek language as the standard for
the whole empire.

There had already been, in the Hebrew Bible, contention about such
issues as intermarriage (Ezra 9.1-10.44; Neh 13.23-31). Now, with large
numbers of Jews living outside the land as minorities within much
larger and more dominant cultures, this issue and those of other
religious observances came to be much more important. Stories of
faithfully observant Jews among non-Jewish populations (Tobit, 3
Maccabees) were joined by expanded versions of books that
strengthened this point (Greek Esther, the Prayer of Azariah, and Song
of the Three Jews in ch 3 of Daniel).

The Seleucid kings increasingly pressured the Jews to adopt Hellenistic
ways in their religious observance, and in fact had some success. This
effort came to a head under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164). He
installed Hellenizing high priests (Jason and Menelaus), against whom
observant Jews rebelled. In response, Antiochus invaded Jerusalem in
169; in 167 he effectively outlawed the Jewish religion, making the
teaching of the Torah a crime and establishing polytheistic worship in
the Temple. This final provocation led to the ultimately successful
Jewish revolt under the Hasmonean family, led by Mattathias and his
five sons, one of whom, Judas, was known as Maccabeus, "the
hammer." The revolt and the subsequent establishment of a Jewish
government (which took more than twenty years to accomplish) are

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 9

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 9

Kinds of Literature in the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books

The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books contain several different
literary genres, including histories, historical fiction, wisdom,
devotional writings, letters, and an apocalypse. Though several of the
books combine more than one of these genres, most of the books can
be classified as predominantly one or another. Thus 1 Esdras, 1
Maccabees, and, in a certain sense, 2 Maccabees are histories. First
Esdras summarizes 2 Chr 35.1-36.23 and reproduces all of Ezra and Neh
7.38-8.12. Only 1 Esd 3.1-5.6 is a significant addition. First Maccabees
recounts the history of the Seleucid persecutions and the rebellion and
rise of the Maccabees. Second Maccabees, with its bombastic rhetoric
and abundant use of invectives against the Seleucid tyrants and
Hellenizing Jews, is an example of a popular Hellenistic genre, the
"pathetic history," which uses highly charged language, exhortation,
exaggeration, and other methods to stimulate the imaginations and
emotions ("pathos") of readers. Third Maccabees is misleadingly
named: It actually has nothing to do with the Maccabean period or the
Seleucid dynasty, but deals with a period a half-century earlier and
concerns the sufferings of the Jewish community in Egypt under the
Ptolemaic rulers. It is a religious novel, written in Greek by an
Alexandrian Jew sometime between 100 BCE and 70 CE. Using
legendary elements, it tells three stories of conflict between Ptolemy IV
(221-205 BCE) and the Jewish community in Egypt. The most dramatic
section (5.1-6.21) describes Ptolemy's scheme to martyr the Jews: They
were to be herded into an arena near Alexandria to be trampled under
the foot of five hundred intoxicated elephants. The king's plan was
finally foiled when angelic intervention terrorized those supervising
the persecutions and also frightened the elephants into turning upon
the Egyptian soldiers.

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 10


Fourth Maccabees is not a historical narrative but rather a Greek
philosophical treatise addressed to Jews on the supremacy of reason
over the passions of the body and soul. In the form of a Stoic diatribe,
or popular address, it uses narratives of exemplary behavior, and the
conversations and arguments of character in the narratives, to explore
philosophical issues. The author begins with a philosophical exposition
of his theme, which he then illustrates at length with examples of the
martyrs drawn from 2 Maccabees, who preferred death to committing
apostasy. The book was probably written by a Hellenistic Jew before 70
CE. In early Christianity the Maccabean martyrs were venerated as
saints and eventually accorded a yearly festival in the ecclesiastical
calendar (August 1).

Judith, Tobit, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon are short historical
fictions written to convey a moral point, as well as to entertain. Except
for Judith, which is set in Judah, the rest are sometimes referred to as
"Diaspora novels" since they are all set in the Jewish Diaspora of
Mesopotamia. Yet they differ from one another in other respects. Like
the canonical stories of Daniel 1-6, Bel and the Dragon are court tales,
in which the hero's relationship with the king and other members of
the court provides the conflict of the plot. The motif of the lion's den,
which occurs in Daniel 6, also occurs in the story of the dragon. In
contrast to the earlier Daniel tales, however, Bel and the Dragon is
preoccupied with the theme of the exposure of idols as false gods and
their priests as fraudulent (see also the Letter of Jeremiah). Bel and the
Dragon and Susanna are sometimes referred to as ancient examples of
the detective story. Whereas Daniel functioned as an interpreter of
dreams and visions in Daniel 1-6, in these stories Daniel uses cleverness
and logical deduction to disclose deception.

Although Tobit, like Daniel, is represented as a court official of a
Mesopotamian king, the story is concerned with personal and family
affairs, not a rivalry at court. Thematically, Tobit maybe be compared
with the prose story of Job, since it concerns the suffering of the
righteous (both Tobit and his daughter-in-law Sarah). The book of
Tobit is distinguished by the use of various folktale motifs (e.g., the
motifs of the grateful dead, the angel in disguise, the dangerous bride,

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 11

INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 11

Judith might seem to bear comparison with 1 and 2 Maccabees, since it
concerns a threat to the people from a foreign army. But whereas 1
and 2 Maccabees are histories, the fictional nature of Judith is evident
from the story's flagrant historical inaccuracies (describing
Nebuchadnezzar as king of Assyria and the invasion as taking place
after the people's return from exile!). A better comparison might be
between Judith and Esther. Though set in Judah rather than in the
Diaspora, Judith, like Esther, tells how a courageous Jewish woman
saves her people from enemies bent on destroying them.

Didactic literature is represented in the Apocrypha by the two treatises
on wisdom: the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Jesus son of
Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus). Sirach, which was originally
composed in Hebrew ca. 180 BCE, shows particularly close connections
with the style and content of the book of Proverbs in the Hebrew
Bible, from which it is a natural development. The Wisdom of Solomon,
by contrast, contains no proverbial material, such as characterizes the
Hebrew wisdom tradition. It does, however, share with Proverbs and
Sirach an interest in the figure of wisdom personified as a woman.
What makes the Wisdom of Solomon distinctive is the strong influence
of Greek literary styles and philosophical ideas. Thus, it comes from the
Greek-speaking Diaspora, most probably from Alexandria.

The Prayer of Manasseh is a hymnic lament of great feeling and literary
skill. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews are both
modeled on psalms that are liturgical in form. In addition to the 150
psalms comprising the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, during the
Hellenistic and Roman periods such hymns were composed in Hebrew
and in other languages; there are a number of such compositions in
the Dead Sea Scrolls. Another, which celebrates the prowess of young
David at slaying Goliath, is appended (as Ps 151) to the Psalter in Greek
manuscripts.

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 12


The Hebrew Bible contains no books that are in the form of a letter,
although letters (or excerpts) occur at various places. There are decrees
(Ezra 1.1-6), diplomatic correspondence (1 Kings 5.2-6), royal commands
(2 Sam 11.14-15), even forgeries (1 Kings 21.8-10), but all are used to
advance the narratives in which they occur, or explain incidents that
follow, so it is unclear how representative they are. Twenty-one of the
twenty-seven books of the New Testament are in the form of letters,
though some (for instance, Hebrews) are more like sermons than
letters. The Letter of Jeremiah, which dates from the Hellenistic period,
may have provided later, Christian writers with an example of how this
literary form could be used for religious purposes, combining
theological content with a direct personal approach.

Finally, 2 Esdras, a book that purports to reveal the future, is a
specimen of apocalypse. An apocalypse is literally "an unveiling." Like
the last six chapters of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible and the book of
Revelation in the New Testament, which are also apocalypses, 2 Esdras
uses metaphoric language, symbolic numbers and animals (including
composites, like the eagle with three heads and numerous wings in ch
11), and angelic messengers who reveal hidden information.

Despite this diversity of genres, most of which parallel or are
developed from similar ones in the Hebrew Bible, there is no
correlative to classical prophecy. Even within the prophetic books of
the Hebrew Bible, apocalyptic elements had already begun to supplant
strict prophecy (for instance, Isaiah chs 24-27; Ezekiel chs 38-39; Joel ch
2; Zechariah chs 9-14). This absence perhaps supports the view that
Josephus, the Jewish historian, expressed (Ag. Ap. 1.8), that "the exact
succession of the prophets" had been broken after the Persian period;
a similar idea is found in later rabbinic literature. Sometimes there is a
direct statement that "prophets ceased to appear" (1 Macc 9.27); at
other times the writers express the hope that prophecy might one day
return (1 Macc 4.46; 14.41). When a writer imitates prophetic style, as in
the book of Baruch, he repeats with slight modifications the language
of the older prophets. But the introductory phrase, "Thus says the
LORD," which occurs so frequently in the prophetic literature of the
Hebrew Bible, is absent from the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books.

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The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books within Judaism

All of the writings in the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books are
Jewish in origin, but it is not clear that they were collected by any
particular community of Jews. Some of them (for instance, Sirach) were
quoted by the rabbis, but for others no evidence exists that they were
regarded as central to the Jewish community at any point. Some (Tobit,
parts of Sirach, the Letter of Jeremiah, and Psalm 151) are among the
Dead Sea Scrolls, and were therefore presumably of importance to the
Essene community there, but whether or not they were considered
"canonical" is not clear.

Nevertheless, influences from some of these works are apparent within
Judaism. As mentioned above, rabbinic literature quotes and
appropriates sayings from Sirach. The martyrdom of the woman and
her seven sons (2 Macc 7.1-42; 4 Macc 8.3-18.24) is recounted in several
places (Lam. Rab 1. 50; Git. 57b; Seder Eliyahu R 29).

First and Second Maccabees (1 Macc 4.36-59; 2 Macc 10.1-8) provide the
original accounts of the purification of the Temple in 164 BCE, which is
commemorated in the festival of Hanukkah. The Talmudic legend
(Shab. 21b) that oil in the Temple, though only enough for one day,
nevertheless burned for eight — the supposed reason for the eight-day
length of the observance — is not found in the books of the
Maccabees. Judith was, during the Middle Ages, associated with
Hanukkah as well, on the grounds that both had to do with rallying an
oppressed Jewish population to overthrow a threatening or occupying
power.

Both Tobit and 2 Esdras influenced later Jewish literature and were
popular during the Middle Ages. Baruch may have been read in
synagogues at one time (see Bar 1.14), and Baruch himself, and
therefore his writing, were regarded in some rabbinic writings as
sharing Jeremiah's prophetic status (Sifre Num 78; Seder Olam R 20;
Bab Meg. 14b; Jer Sot. 9.12). Susanna's story is recounted in the
Babylonian Talmud (b. San. 93a).

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INTRO TO THE APOCRYPHA 14


New Testament Uses of the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books

None of the books of the New Testament quote directly from any
Apocryphal book, in distinction from the frequent quotation of the
thirty-nine books in the Hebrew Bible. On the other hand, several New
Testament writers make allusions to one or more apocryphal books. For
example, what seem to be literary echoes from the Wisdom of
Solomon are present in Paul's Letter to the Romans (cf Rom 1.20-29
with Wis 13.5, 8; 14.24, 27; and Rom 9.20-23 with Wis 12.12, 20; 15.7) and
in his correspondence with the Corinthians (compare 2 Cor 5.1, 4 with
Wis 9.15). The short Letter of James, a typical bit of "wisdom literature"
in the New Testament, contains allusions not only to the book of
Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible but to gnomic sayings in Sirach as well (cf
Jas 1.19 with Sir 5.11; and Jas 1.13 with Sir 15.11-12).

The Further Influence of the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books

The influence of the Apocrypha has been widespread, inspiring
homilies, meditations, and liturgical forms, and providing subjects for
poets, dramatists, composers, and artists. Some common expressions
and proverbs have come from the Apocrypha. The sayings, "A good
name endures forever" and "You can't touch pitch without being
defiled," are derived from Sir 41.13 and 13.1. The affirmation in 1 Esd
4.41, "Great is Truth, and mighty above all things" (King James
Version), or its Latin form, Magna est veritas et praevalet, has been
used as a motto or maxim in a wide variety of contexts.

The importance of these books extends to the information they supply
concerning the development of Jewish life and thought just prior to
the beginning of the Common Era. The stirring political fortunes of the
Jews in the time of the Maccabees; the rise of what has been called
normative Judaism, and the emergence of the sects of the Pharisees
and and Sadducees; the lush growth of popular belief in the activities
of angels and demons, and the use of magic to drive away malevolent
influences; the first reflections on "original sin" and its relation to the
"evil inclination" present in every person; the blossoming of
apocalyptic hopes relating to the messiah, the resurrection of the body,

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and the vindication of the righteous — all these and many other topics
receive welcome light from the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books.

Copyright ©2001, New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: New Revised Standard
Version. Ed. Michael D. Coogan. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.

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TOBIT 16


TOBIT


Introduction

Combining ethical exhortation, prayers, and doxologies with broad
humor, a rollicking plot, and vivid characters, the book of Tobit is a
splendid example of the Jewish novella. In addition to its
entertainment value, it offers to historians information about the
postexilic period and to theologians a view of a God who test the
faithful, responds to prayers, and redeems the covenent community.

The title character, Tobit, was exiled with his wife Anna from the
region of Galilee held by the tribe of Naptali. Removed to Assyria, he
eventually, like Joseph, Mordecai, and Daniel, found himself in the
service of a foreign ruler — in Tobit's case, as an officer of the court of
Shalmaneser. This pious Israelite too is tested: First he is removed from
his official position and then he is persecuted by Shalmaneser's
successor for his insistence on burying the corpses of his fellow Jews.
Most ignominious of all: One evening, following yet another burial,
Tobit is blinded by a bird with unfortunate aim. Forced to depend on
others, including his wife, for support, and following an argument with
her in which she questions the value of his piety, Tobit prays for death.

At the same time his relative Sarah is also praying for death. The
demon Asmodeus, who has fallen in love with her, has killed each of
her seven successive grooms on the wedding night. To resolve these
somewhat improbable situations, the angel Raphael will escort Tobit's
son, Tobias, first to Media to exorcise the demon and marry Sarah and
then back to Nineveh to cure Tobit.

The relatively complex plot is tied together by the parallel situations of
older father and bride-to-be, frequent doxologies, almost incessant
references to almsgiving, and the shifting of scenes between Nineveh
and Ecbatana. The humorous aspects of the tale — from the angel in

16



TOBIT 17

TOBIT 17

The book of Tobit is also replete with information concerning family
life, travel, burial and eating customs, gender roles, and medicine.
More than mere data, these various matters testify to the author's
interest in providing guidance for life in exile: Where Temple sacrifice
is unavailable and the people are scattered, the story insists that Jews
maintain their identity not only through piety and practice, but also
through strong bonds between parents and children, between
husbands and wives, and with family members and fellow Jews. To
preserve the community, Tobit also insists that his son imitate
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who "took wives from among their
kindred" (4.12-13).

In addition to its references to biblical prophecy, characters, and
theology, the volume offers connections to well-known folktale motifs,
including the dangerous bride, the monster in the nuptial chamber, the
supernatural being in disguise, the miraculous animal, and the grateful
dead. Specifically mentioned are the characters of Ahikar and his
nephew, whose story was well known in antiquity; there may also be
some hints of Homer's 'Odyssey.'

17



TOBIT 18

TOBIT 18

[Tobit 1]
Exilic context

1 This book tells the story of Tobit son of Tobiel son of Hananiel son of
Aduel son of Gabael son of Raphael son of Raguel of the descendants
of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali, 2 who in the days of King
Shalmaneser of the Assyrians was taken into captivity from Thisbe,
which is to the south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Asher
toward the west, and north of Phogor.

Tobit's background

3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of
my life. I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people
who had gone with me in exile to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians.
4 When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a
young man, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali deserted the
house of David and Jerusalem. This city had been chosen from among
all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes of Israel should offer
sacrifice and where the temple, the dwelling of God, had been
consecrated and established for all generations forever.

5 All my kindred and our ancestral house of Naphtali sacrificed to the
calf that King Jeroboam of Israel had erected in Dan and on all the
mountains of Galilee. 6 But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the

18



TOBIT 19

TOBIT 19

Early captivity

10 After I was carried away captive to Assyria and came as a captive to
Nineveh, everyone of my kindred and my people ate the food of the
Gentiles, 11 but I kept myself from eating the food of the Gentiles. 12
Because I was mindful of God with all my heart, 13 the Most High gave
me favor and good standing with Shalmaneser, and I used to buy
everything he needed. 14 Until his death I used to go into Media, and
buy for him there. While in the country of Media I left bags of silver
worth ten talents in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri. 15 But
when Shalmaneser died, and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place,
the highways into Media became unsafe and I could no longer go
there.

16 In the days of Shalmaneser I performed many acts of charity to my
kindred, those of my tribe. 17 I would give my food to the hungry and
my clothing to the naked; and if I saw the dead body of any of my
people thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury it. 18 I
also buried any whom King Sennacherib put to death when he came
fleeing from Judea in those days of judgment that the king of heaven
executed upon him because of his blasphemies. For in his anger he put

19



TOBIT 20

TOBIT 20

21 But not forty days passed before two of Sennacherib's sons killed
him, and they fled to the mountains of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon
reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar, the son of my brother Hanael
over all the accounts of his kingdom, and he had authority over the
entire administration. 22 Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to
Nineveh. Now Ahikar was chief cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in
charge of administration of the accounts under King Sennacherib of
Assyria; so Esar-haddon reappointed him. He was my nephew and so a
close relative.

[Tobit 2]
Tobit's blindness


1 Then during the reign of Esar-haddon I returned home, and my wife
Anna and my son Tobias were restored to me. At our festival of
Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of weeks, a good dinner was
prepared for me and I reclined to eat. 2 When the table was set for me
and an abundance of food placed before me, I said to my son Tobias,
"Go, my child, and bring whatever poor person you may find of our
people among the exiles in Nineveh, who is wholeheartedly mindful of
God, and he shall eat together with me. I will wait for you, until you
come back." 3 So Tobias went to look for some poor person of our
people. When he had returned he said, "Father!" And I replied, "Here I
am, my child." Then he went on to say, "Look, father, one of our own
people has been murdered and thrown into the market place, and now
he lies there strangled." 4 Then I sprang up, left the dinner before even
tasting it, and removed the body from the square and laid it in one of
the rooms until sunset when I might bury it. 5 When I returned, I

20



TOBIT 21

TOBIT 21

7 When the sun had set, I went and dug a grave and buried him. 8 And
my neighbors laughed and said, "Is he still not afraid? He has already
been hunted down to be put to death for doing this, and he ran away;
yet here he is again burying the dead!" 9 That same night I washed
myself and went into my courtyard and slept by the wall of the
courtyard; and my face was uncovered because of the heat. 10 I did not
know that there were sparrows on the wall; their fresh droppings fell
into my eyes and produced white films. I went to physicians to be
healed, but the more they treated me with ointments the more my
vision was obscured by the white films, until I became completely blind.
For four years I remained unable to see. All my kindred were sorry for
me, and Ahikar took care of me for two years before he went to
Elymais.

The argument

11 At that time, also, my wife Anna earned money at women's work. 12
She used to send what she made to the owners and they would pay
wages to her. One day, the seventh of Dystrus, when she cut off a piece
she had woven and sent it to the owners, they paid her full wages and
also gave her a young goat for a meal. 13 When she returned to me,
the goat began to bleat. So I called her and said, "Where did you get
this goat? It is surely not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for we
have no right to eat anything stolen." 14 But she said to me, "It was
given to me as a gift in addition to my wages." But I did not believe
her, and told her to return it to the owners. I became flushed with
anger against her over this. Then she replied to me, "Where are your
acts of charity? Where are your righteous deeds? These things are
known about you!"

21



TOBIT 22


[Tobit 3]
Tobit's prayer

1 Then with much grief and anguish of heart I wept, and with groaning
began to pray:
2 "You are righteous, O Lord,


and all your deeds are just;
all your ways are mercy and truth;
you judge the world.
3 And now, O Lord, remember me
and look favorably upon me.

Do not punish me for my sins
and for my unwitting offenses
and those that my ancestors committed before you.


They sinned against you,
4 and disobeyed your commandments.

 So you gave us over to plunder, exile, and death,
to become the talk, the byword, and an object of reproach
among all the nations among whom you have dispersed us.


5 And now your many judgments are true
in exacting penalty from me for my sins.
For we have not kept your commandments
and have not walked in accordance with truth before you.

6 So now deal with me as you will;
command my spirit to be taken from me,
so that I may be released from the face of the earth and
become dust.

For it is better for me to die than to live,
because I have had to listen to undeserved insults,
and great is the sorrow within me.


Command, O Lord, that I be released from this distress;
release me to go to the eternal home,
and do not, O Lord, turn your face away from me.


For it is better for me to die
than to see so much distress in my life
and to listen to insults."


22



TOBIT 23


Sarah's plight and prayer

7 On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah,
the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by one of her father's maids.
8 For she had been married to seven husbands, and the wicked demon
Asmodeus had killed each of them before they had been with her as is
customary for wives. So the maid said to her, "You are the one who
kills your husbands! See, you have already been married to seven
husbands and have not borne the name of a single one of them. 9 Why
do you beat us? Because your husbands are dead? Go with them! May
we never see a son or daughter of yours!"

10 On that day she was grieved in spirit and wept. When she had gone
up to her father's upper room, she intended to hang herself. But she
thought it over and said, "Never shall they reproach my father, saying
to him, 'You had only one beloved daughter but she hanged herself
because of her distress.' And I shall bring my father in his old age down
in sorrow to Hades. It is better for me not to hang myself, but to pray
the Lord that I may die and not listen to these reproaches anymore." 11
At that same time, with hands outstretched toward the window, she
prayed and said,

 "Blessed are you, merciful God!

Blessed is your name forever;

let all your works praise you forever.
12 And now, Lord, I turn my face to you,

and raise my eyes toward you.
13 Command that I be released from the earth

and not listen to such reproaches any more.
14 You know, O Master, that I am innocent

of any defilement with a man,

23



TOBIT 24


15 and that I have not disgraced my name
or the name of my father in the land of my exile.
I am my father's only child;
he has no other child to be his heir;
and he has no close relative or other kindred
for whom I should keep myself as wife.
Already seven husbands of mine have died.
Why should I still live?
But if it is not pleasing to you, O Lord, to take my life,
hear me in my disgrace."

Divine response

16 At that very moment, the prayers of both of them were heard in the
glorious presence of God. 17 So Raphael was sent to heal both of them:
Tobit, by removing the white films from his eyes, so that he might see
God's light with his eyes; and Sarah, daughter of Raguel, by giving her
in marriage to Tobias son of Tobit, and by setting her free from the
wicked demon Asmodeus. For Tobias was entitled to have her before
all others who had desired to marry her. At the same time that Tobit
returned from the courtyard into his house, Sarah daughter of Raguel
came down from her upper room.

[Tobit 4]
Tobit's advice on the family


1 That same day Tobit remembered the money that he had left in trust
with Gabael at Rages in Media, 2 and he said to himself, "Now I have
asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobias and explain to him
about the money before I die?" 3 Then he called his son Tobias, and
when he came to him he said, "My son, when I die, give me a proper
burial. Honor your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her
life. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her in anything. 4
Remember her, my son, because she faced many dangers for you while
you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her beside me in the
same grave.

24



TOBIT 25

TOBIT 25

12 "Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a
woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a
foreign woman, who is not of your father's tribe; for we are the
descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their
kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will
inherit the land. 13 So now, my son, love your kindred, and in your
heart do not disdain your kindred, the sons and daughters of your
people, by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For
in pride there is ruin and great confusion. And in idleness there is loss
and dire poverty, because idleness is the mother of famine.

Popular wisdom

14 "Do not keep over until the next day the wages of those who work
for you, but pay them at once. If you serve God you will receive
payment. Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and discipline
yourself in all your conduct. 15 And what you hate, do not do to
anyone. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on
your way. 16 Give some of your food to the hungry, and some of your
clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus as alms, and do not let your
eye begrudge your giving of alms. 17 Place your bread on the grave of
the righteous, but give none to sinners. 18 Seek advice from every wise

25



TOBIT 26

TOBIT 26

Obtaining funds left in trust

20 "And now, my son, let me explain to you that I left ten talents of
silver in trust with Gabael son of Gabrias, at Rages in Media. 21 Do not
be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great
wealth if you fear God and flee from every sin and do what is good in
the sight of the Lord your God."

[Tobit 5]
Raphael's disguise


1 Then Tobias answered his father Tobit, "I will do everything that you
have commanded me, father; 2 but how can I obtain the money from
him, since he does not know me and I do not know him? What
evidence am I to give him so that he will recognize and trust me, and
give me the money? Also, I do not know the roads to Media, or how to
get there." 3 Then Tobit answered his son Tobias, "He gave me his
bond and I gave him my bond. I divided his in two; we each took one
part, and I put one with the money. And now twenty years have passed
since I left this money in trust. So now, my son, find yourself a
trustworthy man to go with you, and we will pay him wages until you
return. But get back the money from Gabael."

4 So Tobias went out to look for a man to go with him to Media,
someone who was acquainted with the way. He went out and found
the angel Raphael standing in front of him; but he did not perceive
that he was an angel of God. 5 Tobias said to him, "Where do you
come from, young man?" "From your kindred, the Israelites," he
replied, "and I have come here to work." Then Tobias said to him, "Do
you know the way to go to Media?" 6 "Yes," he replied, "I have been

26



TOBIT 27

TOBIT 27

9 So Tobias went in to tell his father Tobit and said to him, "I have just
found a man who is one of our own Israelite kindred!" He replied,
"Call the man in, my son, so that I may learn about his family and to
what tribe he belongs, and whether he is trustworthy enough to go
with you."

10 Then Tobias went out and called him, and said, "Young man, my
father is calling for you." So he went in to him, and Tobit greeted him
first. He replied, "Joyous greetings to you!" But Tobit retorted, "What
joy is left for me any more? I am a man without eyesight; I cannot see
the light of heaven, but I lie in darkness like the dead who no longer
see the light. Although still alive, I am among the dead. I hear people
but I cannot see them." But the young man said, "Take courage; the
time is near for God to heal you; take courage." Then Tobit said to
him, "My son Tobias wishes to go to Media. Can you accompany him
and guide him? I will pay your wages, brother." He answered, "I can go
with him and I know all the roads, for I have often gone to Media and
have crossed all its plains, and I am familiar with its mountains and all
of its roads."

11 Then Tobit said to him, "Brother, of what family are you and from
what tribe? Tell me, brother." 12 He replied, "Why do you need to
know my tribe?" But Tobit said, "I want to be sure, brother, whose son
you are and what your name is." 13 He replied, "I am Azariah, the son
of the great Hananiah, one of your relatives." 14 Then Tobit said to
him, "Welcome! God save you, brother. Do not feel bitter toward me,
brother, because I wanted to be sure about your ancestry. It turns out
that you are a kinsman, and of good and noble lineage. For I knew
Hananiah and Nathan, the two sons of Shemeliah, and they used to go

27



TOBIT 28

TOBIT 28

15 Then he added, "I will pay you a drachma a day as wages, as well as
expenses for yourself and my son. So go with my son, 16 and I will add
something to your wages." Raphael answered, "I will go with him; so
do not fear. We shall leave in good health and return to you in good
health, because the way is safe." 17 So Tobit said to him, "Blessings be
upon you, brother."

Then he called his son and said to him, "Son, prepare supplies for the
journey and set out with your brother. May God in heaven bring you
safely there and return you in good health to me; and may his angel,
my son, accompany you both for your safety."

Before he went out to start his journey, he kissed his father and
mother. Tobit then said to him, "Have a safe journey."

Anna's lament

18 But his mother began to weep, and said to Tobit, "Why is it that you
have sent my child away? Is he not the staff of our hand as he goes in
and out before us? 19 Do not heap money upon money, but let it be a
ransom for our child. 20 For the life that is given to us by the Lord is
enough for us." 21 Tobit said to her, "Do not worry; our child will leave
in good health and return to us in good health. Your eyes will see him
on the day when he returns to you in good health. Say no more! Do
not fear for them, my sister. 22 For a good angel will accompany him;
his journey will be successful, and he will come back in good health."
[Tobit 6] 1a So she stopped weeping.

[Tobit 6, continued]
Dangerous journey

1b The young man went out and the angel went with him; 2 and the
dog came out with him and went along with them. So they both
journeyed along, and when the first night overtook them they camped

28



TOBIT 29

TOBIT 29

The two continued on their way together until they were near Media.
7 Then the young man questioned the angel and said to him, "Brother
Azariah, what medicinal value is there in the fish's heart and liver, and
in the gall?" 8 He replied, "As for the fish's heart and liver, you must
burn them to make a smoke in the presence of a man or woman
afflicted by a demon or evil spirit, and every affliction will flee away
and never remain with that person any longer. 9 And as for the gall,
anoint a person's eyes where white films have appeared on them; blow
upon them, upon the white films, and the eyes will be healed."

Prenuptial instructions

10 When he entered Media and already was approaching Ecbatana, 11
Raphael said to the young man, "Brother Tobias." "Here I am," he
answered. Then Raphael said to him, "We must stay this night in the
home of Raguel. He is your relative, and he has a daughter named
Sarah. 12 He has no male heir and no daughter except Sarah only, and
you, as next of kin to her, have before all other men a hereditary claim
on her. Also it is right for you to inherit her father's possessions.
Moreover, the girl is sensible, brave, and very beautiful, and her father
is a good man." 13 He continued, "You have every right to take her in
marriage. So listen to me, brother; tonight I will speak to her father
about the girl, so that we may take her to be your bride. When we
return from Rages we will celebrate her marriage. For I know that
Raguel can by no means keep her from you or promise her to another
man without incurring the penalty of death according to the decree of

29



TOBIT 30

TOBIT 30

14 Then Tobias said in answer to Raphael, "Brother Azariah, I have
heard that she already has been married to seven husbands and that
they died in the bridal chamber. On the night when they went in to
her, they would die. I have heard people saying that it was a demon
that killed them. 15 It does not harm her, but it kills anyone who
desires to approach her. So now, since I am the only son my father has,
I am afraid that I may die and bring my father's and mother's life down
to their grave, grieving for me — and they have no other son to bury
them."

16 But Raphael said to him, "Do you not remember your father's orders
when he commanded you to take a wife from your father's house?
Now listen to me, brother, and say no more about this demon. Take
her. I know that this very night she will be given to you in marriage. 17
When you enter the bridal chamber, take some of the fish's liver and
heart, and put them on the embers of the incense. An odor will be
given off; 18 the demon will smell it and flee, and will never be seen
near her any more. Now when you are about to go to bed with her,
both of you must first stand up and pray, imploring the Lord of heaven
that mercy and safety may be granted to you. Do not be afraid, for she
was set apart for you before the world was made. You will save her,
and she will go with you. I presume that you will have children by her,
and they will be as brothers to you. Now say no more!" When Tobias
heard the words of Raphael and learned that she was his kinswoman,
related through his father's lineage, he loved her very much, and his
heart was drawn to her.

[Tobit 7]
Tobit and Sarah marry


1 Now when they entered Ecbatana, Tobias said to him, "Brother
Azariah, take me straight to our brother Raguel." So he took him to

30



TOBIT 31

TOBIT 31

When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to
dine, Tobias said to Raphael, "Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to give me
my kinswoman Sarah." 10 But Raguel overheard it and said to the lad,
"Eat and drink, and be merry tonight. For no one except you, brother,
has the right to marry my daughter Sarah. Likewise I am not at liberty
to give her to any other man than yourself, because you are my nearest
relative. But let me explain to you the true situation more fully, my
child. 11 I have given her to seven men of our kinsmen, and all died on
the night when they went in to her. But now, my child, eat and drink,
and the Lord will act on behalf of you both." But Tobias said, "I will
neither eat nor drink anything until you settle the things that pertain
to me." So Raguel said, "I will do so. She is given to you in accordance
with the decree in the book of Moses, and it has been decreed from
heaven that she be given to you. Take your kinswoman; from now on
you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from
today and forever. May the Lord of heaven, my child, guide and
prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace." 12 Then
Raguel summoned his daughter Sarah. When she came to him he took
her by the hand and gave her to Tobias, saying, "Take her to be your
wife in accordance with the law and decree written in the book of

31



TOBIT 32

TOBIT 32

15 Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, "Sister, get the other
room ready, and take her there." 16 So she went and made the bed in
the room as he had told her, and brought Sarah there. She wept for
her daughter. Then, wiping away the tears, she said to her, "Take
courage, my daughter; the Lord of heaven grant you joy in place of
your sorrow. Take courage, my daughter." Then she went out.

[Tobit 8]
Asmodeus is exorcised


1 When they had finished eating and drinking they wanted to retire; so
they took the young man and brought him into the bedroom. 2 Then
Tobias remembered the words of Raphael, and he took the fish's liver
and heart out of the bag where he had them and put them on the
embers of the incense. 3 The odor of the fish so repelled the demon
that he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt. But Raphael followed him,
and at once bound him there hand and foot.

4 When the parents had gone out and shut the door of the room,
Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah, "Sister, get up, and let us pray
and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety." 5 So she got
up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe.
Tobias began by saying,

"Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors,

and blessed is your name in all generations forever.

Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever.
6 You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve

as a helper and support.

From the two of them the human race has sprung.

 You said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone;

let us make a helper for him like himself.'

32



TOBIT 33


7 I now am taking this kinswoman of mine,

not because of lust,

 but with sincerity.

Grant that she and I may find mercy

and that we may grow old together."
8 And they both said, "Amen, Amen." 9 Then they went to sleep for
the night.

Raguel's fears are assuaged

But Raguel arose and called his servants to him, and they went and dug
a grave, 10 for he said, "It is possible that he will die and we will
become an object of ridicule and derision." 11 When they had finished
digging the grave, Raguel went into his house and called his wife, 12
saying, "Send one of the maids and have her go in to see if he is alive.
But if he is dead, let us bury him without anyone knowing it." 13 So
they sent the maid, lit a lamp, and opened the door; and she went in
and found them sound asleep together. 14 Then the maid came out
and informed them that he was alive and that nothing was wrong. 15
So they blessed the God of heaven, and Raguel said,

 "Blessed are you, O God, with every pure blessing;

let all your chosen ones bless you.

Let them bless you forever.
16 Blessed are you because you have made me glad.

It has not turned out as I expected,

but you have dealt with us according to your great mercy.
17 Blessed are you because you had compassion

on two only children.

 Be merciful to them, O Master, and keep them safe;

bring their lives to fulfillment

in happiness and mercy."
18 Then he ordered his servants to fill in the grave before daybreak.

The wedding celebrated and tasks fulfilled

19 After this he asked his wife to bake many loaves of bread; and he
went out to the herd and brought two steers and four rams and
ordered them to be slaughtered. So they began to make preparations.

33



TOBIT 34

TOBIT 34

[Tobit 9]

1 Then Tobias called Raphael and said to him, 2 "Brother Azariah, take
four servants and two camels with you and travel to Rages. Go to the
home of Gabael, give him the bond, get the money, and then bring
him with you to the wedding celebration. 4 For you know that my
father must be counting the days, and if I delay even one day I will
upset him very much. 3 You are witness to the oath Raguel has sworn,
and I cannot violate his oath." 5 So Raphael with the four servants and
two camels went to Rages in Media and stayed with Gabael. Raphael
gave him the bond and informed him that Tobit's son Tobias had
married and was inviting him to the wedding celebration. So Gabael
got up and counted out to him the money bags, with their seals intact;
then they loaded them on the camels. 6 In the morning they both got
up early and went to the wedding celebration. When they came into
Raguel's house they found Tobias reclining at table. He sprang up and
greeted Gabael, who wept and blessed him with the words, "Good and
noble son of a father good and noble, upright and generous! May the
Lord grant the blessing of heaven to you and your wife, and to your
wife's father and mother. Blessed be God, for I see in Tobias the very
image of my cousin Tobit."

[Tobit 10]
Anxiety at home

1 Now, day by day, Tobit kept counting how many days Tobias would
need for going and for returning. And when the days had passed and
his son did not appear, 2 he said, "Is it possible that he has been
detained? Or that Gabael has died, and there is no one to give him the

34



TOBIT 35

TOBIT 35

Return to Nineveh

Now when the fourteen days of the wedding celebration had ended
that Raguel had sworn to observe for his daughter, Tobias came to him
and said, "Send me back, for I know that my father and mother do not
believe that they will see me again. So I beg of you, father, to let me
go so that I may return to my own father. I have already explained to
you how I left him." 8 But Raguel said to Tobias, "Stay, my child, stay
with me; I will send messengers to your father Tobit and they will
inform him about you." 9 But he said, "No! I beg you to send me back
to my father." 10 So Raguel promptly gave Tobias his wife Sarah, as
well as half of all his property: male and female slaves, oxen and sheep,
donkeys and camels, clothing, money, and household goods. 11 Then he
saw them safely off; he embraced Tobias and said, "Farewell, my child;
have a safe journey. The Lord of heaven prosper you and your wife
Sarah, and may I see children of yours before I die." 12 Then he kissed
his daughter Sarah and said to her, "My daughter, honor your father-
in-law and your mother-in-law, since from now on they are as much
your parents as those who gave you birth. Go in peace, daughter, and
may I hear a good report about you as long as I live." Then he bade
them farewell and let them go. Then Edna said to Tobias, "My child
and dear brother, the Lord of heaven bring you back safely, and may I
live long enough to see children of you and of my daughter Sarah
before I die. In the sight of the Lord I entrust my daughter to you; do
nothing to grieve her all the days of your life. Go in peace, my child.

35



TOBIT 36

TOBIT 36

[Tobit 11]
Tobias returns

1 When they came near to Kaserin, which is opposite Nineveh, Raphael
said, 2 "You are aware of how we left your father. 3 Let us run ahead
of your wife and prepare the house while they are still on the way." 4
As they went on together Raphael said to him, "Have the gall ready."
And the dog went along behind them.

5 Meanwhile Anna sat looking intently down the road by which her
son would come. 6 When she caught sight of him coming, she said to
his father, "Look, your son is coming, and the man who went with
him!"

Tobit is healed

7 Raphael said to Tobias, before he had approached his father, "I know
that his eyes will be opened. 8 Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes;
the medicine will make the white films shrink and peel off from his
eyes, and your father will regain his sight and see the light."

9 Then Anna ran up to her son and threw her arms around him, saying,
"Now that I have seen you, my child, I am ready to die." And she wept.
10 Then Tobit got up and came stumbling out through the courtyard
door. Tobias went up to him, 11 with the gall of the fish in his hand,
and holding him firmly, he blew into his eyes, saying, "Take courage,
father." With this he applied the medicine on his eyes, 12 and it made
them smart. 13 Next, with both his hands he peeled off the white films
from the corners of his eyes. Then Tobit saw his son and threw his arms

36



TOBIT 37

TOBIT 37

"Blessed be God,

and blessed be his great name,

and blessed be all his holy angels.

 May his holy name be blessed

throughout all the ages.
15 Though he afflicted me,

he has had mercy upon me.

Now I see my son Tobias!"
So Tobit went in rejoicing and praising God at the top of his voice.
Tobias reported to his father that his journey had been successful, that
he had brought the money, that he had married Raguel's daughter
Sarah, and that she was, indeed, on her way there, very near to the
gate of Nineveh.

16 Then Tobit, rejoicing and praising God, went out to meet his
daughter-in-law at the gate of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh
saw him coming, walking along in full vigor and with no one leading
him, they were amazed. 17 Before them all, Tobit acknowledged that
God had been merciful to him and had restored his sight. When Tobit
met Sarah the wife of his son Tobias, he blessed her saying, "Come in,
my daughter, and welcome. Blessed be your God who has brought you
to us, my daughter. Blessed be your father and your mother, blessed be
my son Tobias, and blessed be you, my daughter. Come in now to your
home, and welcome, with blessing and joy. Come in, my daughter." So
on that day there was rejoicing among all the Jews who were in
Nineveh. 18 Ahikar and his nephew Nadab were also present to share
Tobit's joy. With merriment they celebrated Tobias's wedding feast for
seven days, and many gifts were given to him.

[Tobit 12]
Raphael's revelations


1 When the wedding celebration was ended, Tobit called his son Tobias
and said to him, "My child, see to paying the wages of the man who
went with you, and give him a bonus as well." 2 He replied, "Father,
how much shall I pay him? It would do no harm to give him half of the

37



TOBIT 38

TOBIT 38

6 Then Raphael called the two of them privately and said to them,
"Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for
the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing praise to his name.
With fitting honor declare to all people the deeds of God. Do not be
slow to acknowledge him. 7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king,
but to acknowledge and reveal the works of God, and with fitting
honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. 8
Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with
righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with
wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. 9 For
almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who
give alms will enjoy a full life, 10 but those who commit sin and do
wrong are their own worst enemies.

11 "I will now declare the whole truth to you and will conceal nothing
from you. Already I have declared it to you when I said, 'It is good to
conceal the secret of a king, but to reveal with due honor the works of
God.' 12 So now when you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and
read the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord, and
likewise whenever you would bury the dead. 13 And that time when
you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner to go and bury
the dead, 14 I was sent to you to test you. And at the same time God
sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. 15 I am Raphael,
one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of
the Lord."

16 The two of them were shaken; they fell face down, for they were
afraid. 17 But he said to them, "Do not be afraid; peace be with you.
Bless God forevermore. 18 As for me, when I was with you, I was not
acting on my own will, but by the will of God. Bless him each and every
day; sing his praises. 19 Although you were watching me, I really did

38



TOBIT 39

TOBIT 39

[Tobit 13]
Tobit's hymn

1 Then Tobit said:
"Blessed be God who lives forever,
because his kingdom lasts throughout all ages.

2 For he afflicts, and he shows mercy;
he leads down to Hades in the lowest regions of the earth,
and he brings up from the great abyss,
and there is nothing that can escape his hand.

3 Acknowledge him before the nations, O children of Israel;
for he has scattered you among them.
4 He has shown you his greatness even there.

 Exalt him in the presence of every living being,
because he is our Lord and he is our God;
he is our Father and he is God forever.


5 He will afflict you for your iniquities,
but he will again show mercy on all of you.
He will gather you from all the nations
among whom you have been scattered.

39



TOBIT 40


6 If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul,
to do what is true before him,
then he will turn to you
and will no longer hide his face from you.
So now see what he has done for you;
acknowledge him at the top of your voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of the ages.
In the land of my exile I acknowledge him,
and show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners:
'Turn back, you sinners, and do what is right before him;
perhaps he may look with favor upon you and show you mercy.'
7 As for me, I exalt my God,
and my soul rejoices in the King of heaven.
8 Let all people speak of his majesty,
and acknowledge him in Jerusalem.

9 O Jerusalem, the holy city,

he afflicted you for the deeds of your hands,

but will again have mercy on the children of the righteous.
10 Acknowledge the Lord, for he is good,

and bless the King of the ages,

so that his tent may be rebuilt in you in joy.

 May he cheer all those within you who are captives,

and love all those within you who are distressed,

to all generations forever.
11 A bright light will shine to all the ends of the earth;
many nations will come to you from far away,
the inhabitants of the remotest parts of the earth to your holy name,
bearing gifts in their hands for the King of heaven.
Generation after generation will give joyful praise in you;
the name of the chosen city will endure forever.

40



TOBIT 41


12 Cursed are all who speak a harsh word against you;
cursed are all who conquer you
and pull down your walls,

 all who overthrow your towers
and set your homes on fire.
But blessed forever will be all who revere you.


13 Go, then, and rejoice over the children of the righteous,
for they will be gathered together
and will praise the Lord of the ages.

14 Happy are those who love you,
and happy are those who rejoice in your prosperity.
Happy also are all people who grieve with you
because of your afflictions;
for they will rejoice with you

and witness all your glory forever.
15 My soul blesses the Lord, the great King!
16 For Jerusalem will be built as his house for all ages.

 How happy I will be if a remnant of my descendants should survive
to see your glory and acknowledge the King of heaven.
The gates of Jerusalem will be built with sapphire and emerald,
and all your walls with precious stones.
The towers of Jerusalem will be built with gold,
and their battlements with pure gold.
The streets of Jerusalem will be paved
with ruby and with stones of Ophir.
17 The gates of Jerusalem will sing hymns of joy,
and all her houses will cry, 'Hallelujah!
Blessed be the God of Israel!'
and the blessed will bless the holy name forever and ever."

[Tobit 14] 1 So ended Tobit's words of praise.

Tobit's testament

2 Tobit died in peace when he was one hundred twelve years old, and
was buried with great honor in Nineveh. He was sixty-two years old
when he lost his eyesight, and after regaining it he lived in prosperity,

41



TOBIT 42

TOBIT 42

3 When he was about to die, he called his son Tobias and the seven
sons of Tobias and gave this command: "My son, take your children 4
and hurry off to Media, for I believe the word of God that Nahum
spoke about Nineveh, that all these things will take place and overtake
Assyria and Nineveh. Indeed, everything that was spoken by the
prophets of Israel, whom God sent, will occur. None of all their words
will fail, but all will come true at their appointed times. So it will be
safer in Media than in Assyria and Babylon. For I know and believe that
whatever God has said will be fulfilled and will come true; not a single
word of the prophecies will fail. All of our kindred, inhabitants of the
land of Israel, will be scattered and taken as captives from the good
land; and the whole land of Israel will be desolate, even Samaria and
Jerusalem will be desolate. And the temple of God in it will be burned
to the ground, and it will be desolate for a while.

5 "But God will again have mercy on them, and God will bring them
back into the land of Israel; and they will rebuild the temple of God,
but not like the first one until the period when the times of fulfillment
shall come. After this they all will return from their exile and will
rebuild Jerusalem in splendor; and in it the temple of God will be
rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it. 6 Then the
nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in
truth. They will all abandon their idols, which deceitfully have led them
into their error; 7 and in righteousness they will praise the eternal God.
All the Israelites who are saved in those days and are truly mindful of
God will be gathered together; they will go to Jerusalem and live in
safety forever in the land of Abraham, and it will be given over to
them. Those who sincerely love God will rejoice, but those who commit
sin and injustice will vanish from all the earth. 8,9 So now, my children,
I command you, serve God faithfully and do what is pleasing in his
sight. Your children are also to be commanded to do what is right and
to give alms, and to be mindful of God and to bless his name at all
times with sincerity and with all their strength. So now, my son, leave
Nineveh; do not remain here. 10 On whatever day you bury your
mother beside me, do not stay overnight within the confines of the

42



TOBIT 43

TOBIT 43

Tobit and Anna die

Then they laid him on his bed, and he died; and he received an
honorable funeral. 12 When Tobias's mother died, he buried her beside
his father. Then he and his wife and children returned to Media and
settled in Ecbatana with Raguel his father-in-law. 13 He treated his
parents-in-law with great respect in their old age, and buried them in
Ecbatana of Media. He inherited both the property of Raguel and that
of his father Tobit. 14 He died highly respected at the age of one
hundred seventeen years. 15 Before he died he heard of the
destruction of Nineveh, and he saw its prisoners being led into Media,
those whom King Cyaxares of Media had taken captive. Tobias praised
God for all he had done to the people of Nineveh and Assyria; before
he died he rejoiced over Nineveh, and he blessed the Lord God forever
and ever. Amen.

43



JUDITH 44


JUDITH


Introduction

Judith, perhaps more than any other biblical book, consistently reverses
the reader's expectations. The potent Assyrian army, able to defeat
mighty nations both east and west, is routed by the tiny town of
Bethulia. Judith, a Jewish widow, so beguiles Holofernes, the invincible
head of the Assyrian army, and all his servants and soldiers that she is
able to assassinate him in the middle of his camp and sneak away
without being caught. The book's characters and scenes resonate with
irony, humor, wordplay, suspense, and the unexpected. The story's
characters are vividly drawn and take on lives of their own. Judith is an
especially compelling figure. She is morally ambiguous: Although
pious, faithful, and religiously observant, she lies, seduces, and
murders. She is introduced as a traditionally ideal Jewish woman in
many aspects: beautiful, well-connected, devoted to God and her late
husband; yet it is she, and not the male rulers of Bethulia, who acts to
save the town and rallies the people to her cause. She has often been
viewed as a model for human liberation, and her courage and
complexity have fascinated artists, writers, and composers for centuries.

The book of Judith is a well-crafted work of fiction, an example of the
ancient Jewish novel in the Greco-Roman period. Its tone is
exaggerated throughout; it contains historical inaccuracies so great
that they strike a reader as absurd; and many of the geographical sites,
including the principal scene of the action (the town of Bethulia), are
unknown. Religion is a primary concern of the book. The plot's central
conflict revolves around the question of whether true power lies with
Israel's God or with the military might of a foreign ruler. The work
provides evidence of traditional religious practices, including prayer,
fasting, and observation of dietary laws.

44



JUDITH 45

JUDITH 45

The figure of Judith and her mode of operation have been variously
compared to the biblical characters of Jael and Deborah (Judg 4.4-5.31),
Moses, Esther, Abraham, Delilah (Judg 16), and Woman Wisdom (Prov
8). Yet she also may have been fashioned after the real-life persons
Judas Maccabeus (hence her name "Judith") or the popular queen
Salome Alexandra. It is probably best to view Judith as a fabricated
character, a composite of the traits and activities of many other figures
from the Bible and from history.

Although the character after whom the book is named does not
appear until ch 8, the first seven chapters establish the narrative
themes that frame the entire story: fear, deceit, hearing, blessing, and
the proper recipient of worship. Contrasts such as weakness and
strength, innocence and guilt, courage and timidity, and godliness and
ungodliness should be noted. False appearances and
misunderstandings occur regularly; for instance, the Assyrian army only
seems strong. Judith's lies are often interpreted as wisdom, and the
success of her mission is achieved by means of cosmetic adornment.

The book is divided into two main parts, each with a chiastic structure
and thematic repetition. The first part (1.1-7.32), which narrates the
Assyrian campaign and revenge against western nations, begins with
Nebuchadnezzar's campaign against Arphaxad (1.1-16), his
commissioning Holofernes's campaign, the people of other nations
surrender (2.14-3.10), and consequently Israel is afraid and Joakim
prepares for war (4.1-15). After advising Holofernes, Achior is expelled
(5.1-6.11). Then the pattern reverses itself: Achior is received into

45



JUDITH 46

JUDITH 46

[Judith 1]
Nebuchadnezzar is introduced. He declares ware on Arphaxad, the
king of Media

1 It was the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled
over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh. In those days Arphaxad
ruled over the Medes in Ecbatana. 2 He built walls around Ecbatana
with hewn stones three cubits thick and six cubits long; he made the
walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide. 3 At its gates he raised
towers one hundred cubits high and sixty cubits wide at the
foundations. 4 He made its gates seventy cubits high and forty cubits
wide to allow his armies to march out in force and his infantry to form
their ranks. 5 Then King Nebuchadnezzar made war against King
Arphaxad in the great plain that is on the borders of Ragau. 6 There
rallied to him all the people of the hill country and all those who lived
along the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Hydaspes, and, on the plain,
Arioch, king of the Elymeans. Thus, many nations joined the forces of
the Chaldeans.

The Persians and the western nations disregard Nebuchadnezzar's
pleas for assistance

7 Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, sent messengers to all
who lived in Persia and to all who lived in the west, those who lived in

46



JUDITH 47

JUDITH 47

Nebuchadnezzar vows revenge upon the western nations and alone
defeats Arphaxad

12 Then Nebuchadnezzar became very angry with this whole region,
and swore by his throne and kingdom that he would take revenge on
the whole territory of Cilicia and Damascus and Syria, that he would
kill with his sword also all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the
people of Ammon, and all Judea, and every one in Egypt, as far as the
coasts of the two seas.

13 In the seventeenth year he led his forces against King Arphaxad and
defeated him in battle, overthrowing the whole army of Arphaxad and
all his cavalry and all his chariots. 14 Thus he took possession of his
towns and came to Ecbatana, captured its towers, plundered its
markets, and turned its glory into disgrace. 15 He captured Arphaxad in
the mountains of Ragau and struck him down with his spears, thus
destroying him once and for all. 16 Then he returned to Nineveh, he
and all his combined forces, a vast body of troops; and there he and his
forces rested and feasted for one hundred twenty days.

47



JUDITH 48


[Judith 2]
Nebuchadnezzar commissions Holofernes to lead a punitive expedition
against the disobedient nations

1 In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month,
there was talk in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians,
about carrying out his revenge on the whole region, just as he had
said. 2 He summoned all his ministers and all his nobles and set before
them his secret plan and recounted fully, with his own lips, all the
wickedness of the region. 3 They decided that every one who had not
obeyed his command should be destroyed.

4 When he had completed his plan, Nebuchadnezzar, king of the
Assyrians, called Holofernes, the chief general of his army, second only
to himself, and said to him, 5 "Thus says the Great King, the lord of the
whole earth: Leave my presence and take with you men confident in
their strength, one hundred twenty thousand foot soldiers and twelve
thousand cavalry. 6 March out against all the land to the west, because
they disobeyed my orders. 7 Tell them to prepare earth and water, for I
am coming against them in my anger, and will cover the whole face of
the earth with the feet of my troops, to whom I will hand them over to
be plundered. 8 Their wounded shall fill their ravines and gullies, and
the swelling river shall be filled with their dead. 9 I will lead them away
captive to the ends of the whole earth. 10 You shall go and seize all
their territory for me in advance. They must yield themselves to you,
and you shall hold them for me until the day of their punishment. 11
But to those who resist show no mercy, but hand them over to
slaughter and plunder throughout your whole region. 12 For as I live,
and by the power of my kingdom, what I have spoken I will accomplish
by my own hand. 13 And you — take care not to transgress any of your
lord's commands, but carry them out exactly as I have ordered you; do
it without delay."

Holofernes musters an enormous army, attacking and defeating the
western nations

14 So Holofernes left the presence of his lord, and summoned all the
commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army. 15 He

48



JUDITH 49

JUDITH 49

19 Then he set out with his whole army, to go ahead of King
Nebuchadnezzar and to cover the whole face of the earth to the west
with their chariots and cavalry and picked foot soldiers. 20 Along with
them went a mixed crowd like a swarm of locusts, like the dust of the
earth — a multitude that could not be counted.

21 They marched for three days from Nineveh to the plain of Bectileth,
and camped opposite Bectileth near the mountain that is to the north
of Upper Cilicia. 22 From there Holofernes took his whole army, the
infantry, cavalry, and chariots, and went up into the hill country. 23 He
ravaged Put and Lud, and plundered all the Rassisites and the
Ishmaelites on the border of the desert, south of the country of the
Chelleans. 24 Then he followed the Euphrates and passed through
Mesopotamia and destroyed all the fortified towns along the brook
Abron, as far as the sea. 25 He also seized the territory of Cilicia, and
killed everyone who resisted him. Then he came to the southern
borders of Japheth, facing Arabia. 26 He surrounded all the Midianites,
and burned their tents and plundered their sheepfolds. 27 Then he
went down into the plain of Damascus during the wheat harvest, and
burned all their fields and destroyed their flocks and herds and sacked
their towns and ravaged their lands and put all their young men to the
sword.

The peoples of the seacoast become afraid and surrender

28 So fear and dread of him fell upon all the people who lived along
the seacoast, at Sidon and Tyre, and those who lived in Sur and Ocina
and all who lived in Jamnia. Those who lived in Azotus and Ascalon
feared him greatly.

49



JUDITH 50


[Judith 3]

1 They therefore sent messengers to him to sue for peace in these
words: 2 "We, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, the Great King, lie
prostrate before you. Do with us whatever you will. 3 See, our
buildings and all our land and all our wheat fields and our flocks and
herds and all our encampments lie before you; do with them as you
please. 4 Our towns and their inhabitants are also your slaves; come
and deal with them as you see fit."

Despite the peoples' submission, Holofernes destroys their religious
sites

5 The men came to Holofernes and told him all this. 6 Then he went
down to the seacoast with his army and stationed garrisons in the
fortified towns and took picked men from them as auxiliaries. 7 These
people and all in the countryside welcomed him with garlands and
dances and tambourines. 8 Yet he demolished all their shrines and cut
down their sacred groves; for he had been commissioned to destroy all
the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship
Nebuchadnezzar alone, and that all their dialects and tribes should call
upon him as a god.

9 Then he came toward Esdraelon, near Dothan, facing the great ridge
of Judea; 10 he camped between Geba and Scythopolis, and remained
for a whole month in order to collect all the supplies for his army.

[Judith 4]
The Israelites become afraid, prepare for battle, and pray


1 When the Israelites living in Judea heard of everything that
Holofernes, the general of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Assyrians,
had done to the nations, and how he had plundered and destroyed all
their temples, 2 they were therefore greatly terrified at his approach;
they were alarmed both for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord
their God. 3 For they had only recently returned from exile, and all the
people of Judea had just now gathered together, and the sacred
vessels and the altar and the temple had been consecrated after their

50



JUDITH 51

JUDITH 51

6 The high priest, Joakim, who was in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to
the people of Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which faces Esdraelon
opposite the plain near Dothan, 7 ordering them to seize the mountain
passes, since by them Judea could be invaded; and it would be easy to
stop any who tried to enter, for the approach was narrow, wide
enough for only two at a time to pass.

8 So the Israelites did as they had been ordered by the high priest
Joakim and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session at
Jerusalem. 9 And every man of Israel cried out to God with great
fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting. 10 They and
their wives and their children and their cattle and every resident alien
and hired laborer and purchased slave — they all put sackcloth around
their waists. 11 And all the Israelite men, women, and children living at
Jerusalem prostrated themselves before the temple and put ashes on
their heads and spread out their sackcloth before the Lord. 12 They
even draped the altar with sackcloth and cried out in unison, praying
fervently to the God of Israel not to allow their infants to be carried off
and their wives to be taken as booty, and the towns they had inherited
to be destroyed, and the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to
the malicious joy of the Gentiles.

13 The Lord heard their prayers and had regard for their distress; for
the people fasted many days throughout Judea and in Jerusalem
before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty. 14 The high priest Joakim
and all the priests who stood before the Lord and ministered to the
Lord, with sackcloth around their loins, offered the daily burnt
offerings, the votive offerings, and freewill offerings of the people. 15
With ashes on their turbans, they cried out to the Lord with all their
might to look with favor on the whole house of Israel.

51



JUDITH 52


[Judith 5]
Holofernes questions the unique character of the Israelites


1 It was reported to Holofernes, the general of the Assyrian army, that
the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the mountain
passes and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the
plains. 2 In great anger he called together all the princes of Moab and
the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland, 3
and said to them, "Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that
lives in the hill country? What towns do they inhabit? How large is
their army, and in what does their power and strength consist? Who
rules over them as king and leads their army? 4 And why have they
alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?"

Achior instructs Holofernes by outlining the history of the Israelites

5 Then Achior, the leader of all the Ammonites, said to him, "May my
lord please listen to a report from the mouth of your servant, and I will
tell you the truth about this people that lives in the mountain district
near you. No falsehood shall come from your servant's mouth. 6 These
people are descended from the Chaldeans. 7 At one time they lived in
Mesopotamia, because they did not wish to follow the gods of their
ancestors who were in Chaldea. 8 Since they had abandoned the ways
of their ancestors, and worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had
come to know, their ancestors drove them out from the presence of
their gods. So they fled to Mesopotamia, and lived there for a long
time. 9 Then their God commanded them to leave the place where
they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and
grew very prosperous in gold and silver and very much livestock. 10
When a famine spread over the land of Canaan they went down to
Egypt and lived there as long as they had food. There they became so
great a multitude that their race could not be counted. 11 So the king
of Egypt became hostile to them; he exploited them and forced them
to make bricks. 12 They cried out to their God, and he afflicted the
whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues. So the Egyptians drove
them out of their sight. 13 Then God dried up the Red Sea before them,
14 and he led them by the way of Sinai and Kadesh-barnea. They drove
out all the people of the desert, 15 and took up residence in the land of

52



JUDITH 53

JUDITH 53

17 "As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for
the God who hates iniquity is with them. 18 But when they departed
from the way he had prescribed for them, they were utterly defeated
in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign land. The
temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their towns were
occupied by their enemies. 19 But now they have returned to their God,
and have come back from the places where they were scattered, and
have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in
the hill country, because it was uninhabited.

20 "So now, my master and lord, if there is any oversight in this people
and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we
can go up and defeat them. 21 But if they are not a guilty nation, then
let my lord pass them by; for their Lord and God will defend them, and
we shall become the laughingstock of the whole world."

22 When Achior had finished saying these things, all the people
standing around the tent began to complain; Holofernes' officers and
all the inhabitants of the seacoast and Moab insisted that he should be
cut to pieces. 23 They said, "We are not afraid of the Israelites; they are
a people with no strength or power for making war. 24 Therefore let
us go ahead, Lord Holofernes, and your vast army will swallow them
up."

[Judith 6]
Holofernes denounces Achior and ejects him from the camp


1 When the disturbance made by the people outside the council had
died down, Holofernes, the commander of the Assyrian army, said to
Achior in the presence of all the foreign contingents:

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JUDITH 54

JUDITH 54

5 "As for you, Achior, you Ammonite mercenary, you have said these
words in a moment of perversity; you shall not see my face again from
this day until I take revenge on this race that came out of Egypt. 6
Then at my return the sword of my army and the spear of my servants
shall pierce your sides, and you shall fall among their wounded. 7 Now
my slaves are going to take you back into the hill country and put you
in one of the towns beside the passes. 8 You will not die until you
perish along with them. 9 If you really hope in your heart that they will
not be taken, then do not look downcast! I have spoken, and none of
my words shall fail to come true."

10 Then Holofernes ordered his slaves, who waited on him in his tent,
to seize Achior and take him away to Bethulia and hand him over to
the Israelites. 11 So the slaves took him and led him out of the camp
into the plain, and from the plain they went up into the hill country
and came to the springs below Bethulia. 12 When the men of the town
saw them, they seized their weapons and ran out of the town to the
top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by
throwing stones at them. 13 So having taken shelter below the hill,
they bound Achior and left him lying at the foot of the hill, and
returned to their master.

The Israelites find and rescue Achior, bringing him into Bethulia

14 Then the Israelites came down from their town and found him; they
untied him and brought him into Bethulia and placed him before the

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JUDITH 55

JUDITH 55

19 "O Lord God of heaven, see their arrogance, and have pity on our
people in their humiliation, and look kindly today on the faces of those
who are consecrated to you."

20 Then they reassured Achior, and praised him highly. 21 Uzziah took
him from the assembly to his own house and gave a banquet for the
elders; and all that night they called on the God of Israel for help.

[Judith 7]
The Assyrians begin war preparations; the Israelites are again
frightened and prepare to fight

1 The next day Holofernes ordered his whole army, and all the allies
who had joined him, to break camp and move against Bethulia, and to
seize the passes up into the hill country and make war on the Israelites.
2 So all their warriors marched off that day; their fighting forces
numbered one hundred seventy thousand infantry and twelve
thousand cavalry, not counting the baggage and the foot soldiers
handling it, a very great multitude. 3 They encamped in the valley near
Bethulia, beside the spring, and they spread out in breadth over
Dothan as far as Balbaim and in length from Bethulia to Cyamon,
which faces Esdraelon.

4 When the Israelites saw their vast numbers, they were greatly
terrified and said to one another, "They will now strip clean the whole
land; neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear

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JUDITH 56


their weight." 5 Yet they all seized their weapons, and when they had
kindled fires on their towers, they remained on guard all that night.

Holofernes, on the advice of his leaders, decides to seize Bethulia's
water supply

6 On the second day Holofernes led out all his cavalry in full view of
the Israelites in Bethulia. 7 He reconnoitered the approaches to their
town, and visited the springs that supplied their water; he seized them
and set guards of soldiers over them, and then returned to his army.

8 Then all the chieftains of the Edomites and all the leaders of the
Moabites and the commanders of the coastland came to him and said,
9 "Listen to what we have to say, my lord, and your army will suffer no
losses. 10 This people, the Israelites, do not rely on their spears but on
the height of the mountains where they live, for it is not easy to reach
the tops of their mountains. 11 Therefore, my lord, do not fight against
them in regular formation, and not a man of your army will fall. 12
Remain in your camp, and keep all the men in your forces with you; let
your servants take possession of the spring of water that flows from
the foot of the mountain, 13 for this is where all the people of Bethulia
get their water. So thirst will destroy them, and they will surrender
their town. Meanwhile, we and our people will go up to the tops of
the nearby mountains and camp there to keep watch to see that no
one gets out of the town. 14 They and their wives and children will
waste away with famine, and before the sword reaches them they will
be strewn about in the streets where they live. 15 Thus you will pay
them back with evil, because they rebelled and did not receive you
peaceably."

16 These words pleased Holofernes and all his attendants, and he gave
orders to do as they had said. 17 So the army of the Ammonites moved
forward, together with five thousand Assyrians, and they encamped in
the valley and seized the water supply and the springs of the Israelites.
18 And the Edomites and Ammonites went up and encamped in the hill
country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men toward the
south and the east, toward Egrebeh, which is near Chusi beside the
Wadi Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain,

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JUDITH 57


and covered the whole face of the land. Their tents and supply trains
spread out in great number, and they formed a vast multitude.

Driven to desperation, the citizens of Bethulia urge the leaders to
surrender

19 The Israelites then cried out to the Lord their God, for their courage
failed, because all their enemies had surrounded them, and there was
no way of escape from them. 20 The whole Assyrian army, their
infantry, chariots, and cavalry, surrounded them for thirty-four days,
until all the water containers of every inhabitant of Bethulia were
empty; 21 their cisterns were going dry, and on no day did they have
enough water to drink, for their drinking water was rationed. 22 Their
children were listless, and the women and young men fainted from
thirst and were collapsing in the streets of the town and in the
gateways; they no longer had any strength.

23 Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children,
gathered around Uzziah and the rulers of the town and cried out with
a loud voice, and said before all the elders, 24 "Let God judge between
you and us! You have done us a great injury in not making peace with
the Assyrians. 25 For now we have no one to help us; God has sold us
into their hands, to be strewn before them in thirst and exhaustion. 26
Now summon them and surrender the whole town as booty to the
army of Holofernes and to all his forces. 27 For it would be better for us
to be captured by them. We shall indeed become slaves, but our lives
will be spared, and we shall not witness our little ones dying before
our eyes, and our wives and children drawing their last breath. 28 We
call to witness against you heaven and earth and our God, the Lord of
our ancestors, who punishes us for our sins and the sins of our
ancestors; do today the things that we have described!"

Uzziah advises instead a delay of five days

29 Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly,
and they cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice. 30 But Uzziah
said to them, "Courage, my brothers and sisters! Let us hold out for
five days more; by that time the Lord our God will turn his mercy to us

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JUDITH 58

JUDITH 58

32 Then he dismissed the people to their various posts, and they went
up on the walls and towers of their town. The women and children he
sent home. In the town they were in great misery.

[Judith 8]
Judith is introduced


1 Now in those days Judith heard about these things: she was the
daughter of Merari son of Ox son of Joseph son of Oziel son of Elkiah
son of Ananias son of Gideon son of Raphain son of Ahitub son of
Elijah son of Hilkiah son of Eliab son of Nathanael son of Salamiel son
of Sarasadai son of Israel. 2 Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to
her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest. 3 For as he
stood overseeing those who were binding sheaves in the field, he was
overcome by the burning heat, and took to his bed and died in his
town Bethulia. So they buried him with his ancestors in the field
between Dothan and Balamon. 4 Judith remained as a widow for three
years and four months 5 at home where she set up a tent for herself on
the roof of her house. She put sackcloth around her waist and dressed
in widow's clothing. 6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood,
except the day before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day
before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals
and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. 7 She was beautiful in
appearance, and was very lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had
left her gold and silver, men and women slaves, livestock, and fields;
and she maintained this estate. 8 No one spoke ill of her, for she
feared God with great devotion.

Judith upbraids the Bethulian leaders

9 When Judith heard the harsh words spoken by the people against the
ruler, because they were faint for lack of water, and when she heard
all that Uzziah said to them, and how he promised them under oath to
surrender the town to the Assyrians after five days, 10 she sent her
maid, who was in charge of all she possessed, to summon Uzziah and

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JUDITH 59


Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her town. 11 They came to her, and
she said to them:

"Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia! What you have said to
the people today is not right; you have even sworn and pronounced
this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the town to
our enemies unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days. 12
Who are you to put God to the test today, and to set yourselves up in
the place of God in human affairs? 13 You are putting the Lord
Almighty to the test, but you will never learn anything! 14 You cannot
plumb the depths of the human heart or understand the workings of
the human mind; how do you expect to search out God, who made all
these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No,
my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. 15 For if he does not
choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us
within any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our
enemies. 16 Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for
God is not like a human being, to be threatened, or like a mere mortal,
to be won over by pleading. 17 Therefore, while we wait for his
deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice,
if it pleases him.

18 "For never in our generation, nor in these present days, has there
been any tribe or family or people or town of ours that worships gods
made with hands, as was done in days gone by. 19 That was why our
ancestors were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and so they
suffered a great catastrophe before our enemies. 20 But we know no
other god but him, and so we hope that he will not disdain us or any
of our nation. 21 For if we are captured, all Judea will be captured and
our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will make us pay for its
desecration with our blood. 22 The slaughter of our kindred and the
captivity of the land and the desolation of our inheritance — all this he
will bring on our heads among the Gentiles, wherever we serve as
slaves; and we shall be an offense and a disgrace in the eyes of those
who acquire us. 23 For our slavery will not bring us into favor, but the
Lord our God will turn it to dishonor.

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JUDITH 60

JUDITH 60

The leaders acknowledge Judith's wisdom and she vows to deliver the
city

28 Then Uzziah said to her, "All that you have said was spoken out of a
true heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. 29 Today is
not the first time your wisdom has been shown, but from the
beginning of your life all the people have recognized your
understanding, for your heart's disposition is right. 30 But the people
were so thirsty that they compelled us to do for them what we have
promised, and made us take an oath that we cannot break. 31 Now
since you are a God-fearing woman, pray for us, so that the Lord may
send us rain to fill our cisterns. Then we will no longer feel faint from
thirst."

32 Then Judith said to them, "Listen to me. I am about to do something
that will go down through all generations of our descendants. 33 Stand
at the town gate tonight so that I may go out with my maid; and
within the days after which you have promised to surrender the town
to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand. 34 Only, do not
try to find out what I am doing; for I will not tell you until I have
finished what I am about to do."

35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, "Go in peace, and may the Lord
God go before you, to take vengeance on our enemies." 36 So they
returned from the tent and went to their posts.

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JUDITH 61


[Judith 9]
The Prayer of Judith


1 Then Judith prostrated herself, put ashes on her head, and uncovered
the sackcloth she was wearing. At the very time when the evening
incense was being offered in the house of God in Jerusalem, Judith
cried out to the Lord with a loud voice, and said,

2 "O Lord God of my ancestor Simeon, to whom you gave a sword to
take revenge on those strangers who had torn off a virgin's clothing to
defile her, and exposed her thighs to put her to shame, and polluted
her womb to disgrace her; for you said, 'It shall not be done' — yet
they did it; 3 so you gave up their rulers to be killed, and their bed,
which was ashamed of the deceit they had practiced, was stained with
blood, and you struck down slaves along with princes, and princes on
their thrones. 4 You gave up their wives for booty and their daughters
to captivity, and all their booty to be divided among your beloved
children who burned with zeal for you and abhorred the pollution of
their blood and called on you for help. O God, my God, hear me also, a
widow.

5 "For you have done these things and those that went before and
those that followed. You have designed the things that are now, and
those that are to come. What you had in mind has happened; 6 the
things you decided on presented themselves and said, 'Here we are!'
For all your ways are prepared in advance, and your judgment is with
foreknowledge.

7 "Here now are the Assyrians, a greatly increased force, priding
themselves in their horses and riders, boasting in the strength of their
foot soldiers, and trusting in shield and spear, in bow and sling. They
do not know that you are the Lord who crushes wars; the Lord is your
name. 8 Break their strength by your might, and bring down their
power in your anger; for they intend to defile your sanctuary, and to
pollute the tabernacle where your glorious name resides, and to break
off the horns of your altar with the sword. 9 Look at their pride, and
send your wrath upon their heads. Give to me, a widow, the strong
hand to do what I plan. 10 By the deceit of my lips strike down the

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JUDITH 62

JUDITH 62

11 "For your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on
the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the
oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of
those without hope. 12 Please, please, God of my father, God of the
heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters,
King of all your creation, hear my prayer! 13 Make my deceitful words
bring wound and bruise on those who have planned cruel things
against your covenant, and against your sacred house, and against
Mount Zion, and against the house your children possess. 14 Let your
whole nation and every tribe know and understand that you are God,
the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who
protects the people of Israel but you alone!"

[Judith 10]
Judith bathes and dresses in preparation for her mission


1 When Judith had stopped crying out to the God of Israel, and had
ended all these words, 2 she rose from where she lay prostrate. She
called her maid and went down into the house where she lived on
sabbaths and on her festal days. 3 She removed the sackcloth she had
been wearing, took off her widow's garments, bathed her body with
water, and anointed herself with precious ointment. She combed her
hair, put on a tiara, and dressed herself in the festive attire that she
used to wear while her husband Manasseh was living. 4 She put sandals
on her feet, and put on her anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and all
her other jewelry. Thus she made herself very beautiful, to entice the
eyes of all the men who might see her. 5 She gave her maid a skin of
wine and a flask of oil, and filled a bag with roasted grain, dried fig
cakes, and fine bread; then she wrapped up all her dishes and gave
them to her to carry.

The elders bless Judith and she and her servant leave Bethulia

6 Then they went out to the town gate of Bethulia and found Uzziah
standing there with the elders of the town, Chabris and Charmis. 7

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JUDITH 63

JUDITH 63

9 Then she said to them, "Order the gate of the town to be opened for
me so that I may go out and accomplish the things you have just said to
me." So they ordered the young men to open the gate for her, as she
requested. 10 When they had done this, Judith went out, accompanied
by her maid. The men of the town watched her until she had gone
down the mountain and passed through the valley, where they lost
sight of her.

The two women are captured by the Assyrians and brought to
Holofernes

11 As the women were going straight on through the valley, an
Assyrian patrol met her 12 and took her into custody. They asked her,
"To what people do you belong, and where are you coming from, and
where are you going?" She replied, "I am a daughter of the Hebrews,
but I am fleeing from them, for they are about to be handed over to
you to be devoured. 13 I am on my way to see Holofernes the
commander of your army, to give him a true report; I will show him a
way by which he can go and capture all the hill country without losing
one of his men, captured or slain."

14 When the men heard her words, and observed her face — she was in
their eyes marvelously beautiful — they said to her, 15 "You have saved
your life by hurrying down to see our lord. Go at once to his tent; some
of us will escort you and hand you over to him. 16 When you stand
before him, have no fear in your heart, but tell him what you have just
said, and he will treat you well."

17 They chose from their number a hundred men to accompany her and
her maid, and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes. 18 There
was great excitement in the whole camp, for her arrival was reported
from tent to tent. They came and gathered around her as she stood

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JUDITH 64

JUDITH 64

20 Then the guards of Holofernes and all his servants came out and led
her into the tent. 21 Holofernes was resting on his bed under a canopy
that was woven with purple and gold, emeralds and other precious
stones. 22 When they told him of her, he came to the front of the tent,
with silver lamps carried before him. 23 When Judith came into the
presence of Holofernes and his servants, they all marveled at the
beauty of her face. She prostrated herself and did obeisance to him,
but his slaves raised her up.

[Judith 11]
Holofernes welcomes Judith


1 Then Holofernes said to her, "Take courage, woman, and do not be
afraid in your heart, for I have never hurt anyone who chose to serve
Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth. 2 Even now, if your people who
live in the hill country had not slighted me, I would never have lifted
my spear against them. They have brought this on themselves. 3 But
now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us. In
any event, you have come to safety. Take courage! You will live
tonight and ever after. 4 No one will hurt you. Rather, all will treat you
well, as they do the servants of my lord King Nebuchadnezzar."

Judith's explanation of her departure commends her to Holofernes
and his advisors

5 Judith answered him, "Accept the words of your slave, and let your
servant speak in your presence. I will say nothing false to my lord this
night. 6 If you follow out the words of your servant, God will
accomplish something through you, and my lord will not fail to achieve
his purposes. 7 By the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole earth,
and by the power of him who has sent you to direct every living being!

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JUDITH 65

JUDITH 65

9 "Now as for Achior's speech in your council, we have heard his words,
for the people of Bethulia spared him and he told them all he had said
to you. 10 Therefore, lord and master, do not disregard what he said,
but keep it in your mind, for it is true. Indeed our nation cannot be
punished, nor can the sword prevail against them, unless they sin
against their God.

11 "But now, in order that my lord may not be defeated and his
purpose frustrated, death will fall upon them, for a sin has overtaken
them by which they are about to provoke their God to anger when
they do what is wrong. 12 Since their food supply is exhausted and
their water has almost given out, they have planned to kill their
livestock and have determined to use all that God by his laws has
forbidden them to eat. 13 They have decided to consume the first fruits
of the grain and the tithes of the wine and oil, which they had
consecrated and set aside for the priests who minister in the presence
of our God in Jerusalem — things it is not lawful for any of the people
even to touch with their hands. 14 Since even the people in Jerusalem
have been doing this, they have sent messengers there in order to
bring back permission from the council of the elders. 15 When the
response reaches them and they act upon it, on that very day they will
be handed over to you to be destroyed.

16 "So when I, your slave, learned all this, I fled from them. God has
sent me to accomplish with you things that will astonish the whole
world wherever people shall hear about them. 17 Your servant is
indeed God-fearing and serves the God of heaven night and day. So,
my lord, I will remain with you; but every night your servant will go out
into the valley and pray to God. He will tell me when they have
committed their sins. 18 Then I will come and tell you, so that you may
go out with your whole army, and not one of them will be able to

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JUDITH 66

JUDITH 66

20 Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants. They marveled at
her wisdom and said, 21 "No other woman from one end of the earth
to the other looks so beautiful or speaks so wisely!" 22 Then
Holofernes said to her, "God has done well to send you ahead of the
people, to strengthen our hands and bring destruction on those who
have despised my lord. 23 You are not only beautiful in appearance,
but wise in speech. If you do as you have said, your God shall be my
God, and you shall live in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and be
renowned throughout the whole world."

[Judith 12]
Judith establishes a pattern of leaving the camp for prayer


1 Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dinnerware
was kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own
delicacies, and with some of his own wine to drink. 2 But Judith said, "I
cannot partake of them, or it will be an offense; but I will have enough
with the things I brought with me." 3 Holofernes said to her, "If your
supply runs out, where can we get you more of the same? For none of
your people are here with us." 4 Judith replied, "As surely as you live,
my lord, your servant will not use up the supplies I have with me
before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined."

5 Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she
slept until midnight. Toward the morning watch she got up 6 and sent
this message to Holofernes: "Let my lord now give orders to allow your
servant to go out and pray." 7 So Holofernes commanded his guards
not to hinder her. She remained in the camp three days. She went out
each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the
camp. 8 After bathing, she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her
way for the triumph of his people. 9 Then she returned purified and
stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.

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JUDITH 67


Holofernes invites Judith to a banquet

10 On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his personal
attendants only, and did not invite any of his officers. 11 He said to
Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, "Go and
persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and to eat
and drink with us. 12 For it would be a disgrace if we let such a woman
go without having intercourse with her. If we do not seduce her, she
will laugh at us."

13 So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and
said, "Let this pretty girl not hesitate to come to my lord to be honored
in his presence, and to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to become
today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of
Nebuchadnezzar." 14 Judith replied, "Who am I to refuse my lord?
Whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until
the day of my death." 15 So she proceeded to dress herself in all her
woman's finery. Her maid went ahead and spread for her on the
ground before Holofernes the lambskins she had received from Bagoas
for her daily use in reclining.

16 Then Judith came in and lay down. Holofernes' heart was ravished
with her and his passion was aroused, for he had been waiting for an
opportunity to seduce her from the day he first saw her. 17 So
Holofernes said to her, "Have a drink and be merry with us!" 18 Judith
said, "I will gladly drink, my lord, because today is the greatest day in
my whole life." 19 Then she took what her maid had prepared and ate
and drank before him. 20 Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and
drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in
any one day since he was born.

[Judith 13]
Judith, alone with Holofernes, decapitates him


1 When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew. Bagoas closed the
tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master's
presence. They went to bed, for they all were weary because the

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JUDITH 68

JUDITH 68

3 Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and
to wait for her to come out, as she did on the other days; for she said
she would be going out for her prayers. She had said the same thing to
Bagoas. 4 So everyone went out, and no one, either small or great, was
left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in
her heart, "O Lord God of all might, look in this hour on the work of
my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5 Now indeed is the time to
help your heritage and to carry out my design to destroy the enemies
who have risen up against us."

6 She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes' head, and took down
his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed, took hold of
the hair of his head, and said, "Give me strength today, O Lord God of
Israel!" 8 Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off
his head. 9 Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the
canopy from the posts. Soon afterward she went out and gave
Holofernes' head to her maid, 10 who placed it in her food bag.

Judith flees the enemy camp and returns to Bethulia

Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to
do for prayer. They passed through the camp, circled around the valley,
and went up the mountain to Bethulia, and came to its gates. 11 From a
distance Judith called out to the sentries at the gates, "Open, open the
gate! God, our God, is with us, still showing his power in Israel and his
strength against our enemies, as he has done today!"

12 When the people of her town heard her voice, they hurried down to
the town gate and summoned the elders of the town. 13 They all ran
together, both small and great, for it seemed unbelievable that she
had returned. They opened the gate and welcomed them. Then they lit
a fire to give light, and gathered around them. 14 Then she said to
them with a loud voice, "Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has
not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed
our enemies by my hand this very night!"

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JUDITH 69

JUDITH 69

17 All the people were greatly astonished. They bowed down and
worshiped God, and said with one accord, "Blessed are you our God,
who have this day humiliated the enemies of your people."

18 Then Uzziah said to her, "O daughter, you are blessed by the Most
High God above all other women on earth; and blessed be the Lord
God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to
cut off the head of the leader of our enemies. 19 Your praise will never
depart from the hearts of those who remember the power of God. 20
May God grant this to be a perpetual honor to you, and may he reward
you with blessings, because you risked your own life when our nation
was brought low, and you averted our ruin, walking in the straight
path before our God." And all the people said, "Amen. Amen."

[Judith 14]
Judith directs the Israelites' military strategy


1 Then Judith said to them, "Listen to me, my friends. Take this head
and hang it upon the parapet of your wall. 2 As soon as day breaks and
the sun rises on the earth, each of you take up your weapons, and let
every able-bodied man go out of the town; set a captain over them, as
if you were going down to the plain against the Assyrian outpost; only
do not go down. 3 Then they will seize their arms and go into the camp
and rouse the officers of the Assyrian army. They will rush into the tent
of Holofernes and will not find him. Then panic will come over them,
and they will flee before you. 4 Then you and all who live within the
borders of Israel will pursue them and cut them down in their tracks. 5
But before you do all this, bring Achior the Ammonite to me so that he
may see and recognize the man who despised the house of Israel and
sent him to us as if to his death."

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JUDITH 70


Achior identifies the head of Holofernes and converts

6 So they summoned Achior from the house of Uzziah. When he came
and saw the head of Holofernes in the hand of one of the men in the
assembly of the people, he fell down on his face in a faint. 7 When
they raised him up he threw himself at Judith's feet, and did obeisance
to her, and said, "Blessed are you in every tent of Judah! In every
nation those who hear your name will be alarmed. 8 Now tell me what
you have done during these days."

So Judith told him in the presence of the people all that she had done,
from the day she left until the moment she began speaking to them. 9
When she had finished, the people raised a great shout and made a
joyful noise in their town. 10 When Achior saw all that the God of Israel
had done, he believed firmly in God. So he was circumcised, and joined
the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.

The enemy discovers Holofernes's death

11 As soon as it was dawn they hung the head of Holofernes on the
wall. Then they all took their weapons, and they went out in
companies to the mountain passes. 12 When the Assyrians saw them
they sent word to their commanders, who then went to the generals
and the captains and to all their other officers. 13 They came to
Holofernes' tent and said to the steward in charge of all his personal
affairs, "Wake up our lord, for the slaves have been so bold as to come
down against us to give battle, to their utter destruction."

14 So Bagoas went in and knocked at the entry of the tent, for he
supposed that he was sleeping with Judith. 15 But when no one
answered, he opened it and went into the bedchamber and found him
sprawled on the floor dead, with his head missing. 16 He cried out with
a loud voice and wept and groaned and shouted, and tore his clothes.
17 Then he went to the tent where Judith had stayed, and when he did
not find her, he rushed out to the people and shouted, 18 "The slaves
have tricked us! One Hebrew woman has brought disgrace on the
house of King Nebuchadnezzar. Look, Holofernes is lying on the
ground, and his head is missing!"

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JUDITH 71

JUDITH 71

[Judith 15]
The Assyrians flee in panic; the Israelites follow and lay waste to them


1 When the men in the tents heard it, they were amazed at what had
happened. 2 Overcome with fear and trembling, they did not wait for
one another, but with one impulse all rushed out and fled by every
path across the plain and through the hill country. 3 Those who had
camped in the hills around Bethulia also took to flight. Then the
Israelites, everyone that was a soldier, rushed out upon them. 4 Uzziah
sent men to Betomasthaim and Choba and Kola, and to all the
frontiers of Israel, to tell what had taken place and to urge all to rush
out upon the enemy to destroy them. 5 When the Israelites heard it,
with one accord they fell upon the enemy, and cut them down as far as
Choba. Those in Jerusalem and all the hill country also came, for they
were told what had happened in the camp of the enemy. The men in
Gilead and in Galilee outflanked them with great slaughter, even
beyond Damascus and its borders. 6 The rest of the people of Bethulia
fell upon the Assyrian camp and plundered it, acquiring great riches. 7
And the Israelites, when they returned from the slaughter, took
possession of what remained. Even the villages and towns in the hill
country and in the plain got a great amount of booty, since there was
a vast quantity of it.

Judith is honored and leads in triumph to Jerusalem

8 Then the high priest Joakim and the elders of the Israelites who lived
in Jerusalem came to witness the good things that the Lord had done
for Israel, and to see Judith and to wish her well. 9 When they met her,
they all blessed her with one accord and said to her, "You are the glory
of Jerusalem, you are the great boast of Israel, you are the great pride
of our nation! 10 You have done all this with your own hand; you have
done great good to Israel, and God is well pleased with it. May the
Almighty Lord bless you forever!" And all the people said, "Amen."

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JUDITH 72

JUDITH 72

12 All the women of Israel gathered to see her, and blessed her, and
some of them performed a dance in her honor. She took ivy-wreathed
wands in her hands and distributed them to the women who were
with her; 13 and she and those who were with her crowned themselves
with olive wreaths. She went before all the people in the dance,
leading all the women, while all the men of Israel followed, bearing
their arms and wearing garlands and singing hymns.

Judith and the people sing a thanksgiving psalm

14 Judith began this thanksgiving before all Israel, and all the people
loudly sang this song of praise. [Judith 16] 1 And Judith said,
Begin a song to my God with tambourines,
sing to my Lord with cymbals.
Raise to him a new psalm;
exalt him, and call upon his name.

2 For the Lord is a God who crushes wars;

he sets up his camp among his people;

he delivered me from the hands of my pursuers.

3 The Assyrian came down from the mountains of the north;
he came with myriads of his warriors;
their numbers blocked up the wadis,
and their cavalry covered the hills.
4 He boasted that he would burn up my territory,
and kill my young men with the sword,

and dash my infants to the ground,

and seize my children as booty,

and take my virgins as spoil.

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JUDITH 73


5 But the Lord Almighty has foiled them
by the hand of a woman.

6 For their mighty one did not fall by the hands of the young men,
nor did the sons of the Titans strike him down,
nor did tall giants set upon him;

but Judith daughter of Merari
with the beauty of her countenance undid him.


7 For she put away her widow's clothing
to exalt the oppressed in Israel.
She anointed her face with perfume;
8 she fastened her hair with a tiara
and put on a linen gown to beguile him.

9 Her sandal ravished his eyes,
her beauty captivated his mind,
and the sword severed his neck!

10 The Persians trembled at her boldness,
the Medes were daunted at her daring.

11 Then my oppressed people shouted;
my weak people cried out, and the enemy trembled;
they lifted up their voices, and the enemy were turned back.

12 Sons of slave-girls pierced them through
and wounded them like the children of fugitives;
they perished before the army of my Lord.

13 I will sing to my God a new song:
O Lord, you are great and glorious,
wonderful in strength, invincible.
14 Let all your creatures serve you,
for you spoke, and they were made.
You sent forth your spirit, and it formed them;
there is none that can resist your voice.

15 For the mountains shall be shaken to their foundations with
the waters;
before your glance the rocks shall melt like wax.

But to those who fear you
you show mercy.


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JUDITH 74


16 For every sacrifice as a fragrant offering is a small thing,

and the fat of all whole burnt offerings to you is a very little

thing; but whoever fears the Lord is great forever.

17 Woe to the nations that rise up against my people!

The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day

of judgment; he will send fire and worms into their flesh;

they shall weep in pain forever.

The procession arrives in Jerusalem

18 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they worshiped God. As soon as the
people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, their freewill
offerings, and their gifts. 19 Judith also dedicated to God all the
possessions of Holofernes, which the people had given her; and the
canopy that she had taken for herself from his bedchamber she gave as
a votive offering. 20 For three months the people continued feasting in
Jerusalem before the sanctuary, and Judith remained with them.

Judith's subsequent life

21 After this they all returned home to their own inheritances. Judith
went to Bethulia, and remained on her estate. For the rest of her life
she was honored throughout the whole country. 22 Many desired to
marry her, but she gave herself to no man all the days of her life after
her husband Manasseh died and was gathered to his people. 23 She
became more and more famous, and grew old in her husband's house,
reaching the age of one hundred five. She set her maid free. She died
in Bethulia, and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh;
24 and the house of Israel mourned her for seven days. Before she died
she distributed her property to all those who were next of kin to her
husband Manasseh, and to her own nearest kindred. 25 No one ever
again spread terror among the Israelites during the lifetime of Judith,
or for a long time after her death.

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ESTHER 75


ADDITIONS TO ESTHER


ADDITIONS TO ESTHER

NOTE. The deuterocanonical portions of the Book of Esther are several
additional passages found in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Book
of Esther, a translation that differs also in other respects from the
Hebrew text (the latter is translated in the NRSV Old Testament). The
disordered chapter numbers come from the displacement of the
additions to the end of the canonical Book of Esther by Jerome in his
Latin translation and from the subsequent division of the Bible into
chapters by Stephen Langton, who numbered the additions
consecutively as though they formed a direct continuation of the
Hebrew text. So that the additions may be read in their proper context,
the whole of the Greek version is here translated, though certain
familiar names are given according to their Hebrew rather than their
Greek form; for example, Mordecai and Vashti instead of Mardocheus
and Astin. The order followed is that of the Greek text, but the chapter
and verse numbers conform to those of the King James or Authorized
Version. The additions, conveniently indicated by the letters A-F, are
located as follows: A, before 1.1; B, after 3.13; C and D, after 4.17; E,
after 8.12; F, after 10.3.

Most importantly, the following textual order follows the Greek
edition of Esther found in the New Oxford Annotated Bible with the
Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. 3rd edition, ed. Michael D.
Coogan (Oxford University Press, 2001).

Introduction

The Greek version of Esther is a translation of the canonical Hebrew
book of Esther (i.e., the one included in the "Hebrew Scriptures"

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ESTHER 76

ESTHER 76

The translator — very likely the Lysimachus of Jerusalem mentioned in

11.1 — produced a systematic but relatively free translation of the
Hebrew. Besides numerous small but often significant omissions and
additions, the Greek version includes six extra sections that have no
counterparts in the Hebrew. These additional sections are clearly
intrusive and secondary, for they contradict the Hebrew at a number of
points. While they sometimes make the characters and events more
vivid or dramatic, their main purpose is to transform the comparatively
subtle and enigmatic Hebrew story of Esther into a more conventional
tale of divine intervention and exemplary Jewish piety.
The Additions to the book of Esther comprise 107 verses. Their contents
are as follows:

*Addition A: Mordecai's dream (11.2-12) and his discovery of a plot
against the king (12.1-6)
*Addition B: The royal edict dictated by Haman, decreeing the
extermination of the Jews (13.1-7)
*Addition C: The prayers of Mordecai (13.8-18) and Esther (14.1-19)
*Addition D: Esther's appearing unsummoned, before the
king (15.4-19)
*Addition E: The royal edict dictated by Mordecai, counteracting
the edict sent by Haman (16.1-24)
*Addition F: The interpretation of Mordecai's dream (10.4-13) and
the colophon (an inscription at the end of a
manuscript) to the Greek version (1.11)

Although there is no mention of God in the Hebrew narrative, in the
Greek version the terms "Lord" or "God" appear more than fifty times.
Most of the these occurrences are in the Additions, but occasionally the
Greek translation inserts references to God into verses that correspond
to the canonical Hebrew text (see 2.20; 4.8; 6.13).

The additions provided their authors with an opportunity to express
their own particular theological views. Additions A and F introduce

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ESTHER 77

ESTHER 77

Besides giving the story a more explicitly religious character, the
additions create new emphases. A and F, which frame the story, graft
onto it a new apocalyptic perspective of cosmic struggle between good
and evil. The juxtaposition of C's extensive praise of God, with similar
terms and phrases applied to Ahasuerus in D, makes explicit the Greek
version's intent to contrast the capricious earthly king with God the
trustworthy heavenly king. Similarly, the royal decrees in B and E
highlight the theme of human commandments versus the law of Moses
to which Esther also alludes when she prays in C.

Originally, A, C, D, and F were probably composed in either Hebrew or
Aramaic (both Semitic languages) and, if so, were already part of that
particular Semitic text used by the Greek translator. The florid
phraseology of B and E indicates that they must originally have been
composed in Greek, perhaps in Alexandria, a sophisticated Greek-
Jewish center.

The additions were not composed at the same time. The latest possible
date for B, C, D, and E is 93 CE, when the historian Josephus
paraphrased them in his 'Jewish Antiquities.' The colophon's location

(11.1) immediately after F suggests that A as well as F were part of the
Semitic text at the time that Lysimachus made his Greek translation in
the late second or first century BCE.
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ESTHER 78


Esther (The Greek Version Containing the Additional Chapters)

ADDITION A

[Esther 11]
Mordecai's prophetic dream of impending danger to the Jews


2 In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the Great, on the first
day of Nisan, Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, of the
tribe of Benjamin, had a dream. 3 He was a Jew living in the city of
Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king. 4 He was one of the
captives whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had brought from
Jerusalem with King Jeconiah of Judea. And this was his dream: 5
Noises and confusion, thunders and earthquake, tumult on the earth! 6
Then two great dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they
roared terribly. 7 At their roaring every nation prepared for war, to
fight against the righteous nation. 8 It was a day of darkness and
gloom, of tribulation and distress, affliction and great tumult on the
earth! 9 And the whole righteous nation was troubled; they feared the
evils that threatened them, and were ready to perish. 10 Then they
cried out to God; and at their outcry, as though from a tiny spring,
there came a great river, with abundant water; 11 light came, and the
sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and devoured those held in
honor.

12 Mordecai saw in this dream what God had determined to do, and
after he awoke he had it on his mind, seeking all day to understand it
in every detail.

[Esther 12]
Mordecai saves the king's life


1 Now Mordecai took his rest in the courtyard with Gabatha and
Tharra, the two eunuchs of the king who kept watch in the courtyard.
2 He overheard their conversation and inquired into their purposes,
and learned that they were preparing to lay hands on King Artaxerxes;
and he informed the king concerning them. 3 Then the king examined
the two eunuchs, and after they had confessed it, they were led away

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ESTHER 79

ESTHER 79

END OF ADDITION A

[Esther 1]
Artaxerxes's banquet

1 It was after this that the following things happened in the days of
Artaxerxes, the same Artaxerxes who ruled over one hundred twenty-
seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. 2 In those days, when King
Artaxerxes was enthroned in the city of Susa, 3 in the third year of his
reign, he gave a banquet for his Friends and other persons of various
nations, the Persians and Median nobles, and the governors of the
provinces. 4 After this, when he had displayed to them the riches of his
kingdom and the splendor of his bountiful celebration during the
course of one hundred eighty days, 5 at the end of the festivity the
king gave a drinking party for the people of various nations who lived
in the city. This was held for six days in the courtyard of the royal
palace, 6 which was adorned with curtains of fine linen and cotton,
held by cords of purple linen attached to gold and silver blocks on
pillars of marble and other stones. Gold and silver couches were placed
on a mosaic floor of emerald, mother-of-pearl, and marble. There were
coverings of gauze, embroidered in various colors, with roses arranged
around them. 7 The cups were of gold and silver, and a miniature cup
was displayed, made of ruby, worth thirty thousand talents. There was
abundant sweet wine, such as the king himself drank. 8 The drinking
was not according to a fixed rule; but the king wished to have it so,
and he commanded his stewards to comply with his pleasure and with
that of the guests.

9 Meanwhile, Queen Vashti gave a drinking party for the women in
the palace where King Artaxerxes was.

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ESTHER 80


The fall of Vashti and the king's first edict

10 On the seventh day, when the king was in good humor, he told
Haman, Bazan, Tharra, Boraze, Zatholtha, Abataza, and Tharaba, the
seven eunuchs who served King Artaxerxes, 11 to escort the queen to
him in order to proclaim her as queen and to place the diadem on her
head, and to have her display her beauty to all the governors and the
people of various nations, for she was indeed a beautiful woman. 12
But Queen Vashti refused to obey him and would not come with the
eunuchs. This offended the king and he became furious. 13 He said to
his Friends, "This is how Vashti has answered me. Give therefore your
ruling and judgment on this matter." 14 Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, and
Malesear, then the governors of the Persians and Medes who were
closest to the king — Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, and Malesear, who sat
beside him in the chief seats — came to him 15 and told him what must
be done to Queen Vashti for not obeying the order that the king had
sent her by the eunuchs. 16 Then Muchaeus said to the king and the
governors, "Queen Vashti has insulted not only the king but also all
the king's governors and officials" 17 (for he had reported to them
what the queen had said and how she had defied the king). "And just
as she defied King Artaxerxes, 18 so now the other ladies who are
wives of the Persian and Median governors, on hearing what she has
said to the king, will likewise dare to insult their husbands. 19 If
therefore it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, inscribed in
accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians so that it may not
be altered, that the queen may no longer come into his presence; but
let the king give her royal rank to a woman better than she. 20 Let
whatever law the king enacts be proclaimed in his kingdom, and thus
all women will give honor to their husbands, rich and poor alike." 21
This speech pleased the king and the governors, and the king did as
Muchaeus had recommended. 22 The king sent the decree into all his
kingdom, to every province in its own language, so that in every house
respect would be shown to every husband.

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ESTHER 81


[Esther 2]
Esther becomes the new queen


1 After these things, the king's anger abated, and he no longer was
concerned about Vashti or remembered what he had said and how he
had condemned her. 2 Then the king's servants said, "Let beautiful and
virtuous girls be sought out for the king. 3 The king shall appoint
officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and they shall select
beautiful young virgins to be brought to the harem in Susa, the capital.
Let them be entrusted to the king's eunuch who is in charge of the
women, and let ointments and whatever else they need be given them.
4 And the woman who pleases the king shall be queen instead of
Vashti." This pleased the king, and he did so.

Mordecai and Esther

5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the capital whose name was Mordecai
son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; 6 he had
been taken captive from Jerusalem among those whom King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had captured. 7 And he had a foster child,
the daughter of his father's brother, Aminadab, and her name was
Esther. When her parents died, he brought her up to womanhood as
his own. The girl was beautiful in appearance. 8 So, when the decree
of the king was proclaimed, and many girls were gathered in Susa the
capital in custody of Gai, Esther also was brought to Gai, who had
custody of the women. 9 The girl pleased him and won his favor, and
he quickly provided her with ointments and her portion of food, as
well as seven maids chosen from the palace; he treated her and her
maids with special favor in the harem. 10 Now Esther had not disclosed
her people or country, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make
it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in the courtyard of the
harem, to see what would happen to Esther.

Esther becomes queen

12 Now the period after which a girl was to go to the king was twelve
months. During this time the days of beautification are completed —
six months while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and

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ESTHER 82

15 When the time was fulfilled for Esther daughter of Aminadab, the
brother of Mordecai's father, to go in to the king, she neglected none
of the things that Gai, the eunuch in charge of the women, had
commanded. Now Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16
So Esther went in to King Artaxerxes in the twelfth month, which is
Adar, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther and
she found favor beyond all the other virgins, so he put on her the
queen's diadem. 18 Then the king gave a banquet lasting seven days
for all his Friends and the officers to celebrate his marriage to Esther;
and he granted a remission of taxes to those who were under his rule.

Mordecai and Esther save the king's life

19 Meanwhile Mordecai was serving in the courtyard. 20 Esther had not
disclosed her country — such were the instructions of Mordecai; but
she was to fear God and keep his laws, just as she had done when she
was with him. So Esther did not change her mode of life.

21 Now the king's eunuchs, who were chief bodyguards, were angry
because of Mordecai's advancement, and they plotted to kill King
Artaxerxes. 22 The matter became known to Mordecai, and he warned
Esther, who in turn revealed the plot to the king. 23 He investigated
the two eunuchs and hanged them. Then the king ordered a
memorandum to be deposited in the royal library in praise of the
goodwill shown by Mordecai.

[Esther 3]
Haman plots to annihilate the Jews


1 After these events King Artaxerxes promoted Haman son of
Hammedatha, a Bougean, advancing him and granting him precedence

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ESTHER 83

7 In the twelfth year of King Artaxerxes Haman came to a decision by
casting lots, taking the days and the months one by one, to fix on one
day to destroy the whole race of Mordecai. The lot fell on the
fourteenth day of the month of Adar.

8 Then Haman said to King Artaxerxes, "There is a certain nation
scattered among the other nations in all your kingdom; their laws are
different from those of every other nation, and they do not keep the
laws of the king. It is not expedient for the king to tolerate them. 9 If it
pleases the king, let it be decreed that they are to be destroyed, and I
will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the king's treasury." 10 So
the king took off his signet ring and gave it to Haman to seal the
decree that was to be written against the Jews. 11 The king told
Haman, "Keep the money, and do whatever you want with that
nation."

12 So on the thirteenth day of the first month the king's secretaries
were summoned, and in accordance with Haman's instructions they
wrote in the name of King Artaxerxes to the magistrates and the
governors in every province from India to Ethiopia. There were one
hundred twenty-seven provinces in all, and the governors were
addressed each in his own language. 13 Instructions were sent by
couriers throughout all the empire of Artaxerxes to destroy the Jewish
people on a given day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to
plunder their goods.

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ESTHER 84


ADDITION B

[Esther 13]
The text of the king's letter authorizing the slaughter of the Jews


1 This is a copy of the letter: "The Great King, Artaxerxes, writes the
following to the governors of the hundred twenty-seven provinces
from India to Ethiopia and to the officials under them:

2 "Having become ruler of many nations and master of the whole
world (not elated with presumption of authority but always acting
reasonably and with kindness), I have determined to settle the lives of
my subjects in lasting tranquility and, in order to make my kingdom
peaceable and open to travel throughout all its extent, to restore the
peace desired by all people.

3 "When I asked my counselors how this might be accomplished,
Haman — who excels among us in sound judgment, and is
distinguished for his unchanging goodwill and steadfast fidelity, and
has attained the second place in the kingdom — 4 pointed out to us
that among all the nations in the world there is scattered a certain
hostile people, who have laws contrary to those of every nation and
continually disregard the ordinances of kings, so that the unifying of
the kingdom that we honorably intend cannot be brought about. 5 We
understand that this people, and it alone, stands constantly in
opposition to every nation, perversely following a strange manner of
life and laws, and is ill-disposed to our government, doing all the harm
they can so that our kingdom may not attain stability.

6 "Therefore we have decreed that those indicated to you in the letters
written by Haman, who is in charge of affairs and is our second father,
shall all — wives and children included — be utterly destroyed by the
swords of their enemies, without pity or restraint, on the fourteenth
day of the twelfth month, Adar, of this present year, 7 so that those
who have long been hostile and remain so may in a single day go
down in violence to Hades, and leave our government completely
secure and untroubled hereafter."

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ESTHER 85


END OF ADDITION B

[Esther 3]
Haman and the kind celebrate the publication of the decree


14 Copies of the document were posted in every province, and all the
nations were ordered to be prepared for that day. 15 The matter was
expedited also in Susa. And while the king and Haman caroused
together, the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

[Esther 4]
Mordecai persuades Queen Esther to risk her life and save her people


1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his
clothes, put on sackcloth, and sprinkled himself with ashes; then he
rushed through the street of the city, shouting loudly: "An innocent
nation is being destroyed!" 2 He got as far as the king's gate, and there
he stopped, because no one was allowed to enter the courtyard
clothed in sackcloth and ashes. 3 And in every province where the
king's proclamation had been posted there was a loud cry of mourning
and lamentation among the Jews, and they put on sackcloth and ashes.
4 When the queen's maids and eunuchs came and told her, she was
deeply troubled by what she heard had happened, and sent some
clothes to Mordecai to put on instead of sackcloth; but he would not
consent. 5 Then Esther summoned Hachratheus, the eunuch who
attended her, and ordered him to get accurate information for her
from Mordecai.

7 So Mordecai told him what had happened and how Haman had
promised to pay ten thousand talents into the royal treasury to bring
about the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of what
had been posted in Susa for their destruction, to show to Esther; and
he told him to charge her to go in to the king and plead for his favor in
behalf of the people. "Remember," he said, "the days when you were
an ordinary person, being brought up under my care — for Haman,
who stands next to the king, has spoken against us and demands our
death. Call upon the Lord; then speak to the king in our behalf, and
save us from death."

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ESTHER 86

12 When Hachratheus delivered her entire message to Mordecai, 13
Mordecai told him to go back and say to her, "Esther, do not say to
yourself that you alone among all the Jews will escape alive. 14 For if
you keep quiet at such a time as this, help and protection will come to
the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will
perish. Yet, who knows whether it was not for such a time as this that
you were made queen?" 15 Then Esther gave the messenger this
answer to take back to Mordecai: 16 "Go and gather all the Jews who
are in Susa and fast on my behalf; for three days and nights do not eat
or drink, and my maids and I will also go without food. After that I will
go to the king, contrary to the law, even if I must die." 17 So Mordecai
went away and did what Esther had told him to do.

ADDITION C
[Esther 13]
The prayers of Mordecai and Esther

8 Then Mordecai prayed to the Lord, calling to remembrance all the
works of the Lord.

9 He said, "O Lord, Lord, you rule as King over all things, for the
universe is in your power and there is no one who can oppose you
when it is your will to save Israel, 10 for you have made heaven and
earth and every wonderful thing under heaven. 11 You are Lord of all,
and there is no one who can resist you, the Lord. 12 You know all
things; you know, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for
any love of glory that I did this, and refused to bow down to this proud
Haman; 13 for I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet to
save Israel! 14 But I did this so that I might not set human glory above
the glory of God, and I will not bow down to anyone but you, who are
my Lord; and I will not do these things in pride. 15 And now, O Lord

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18 And all Israel cried out mightily, for their death was before their
eyes.

[Esther 14]
Esther humbly petitions God


1 Then Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, fled to the Lord. 2 She
took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and
mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with
ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body; every part that she
loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair. 3 She prayed to the
Lord God of Israel, and said: "O my Lord, you only are our king; help
me, who am alone and have no helper but you, 4 for my danger is in
my hand. 5 Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family
that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations, and our ancestors
from among all their forebears, for an everlasting inheritance, and that
you did for them all that you promised. 6 And now we have sinned
before you, and you have handed us over to our enemies 7 because we
glorified their gods. You are righteous, O Lord! 8 And now they are
not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted
with their idols 9 to abolish what your mouth has ordained, and to
destroy your inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise you
and to quench your altar and the glory of your house, 10 to open the
mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify
forever a mortal king.

11 "O Lord, do not surrender your scepter to what has no being; and do
not let them laugh at our downfall; but turn their plan against them,
and make an example of him who began this against us. 12 Remember,
O Lord; make yourself known in this time of our affliction, and give me

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END OF ADDITION C

ADDITION D

[Esther 15]
Esther approaches the king


1 On the third day, when she ended her prayer, she took off the
garments in which she had worshiped, and arrayed herself in splendid
attire. 2 Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-
seeing God and Savior, she took two maids with her; 3 on one she
leaned gently for support, 4 while the other followed, carrying her
train. 5 She was radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy, as
if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. 6 When she had gone
through all the doors, she stood before the king. He was seated on his
royal throne, clothed in the full array of his majesty, all covered with
gold and precious stones. He was most terrifying.

7 Lifting his face, flushed with splendor, he looked at her in fierce
anger. The queen faltered, and turned pale and faint, and collapsed on
the head of the maid who went in front of her. 8 Then God changed

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11 Then he raised the golden scepter and touched her neck with it; 12
he embraced her, and said, "Speak to me." 13 She said to him, "I saw
you, my lord, like an angel of God, and my heart was shaken with fear
at your glory. 14 For you are wonderful, my lord, and your countenance
is full of grace." 15 And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. 16
Then the king was agitated, and all his servants tried to comfort her.

END OF ADDITION D

[Esther 5]
Esther invites the king and Haman to dinner


3 The king said to her, "What do you wish, Esther? What is your
request? It shall be given you, even to half of my kingdom." 4 And
Esther said, "Today is a special day for me. If it pleases the king, let him
and Haman come to the dinner that I shall prepare today." 5 Then the
king said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires."
So they both came to the dinner that Esther had spoken about. 6 While
they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, "What is it, Queen
Esther? It shall be granted you." 7 She said, "My petition and request
is: 8 if I have found favor in the sight of the king, let the king and
Haman come to the dinner that I shall prepare them, and tomorrow I
will do as I have done today."

Haman's happiness is spoiled

9 So Haman went out from the king joyful and glad of heart. But when
he saw Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard, he was filled with anger. 10
Nevertheless, he went home and summoned his friends and his wife
Zosara. 11 And he told them about his riches and the honor that the
king had bestowed on him, and how he had advanced him to be the
first in the kingdom. 12 And Haman said, "The queen did not invite

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[Esther 6]
Mordecai's triumph

1 That night the Lord took sleep from the king, so he gave orders to his
secretary to bring the book of daily records, and to read to him. 2 He
found the words written about Mordecai, how he had told the king
about the two royal eunuchs who were on guard and sought to lay
hands on King Artaxerxes. 3 The king said, "What honor or dignity did
we bestow on Mordecai?" The king's servants said, "You have not
done anything for him." 4 While the king was inquiring about the
goodwill shown by Mordecai, Haman was in the courtyard. The king
asked, "Who is in the courtyard?" Now Haman had come to speak to
the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had
prepared. 5 The servants of the king answered, "Haman is standing in
the courtyard." And the king said, "Summon him." 6 Then the king
said to Haman, "What shall I do for the person whom I wish to honor?"
And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor
more than me?" 7 So he said to the king, "For a person whom the king
wishes to honor, 8 let the king's servants bring out the fine linen robe
that the king has worn, and the horse on which the king rides, 9 and
let both be given to one of the king's honored Friends, and let him
robe the person whom the king loves and mount him on the horse,
and let it be proclaimed through the open square of the city, saying,
'Thus shall it be done to everyone whom the king honors.'" 10 Then the
king said to Haman, "You have made an excellent suggestion! Do just
as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who is on duty in the courtyard.
And let nothing be omitted from what you have proposed." 11 So
Haman got the robe and the horse; he put the robe on Mordecai and
made him ride through the open square of the city, proclaiming, "Thus
shall it be done to everyone whom the king wishes to honor." 12 Then

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Esther's second banquet and Haman's fall

14 While they were still talking, the eunuchs arrived and hurriedly
brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared. [Esther 7] 1
So the king and Haman went in to drink with the queen. 2 And the
second day, as they were drinking wine, the king said, "What is it,
Queen Esther? What is your petition and what is your request? It shall
be granted to you, even to half of my kingdom." 3 She answered and
said, "If I have found favor with the king, let my life be granted me at
my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For we have been sold, I
and my people, to be destroyed, plundered, and made slaves — we and
our children — male and female slaves. This has come to my
knowledge. Our antagonist brings shame on the king's court." 5 Then
the king said, "Who is the person that would dare to do this thing?" 6
Esther said, "Our enemy is this evil man Haman!" At this, Haman was
terrified in the presence of the king and queen.

7 The king rose from the banquet and went into the garden, and
Haman began to beg for his life from the queen, for he saw that he
was in serious trouble. 8 When the king returned from the garden,
Haman had thrown himself on the couch, pleading with the queen.
The king said, "Will he dare even assault my wife in my own house?"
Haman, when he heard, turned away his face. 9 Then Bugathan, one of
the eunuchs, said to the king, "Look, Haman has even prepared a
gallows for Mordecai, who gave information of concern to the king; it
is standing at Haman's house, a gallows fifty cubits high." So the king
said, "Let Haman be hanged on that." 10 So Haman was hanged on the
gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. With that the anger of the king
abated.

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[Esther 8]
The king shows favor to Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews


1 On that very day King Artaxerxes granted to Esther all the property of
the persecutor Haman. Mordecai was summoned by the king, for
Esther had told the king that he was related to her. 2 The king took the
ring that had been taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and
Esther set Mordecai over everything that had been Haman's.

3 Then she spoke once again to the king and, falling at his feet, she
asked him to avert all the evil that Haman had planned against the
Jews. 4 The king extended his golden scepter to Esther, and she rose
and stood before the king. 5 Esther said, "If it pleases you, and if I have
found favor, let an order be sent rescinding the letters that Haman
wrote and sent to destroy the Jews in your kingdom. 6 How can I look
on the ruin of my people? How can I be safe if my ancestral nation is
destroyed?" 7 The king said to Esther, "Now that I have granted all of
Haman's property to you and have hanged him on a tree because he
acted against the Jews, what else do you request? 8 Write in my name
what you think best and seal it with my ring; for whatever is written at
the king's command and sealed with my ring cannot be contravened."

9 The secretaries were summoned on the twenty-third day of the first
month, that is, Nisan, in the same year; and all that he commanded
with respect to the Jews was given in writing to the administrators and
governors of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred
twenty-seven provinces, to each province in its own language. 10 The
edict was written with the king's authority and sealed with his ring,
and sent out by couriers. 11 He ordered the Jews in every city to observe
their own laws, to defend themselves, and to act as they wished
against their opponents and enemies 12 on a certain day, the
thirteenth of the twelfth month, which is Adar, throughout all the
kingdom of Artaxerxes.

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ADDITION E

[Esther 16]
The king's second letter denounces Haman, praises Mordecai and
Esther, and directs his subjects to help the Jews

1 The following is a copy of this letter:

"The Great King, Artaxerxes, to the governors of the provinces from
India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, and to those
who are loyal to our government, greetings.

2 "Many people, the more they are honored with the most generous
kindness of their benefactors, the more proud do they become, 3 and
not only seek to injure our subjects, but in their inability to stand
prosperity, they even undertake to scheme against their own
benefactors. 4 They not only take away thankfulness from others, but,
carried away by the boasts of those who know nothing of goodness,
they even assume that they will escape the evil-hating justice of God,
who always sees everything. 5 And often many of those who are set in
places of authority have been made in part responsible for the
shedding of innocent blood, and have been involved in irremediable
calamities, by the persuasion of friends who have been entrusted with
the administration of public affairs, 6 when these persons by the false
trickery of their evil natures beguile the sincere goodwill of their
sovereigns.

7 "What has been wickedly accomplished through the pestilent
behavior of those who exercise authority unworthily can be seen, not
so much from the more ancient records that we hand on, as from
investigation of matters close at hand. 8 In the future we will take care
to render our kingdom quiet and peaceable for all, 9 by changing our
methods and always judging what comes before our eyes with more
equitable consideration. 10 For Haman son of Hammedatha, a
Macedonian (really an alien to the Persian blood, and quite devoid of
our kindliness), having become our guest, 11 enjoyed so fully the
goodwill that we have for every nation that he was called our father
and was continually bowed down to by all as the person second to the

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15 "But we find that the Jews, who were consigned to annihilation by
this thrice-accursed man, are not evildoers, but are governed by most
righteous laws 16 and are children of the living God, most high, most
mighty, who has directed the kingdom both for us and for our
ancestors in the most excellent order.

17 "You will therefore do well not to put in execution the letters sent
by Haman son of Hammedatha, 18 since he, the one who did these
things, has been hanged at the gate of Susa with all his household —
for God, who rules over all things, has speedily inflicted on him the
punishment that he deserved.

19 "Therefore post a copy of this letter publicly in every place, and
permit the Jews to live under their own laws. 20 And give them
reinforcements, so that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,
Adar, on that very day, they may defend themselves against those who
attack them at the time of oppression. 21 For God, who rules over all
things, has made this day to be a joy for his chosen people instead of a
day of destruction for them.

22 "Therefore you shall observe this with all good cheer as a notable
day among your commemorative festivals, 23 so that both now and
hereafter it may represent deliverance for you and the loyal Persians,
but that it may be a reminder of destruction for those who plot against
us.

24 "Every city and country, without exception, that does not act
accordingly shall be destroyed in wrath with spear and fire. It shall be
made not only impassable for human beings, but also most hateful to
wild animals and birds for all time.

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END OF ADDITION E

[Esther 8]
Dispatch and posting of the king's decree


13 "Let copies of the decree be posted conspicuously in all the
kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready on that day to fight against
their enemies."

14 So the messengers on horseback set out with all speed to perform
what the king had commanded; and the decree was published also in
Susa. 15 Mordecai went out dressed in the royal robe and wearing a
gold crown and a turban of purple linen. The people in Susa rejoiced
on seeing him. 16 And the Jews had light and gladness 17 in every city
and province wherever the decree was published; wherever the
proclamation was made, the Jews had joy and gladness, a banquet and
a holiday. And many of the Gentiles were circumcised and became Jews
out of fear of the Jews.

[Esther 9]
The Jews triumph over their enemies


1 Now on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, the
decree written by the king arrived. 2 On that same day the enemies of
the Jews perished; no one resisted, because they feared them. 3 The
chief provincial governors, the princes, and the royal secretaries were
paying honor to the Jews, because fear of Mordecai weighed upon
them. 4 The king's decree required that Mordecai's name be held in
honor throughout the kingdom. 6 Now in the city of Susa the Jews
killed five hundred people, 7 including Pharsannestain, Delphon,
Phasga, 8 Pharadatha, Barea, Sarbacha, 9 Marmasima, Aruphaeus,
Arsaeus, Zabutheus, 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the
Bougean, the enemy of the Jews — and they indulged themselves in
plunder.

11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa was reported to the
king. 12 The king said to Esther, "In Susa, the capital, the Jews have
destroyed five hundred people. What do you suppose they have done

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16 Now the other Jews in the kingdom gathered to defend themselves,
and got relief from their enemies. They destroyed fifteen thousand of
them, but did not engage in plunder. 17 On the fourteenth day they
rested and made that same day a day of rest, celebrating it with joy
and gladness. 18 The Jews who were in Susa, the capital, came together
also on the fourteenth, but did not rest. They celebrated the fifteenth
with joy and gladness. 19 On this account then the Jews who are
scattered around the country outside Susa keep the fourteenth of Adar
as a joyful holiday, and send presents of food to one another, while
those who live in the large cities keep the fifteenth day of Adar as their
joyful holiday, also sending presents to one another.

The inauguration of the feast of Purim

20 Mordecai recorded these things in a book, and sent it to the Jews in
the kingdom of Artaxerxes both near and far, 21 telling them that they
should keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, 22 for on these
days the Jews got relief from their enemies. The whole month (namely,
Adar), in which their condition had been changed from sorrow into
gladness and from a time of distress to a holiday, was to be celebrated
as a time for feasting and gladness and for sending presents of food to
their friends and to the poor.

23 So the Jews accepted what Mordecai had written to them 24 — how
Haman son of Hammedatha, the Macedonian, fought against them,
how he made a decree and cast lots to destroy them, 25 and how he
went in to the king, telling him to hang Mordecai; but the wicked plot
he had devised against the Jews came back upon himself, and he and
his sons were hanged. 26 Therefore these days were called "Purim,"
because of the lots (for in their language this is the word that means

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29 Then Queen Esther daughter of Aminadab along with Mordecai the
Jew wrote down what they had done, and gave full authority to the
letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the one
hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in
words of peace and truth. 31 And Mordecai and Queen Esther
established this decision on their own responsibility, pledging their
own well-being to the plan. 32 Esther established it by a decree
forever, and it was written for a memorial.

[Esther 10]
The greatness of Ahasuerus and Mordecai


1 The king levied a tax upon his kingdom both by land and sea. 2 And
as for his power and bravery, and the wealth and glory of his kingdom,
they were recorded in the annals of the kings of the Persians and the
Medes. 3 Mordecai acted with authority on behalf of King Artaxerxes
and was great in the kingdom, as well as honored by the Jews. His way
of life was such as to make him beloved to his whole nation.

ADDITION F
Epilogue: Mordecai's dream explained

4 And Mordecai said, "These things have come from God; 5 for I
remember the dream that I had concerning these matters, and none of
them has failed to be fulfilled. 6 There was the little spring that
became a river, and there was light and sun and abundant water — the
river is Esther, whom the king married and made queen. 7 The two
dragons are Haman and myself. 8 The nations are those that gathered

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[Esther 11]
The Colophon to Greek Esther


1 In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus,
who said that he was a priest and a Levite, and his son Ptolemy
brought to Egypt the preceding Letter about Purim, which they said
was authentic and had been translated by Lysimachus son of Ptolemy,
one of the residents of Jerusalem.

END OF ADDITION F

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 99


THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON


Introduction

The Wisdom of Solomon was written as a message of encouragement
and exhortation for Jews living somewhere in the Diaspora (the Jewish
communities outside the land of Israel) during the Greco-Roman era.
Immersed in a cosmopolitan, pagan culture, one that generally viewed
Judaism with suspicion if not contempt, many Jews felt hard-pressed to
remain loyal to the basic principles and practices of their faith. This
book simultaneously affirms the basis of that faith and critiques those
who oppose it, in the interests of promoting adherence to Jewish
traditions in changing, difficult circumstances.

Although the author claims to be King Solomon (with parts of ch 9
based on his prayer for wisdom in 1 Kings 3.6-9), this ascription has
been recognized as a literary fiction since ancient times. Instead, the
author is an anonymous Hellenistic Jew writing sometime in the late
first century BCE or early first century CE. The book's bitter polemic
against Egyptian religion (see, for instance, ch 12) suggests Alexandria
as a location, and anti-Jewish uprisings in that city may provide part of
the background for the author's reflections.

Composed in Greek, this book is among the most Hellenized works of
the Apocrypha; that is, it reflects extensive interaction with Greek
literary and philosophical conventions (see, for example, the use of the
standard list of cardinal virtues in 8.7). The author's intention,
however, is not to promote the achievements of Greek culture, but to
appropriate them, so as to prove the excellence of Judaism in
categories relevant to his readers' multicultural environment. As for its
literary genre, many modern critics describe the Wisdom of Solomon as
a form of didactic exhortation that demonstrates the superiority of a
particular way of life or school of philosophy (in this case, Judaism)
over its competitors and detractors. (This is technically called

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 100

The book consists of three major sections. The first, chs 1-6, contrasts
the lives of the just and the wicked, dramatizing the eschatological
destinies of the two groups. The sections begins and ends with
exhortation to seek wisdom and righteousness (1.1-15; 6.1-25). The next
section, chs 7-10, celebrates the figure of divine Sophia. The author's
persona as Solomon emerges most clearly here, as the king describes
wisdom and his pursuit of her. The third section, chs 11-19, adopts the
approach of historical comparison, presenting an elaborate system of
contrasts based largely on Exodus 7-14. A series of digressions in 11.17


15.19 explains why God's judgment manifested itself differently in
dealing with the Egyptians and the Israelites. This adaptation of the
Exodus story is meant to complement the arguments of the first two
sections, providing biblical examples of the righteous and the
unrighteous, and demonstrating how the power of divine wisdom
operates in human history.
This book is included among the deuterocanonical books of the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, but is considered one of the
Apocrypha by the Protestant churches.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 101


[Wisdom of Solomon 1]
A discourse contrasting the righteous and the wicked; Prologue


1 Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think of the Lord in goodness
and seek him with sincerity of heart;

2 because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
3 For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish;
4 because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
or dwell in a body enslaved to sin.

5 For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will leave foolish thoughts behind,
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.

6 For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words;
because God is witness of their inmost feelings,
and a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues.

7 Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world,
and that which holds all things together knows what is said,
8 therefore those who utter unrighteous things will not escape notice,
and justice, when it punishes, will not pass them by.

9 For inquiry will be made into the counsels of the ungodly,
and a report of their words will come to the Lord,
to convict them of their lawless deeds;

10 because a jealous ear hears all things,
and the sound of grumbling does not go unheard.

11 Beware then of useless grumbling,
and keep your tongue from slander;
because no secret word is without result,
and a lying mouth destroys the soul.

12 Do not invite death by the error of your life,
or bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
13 because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 102


14 For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.

15 For righteousness is immortal.

The deluded reasoning of the ungodly

16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.

[Wisdom of Solomon 2]

1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
"Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,
and no one has been known to return from Hades.

2 For we were born by mere chance,
and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been,
for the breath in our nostrils is smoke,
and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts;

3 when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes,
and the spirit will dissolve like empty air.

4 Our name will be forgotten in time,
and no one will remember our works;
our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud,
and be scattered like mist
that is chased by the rays of the sun
and overcome by its heat.

5 For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow,
and there is no return from our death,
because it is sealed up and no one turns back.

6 "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist,
and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 103


7 Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,

and let no flower of spring pass us by.
8 Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
9 Let none of us fail to share in our revelry;

everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment,
because this is our portion, and this our lot.


10 Let us oppress the righteous poor man;
let us not spare the widow
or regard the gray hairs of the aged.

11 But let our might be our law of right,
for what is weak proves itself to be useless."

12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.

13 He professes to have knowledge of God,

and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 the very sight of him is a burden to us,

because his manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are strange.

16 We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy,
and boasts that God is his father.

17 Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 for if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.

19 Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.

20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected."

21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,
for their wickedness blinded them,

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 104


22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God,
nor hoped for the wages of holiness,
nor discerned the prize for blameless souls;

23 for God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it.

[Wisdom of Solomon 3]
The reward of the righteous


1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them forever.

9 Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.

Rewards and punishments

10 But the ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves,
those who disregarded the righteous
and rebelled against the Lord;

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 105


11 for those who despise wisdom and instruction are miserable.
Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable,
and their works are useless.

12 Their wives are foolish, and their children evil;

13 their offspring are accursed.
For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled,
who has not entered into a sinful union;
she will have fruit when God examines souls.

14 Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed,
and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord;
for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness,
and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord.

15 For the fruit of good labors is renowned,
and the root of understanding does not fail.
16 But children of adulterers will not come to maturity,
and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish.
17 Even if they live long they will be held of no account,
and finally their old age will be without honor.
18 If they die young, they will have no hope
and no consolation on the day of judgment.
19 For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.

[Wisdom of Solomon 4]

1 Better than this is childlessness with virtue,
for in the memory of virtue is immortality,
because it is known both by God and by mortals.

2 When it is present, people imitate it,
and they long for it when it has gone;
throughout all time it marches, crowned in triumph,
victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.

3 But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,
and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root
or take a firm hold.

4 For even if they put forth boughs for a while,
standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,
and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.

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5 The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity,
and their fruit will be useless,
not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing.

6 For children born of unlawful unions
are witnesses of evil against their parents when God
examines them.

The blessedness of the righteous despite early death

7 But the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest.
8 For old age is not honored for length of time,
or measured by number of years;
9 but understanding is gray hair for anyone,
and a blameless life is ripe old age.

10 There were some who pleased God and were loved by him,
and while living among sinners were taken up.

11 They were caught up so that evil might not change their
understanding
or guile deceive their souls.

12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,

and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.
13 Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years;
14 for their souls were pleasing to the Lord,

therefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.

15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,
or take such a thing to heart,
that God's grace and mercy are with his elect,
and that he watches over his holy ones.

16 The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are
living, and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the
prolonged old age of the unrighteous.

17 For they will see the end of the wise,
and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them,
and for what he kept them safe.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 107


18 The unrighteous will see, and will have contempt for them,
but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.
After this they will become dishonored corpses,
and an outrage among the dead forever;

19 because he will dash them speechless to the ground,
and shake them from the foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren,
and they will suffer anguish,
and the memory of them will perish.

The final judgment

20 They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.

[Wisdom of Solomon 5]

1 Then the righteous will stand with great confidence
in the presence of those who have oppressed them
and those who make light of their labors.

2 When the unrighteous see them, they will be shaken with dreadful
fear, and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of
the righteous.

3 They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,

4 "These are persons whom we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach — fools that we were!
We thought that their lives were madness
and that their end was without honor.

5 Why have they been numbered among the children of God?
And why is their lot among the saints?

6 So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun did not rise upon us.

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7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way of the Lord we have not known.

8 What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?

9 "All those things have vanished like a shadow,
and like a rumor that passes by;

10 like a ship that sails through the billowy water,
and when it has passed no trace can be found,
no track of its keel in the waves;

11 or as, when a bird flies through the air,
no evidence of its passage is found;
the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions
and pierced by the force of its rushing flight,
is traversed by the movement of its wings,
and afterward no sign of its coming is found there;

12 or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,
the air, thus divided, comes together at once,
so that no one knows its pathway.

13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,
and we had no sign of virtue to show,
but were consumed in our wickedness."

14 Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown carried by
the wind, and like a light frost driven away by a storm;
it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays
but a day.

15 But the righteous live forever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.

16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 109


17 The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor,
and will arm all creation to repel his enemies;
18 he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and wear impartial justice as a helmet;
19 he will take holiness as an invincible shield,
20 and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,

and creation will join with him to fight against his frenzied foes.

21 Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,
and will leap from the clouds to the target, as from a well-
drawn bow,

22 and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;
the water of the sea will rage against them,
and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them;

23 a mighty wind will rise against them,
and like a tempest it will winnow them away.
Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth,
and evildoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.

[Wisdom of Solomon 6]
Exhortation to seek wisdom

1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
and boast of many nations.

3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord,
and your sovereignty from the Most High;
he will search out your works and inquire into your plans.

4 Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly,
or keep the law,
or walk according to the purpose of God,

5 he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,
because severe judgment falls on those in high places.
6 For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy,
but the mighty will be mightily tested.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 110


7 For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone,
or show deference to greatness;
because he himself made both small and great,
and he takes thought for all alike.

8 But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.
9 To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,
so that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.
10 For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness,
and those who have been taught them will find a defense.
11 Therefore set your desire on my words;
long for them, and you will be instructed.

12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.

13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.

15 To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free
from care,

16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.

17 The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction,
and concern for instruction is love of her,
18 and love of her is the keeping of her laws,

and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
19 and immortality brings one near to God;
20 so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.

21 Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs
over the peoples, honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.

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22 I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be,
and I will hide no secrets from you,
but I will trace her course from the beginning of creation,
and make knowledge of her clear,
and I will not pass by the truth;

23 nor will I travel in the company of sickly envy,
for envy does not associate with wisdom.
24 The multitude of the wise is the salvation of the world,
and a sensible king is the stability of any people.
25 Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit.

[Wisdom of Solomon 7]
King Solomon and the quest for wisdom; Solomon's Speech


1 I also am mortal, like everyone else,
a descendant of the first-formed child of earth;
and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,

2 within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.

3 And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air,
and fell upon the kindred earth;
my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.

4 I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
5 For no king has had a different beginning of existence;
6 there is for all one entrance into life, and one way out.
7 Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;


I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
8 I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.

9 Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.

10 I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.

11 All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 112


12 I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
but I did not know that she was their mother.
13 I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,

14 for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come from instruction.

15 May God grant me to speak with judgment,
and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;
for he is the guide even of wisdom
and the corrector of the wise.

16 For both we and our words are in his hand,
as are all understanding and skill in crafts.

17 For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
to know the structure of the world and the activity of the
elements;

18 the beginning and end and middle of times,

the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
19 the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
20 the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,

the powers of spirits and the thoughts of human beings,

the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;
21 I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
22 for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.

The divine essence and activity of wisdom

There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
irresistible, 23 beneficent, humane,
steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,
all-powerful, overseeing all,
and penetrating through all spirits
that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.


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24 For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;
because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.

25 For she is a breath of the power of God,
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

26 For she is a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of God,
and an image of his goodness.

27 Although she is but one, she can do all things,
and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
in every generation she passes into holy souls
and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

28 for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

29 She is more beautiful than the sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

30 for it is succeeded by the night,
but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

[Wisdom of Solomon 8]

1 She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
and she orders all things well.

The many benefits of a relationship with wisdom

2 I loved her and sought her from my youth;
I desired to take her for my bride,
and became enamored of her beauty.

3 She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,
and the Lord of all loves her.
4 For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,
and an associate in his works.
5 If riches are a desirable possession in life,
what is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?
6 And if understanding is effective,
who more than she is fashioner of what exists?

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7 And if anyone loves righteousness,
her labors are virtues;
for she teaches self-control and prudence,
justice and courage;
nothing in life is more profitable for mortals than these.

8 And if anyone longs for wide experience,
she knows the things of old, and infers the things to come;
she understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles;
she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders
and of the outcome of seasons and times.

9 Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,
knowing that she would give me good counsel
and encouragement in cares and grief.

10 Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes
and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.
11 I shall be found keen in judgment,
and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.

12 When I am silent they will wait for me,
and when I speak they will give heed;
if I speak at greater length,
they will put their hands on their mouths.

13 Because of her I shall have immortality,
and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come
after me.

14 I shall govern peoples,
and nations will be subject to me;

15 dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;
among the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous
in war.

16 When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her;
for companionship with her has no bitterness,
and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.

17 When I considered these things inwardly,
and pondered in my heart
that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,

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18 and in friendship with her, pure delight,
and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,
and in the experience of her company, understanding,
and renown in sharing her words,
I went about seeking how to get her for myself.

19 As a child I was naturally gifted,
and a good soul fell to my lot;
20 or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.

Solomon's prayer for wisdom

21 But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave
her to me — and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift
she was — so I appealed to the Lord and implored him,
and with my whole heart I said:

[Wisdom of Solomon 9]

1 "O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy,
who have made all things by your word,
2 and by your wisdom have formed humankind
to have dominion over the creatures you have made,
3 and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
4 give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,
and do not reject me from among your servants.

5 For I am your servant the son of your serving girl,
a man who is weak and short-lived,
with little understanding of judgment and laws;

6 for even one who is perfect among human beings
will be regarded as nothing without the wisdom that
comes from you.

7 You have chosen me to be king of your people
and to be judge over your sons and daughters.

8 You have given command to build a temple on your holy mountain,
and an altar in the city of your habitation,
a copy of the holy tent that you prepared from the beginning.

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9 With you is wisdom, she who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
she understands what is pleasing in your sight
and what is right according to your commandments.

10 Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from the throne of your glory send her,
that she may labor at my side,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.

11 For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions
and guard me with her glory.

12 Then my works will be acceptable,
and I shall judge your people justly,
and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.

13 For who can learn the counsel of God?
Or who can discern what the Lord wills?
14 For the reasoning of mortals is worthless,
and our designs are likely to fail;
15 for a perishable body weighs down the soul,
and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.

16 We can hardly guess at what is on earth,
and what is at hand we find with labor;
but who has traced out what is in the heavens?

17 Who has learned your counsel,
unless you have given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?

18 And thus the paths of those on earth were set right,
and people were taught what pleases you,
and were saved by wisdom."

[Wisdom of Solomon 10]
Historical illustrations of wisdom's saving and punitive power


1 Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when
he alone had been created; she delivered him from his
transgression,

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2 and gave him strength to rule all things.
3 But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger,
he perished because in rage he killed his brother.
4 When the earth was flooded because of him, wisdom again saved it,
steering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood.

5 Wisdom also, when the nations in wicked agreement had been put to
confusion, recognized the righteous man and preserved him
blameless before God, and kept him strong in the face of his
compassion for his child.

6 Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing;
he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities.

7 Evidence of their wickedness still remains:
a continually smoking wasteland,
plants bearing fruit that does not ripen,
and a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an
unbelieving soul.

8 For because they passed wisdom by,
they not only were hindered from recognizing the good,
but also left for humankind a reminder of their folly,
so that their failures could never go unnoticed.

9 Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her.

10 When a righteous man fled from his brother's wrath,
she guided him on straight paths;
she showed him the kingdom of God,
and gave him knowledge of holy things;
she prospered him in his labors,
and increased the fruit of his toil.

11 When his oppressors were covetous,
she stood by him and made him rich.

12 She protected him from his enemies,
and kept him safe from those who lay in wait for him;
in his arduous contest she gave him the victory,
so that he might learn that godliness is more powerful
than anything else.

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13 When a righteous man was sold, wisdom did not desert him,
but delivered him from sin.
She descended with him into the dungeon,

14 and when he was in prison she did not leave him,
until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom
and authority over his masters.
Those who accused him she showed to be false,
and she gave him everlasting honor.

15 A holy people and blameless race
wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors.
16 She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.

17 She gave to holy people the reward of their labors;
she guided them along a marvelous way,
and became a shelter to them by day,
and a starry flame through the night.

18 She brought them over the Red Sea,
and led them through deep waters;
19 but she drowned their enemies,
and cast them up from the depth of the sea.

20 Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;
they sang hymns, O Lord, to your holy name,
and praised with one accord your defending hand;

21 for wisdom opened the mouths of those who were mute,
and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.

[Wisdom of Solomon 11]
A historical meditation contrasting God's dealings with the Israelites
and the Egyptians; the first contrast

1 Wisdom prospered their works by the hand of a holy prophet.
2 They journeyed through an uninhabited wilderness,

and pitched their tents in untrodden places.
3 They withstood their enemies and fought off their foes.
4 When they were thirsty, they called upon you,

and water was given them out of flinty rock,
and from hard stone a remedy for their thirst.


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5 For through the very things by which their enemies were punished,
they themselves received benefit in their need.
6 Instead of the fountain of an ever-flowing river,
stirred up and defiled with blood
7 in rebuke for the decree to kill the infants,
you gave them abundant water unexpectedly,
8 showing by their thirst at that time
how you punished their enemies.

9 For when they were tried, though they were being disciplined
in mercy,they learned how the ungodly were tormented when
judged in wrath.

10 For you tested them as a parent does in warning,
but you examined the ungodly as a stern king does in
condemnation.

11 Whether absent or present, they were equally distressed,
12 for a twofold grief possessed them,
and a groaning at the memory of what had occurred.

13 For when they heard that through their own punishments
the righteous had received benefit, they perceived it was the
LORD's doing.

14 For though they had mockingly rejected him who long before had
been cast out and exposed, at the end of the events they
marveled at him, when they felt thirst in a different way from
the righteous.

15 In return for their foolish and wicked thoughts,
which led them astray to worship irrational serpents and
worthless animals, you sent upon them a multitude of irrational
creatures to punish them,

16 so that they might learn that one is punished by the very things by
which one sins.

A series of digressions; God exercises power and mercy in judgment

17 For your all-powerful hand,
which created the world out of formless matter,
did not lack the means to send upon them a multitude of bears,
or bold lions,

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18 or newly-created unknown beasts full of rage,
or such as breathe out fiery breath,
or belch forth a thick pall of smoke,
or flash terrible sparks from their eyes;

19 not only could the harm they did destroy people,
but the mere sight of them could kill by fright.

20 Even apart from these, people could fall at a single breath
when pursued by justice
and scattered by the breath of your power.
But you have arranged all things by measure and number and
weight.

21 For it is always in your power to show great strength,
and who can withstand the might of your arm?
22 Because the whole world before you is like a speck that tips the
scales, and like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.
23 But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things,
and you overlook people's sins, so that they may repent.

24 For you love all things that exist,
and detest none of the things that you have made,
for you would not have made anything if you had hated it.

25 How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?
Or how would anything not called forth by you have been
preserved?

26 You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the
living.

[Wisdom of Solomon 12]
Divine righteousness and forbearance


1 For your immortal spirit is in all things.

2 Therefore you correct little by little those who trespass,
and you remind and warn them of the things through which
they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put
their trust in you, O Lord.

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3 Those who lived long ago in your holy land
4 you hated for their detestable practices,
their works of sorcery and unholy rites,

5 their merciless slaughter of children,
and their sacrificial feasting on human flesh and blood.
These initiates from the midst of a heathen cult,

6 these parents who murder helpless lives,
you willed to destroy by the hands of our ancestors,
7 so that the land most precious of all to you
might receive a worthy colony of the servants of God.

8 But even these you spared, since they were but mortals,
and sent wasps as forerunners of your army
to destroy them little by little,

9 though you were not unable to give the ungodly into the hands of
the righteous in battle, or to destroy them at one blow by dread
wild animals or your stern word.

10 But judging them little by little you gave them an opportunity to
repent,
though you were not unaware that their origin was evil
and their wickedness inborn,
and that their way of thinking would never change.

11 For they were an accursed race from the beginning,
and it was not through fear of anyone that you left them
unpunished for their sins.

12 For who will say, "What have you done?"
or will resist your judgment?
Who will accuse you for the destruction of nations that you
made?
Or who will come before you to plead as an advocate for the
unrighteous?

13 For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
14 nor can any king or monarch confront you about those whom you
have punished.

15 You are righteous and you rule all things righteously,
deeming it alien to your power
to condemn anyone who does not deserve to be punished.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 122


16 For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.

17 For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of
your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.

18 Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.

19 Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.

20 For if you punished with such great care and indulgence
the enemies of your servants and those deserving of death,
granting them time and opportunity to give up their wickedness,

21 with what strictness you have judged your children,
to whose ancestors you gave oaths and covenants full of good
promises!

22 So while chastening us you scourge our enemies ten thousand times
more, so that, when we judge, we may meditate upon your
goodness, and when we are judged, we may expect mercy.

23 Therefore those who lived unrighteously, in a life of folly,
you tormented through their own abominations.

24 For they went far astray on the paths of error,
accepting as gods those animals that even their enemies despised;
they were deceived like foolish infants.

25 Therefore, as though to children who cannot reason,
you sent your judgment to mock them.
26 But those who have not heeded the warning of mild rebukes
will experience the deserved judgment of God.

27 For when in their suffering they became incensed
at those creatures that they had thought to be gods, being
punished by means of them, they saw and recognized as the
true God the one whom they had before refused to know.
Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 123


[Wisdom of Solomon 13]
The folly of false worship; critique of nature worship


1 For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature;
and they were unable from the good things that are seen to
know the one who exists,
nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his
works;

2 but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air,
or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.

3 If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them
to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created them.

4 And if people were amazed at their power and working,
let them perceive from them
how much more powerful is the one who formed them.

5 For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.

6 Yet these people are little to be blamed,
for perhaps they go astray
while seeking God and desiring to find him.

7 For while they live among his works, they keep searching,
and they trust in what they see, because the things that are
seen are beautiful.

8 Yet again, not even they are to be excused;

9 for if they had the power to know so much
that they could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

Polemic against idolatry

10 But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those
who give the name "gods" to the works of human hands,
gold and silver fashioned with skill,
and likenesses of animals,
or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 124


11 A skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle
and skillfully strip off all its bark,
and then with pleasing workmanship
make a useful vessel that serves life's needs,

12 and burn the cast-off pieces of his work
to prepare his food, and eat his fill.

13 But a cast-off piece from among them, useful for nothing,
a stick crooked and full of knots,
he takes and carves with care in his leisure,
and shapes it with skill gained in idleness;
he forms it in the likeness of a human being,

14 or makes it like some worthless animal,
giving it a coat of red paint and coloring its surface red
and covering every blemish in it with paint;

15 then he makes a suitable niche for it,
and sets it in the wall, and fastens it there with iron.

16 He takes thought for it, so that it may not fall,
because he knows that it cannot help itself,
for it is only an image and has need of help.

17 When he prays about possessions and his marriage and children,
he is not ashamed to address a lifeless thing.

18 For health he appeals to a thing that is weak;
for life he prays to a thing that is dead;
for aid he entreats a thing that is utterly inexperienced;
for a prosperous journey, a thing that cannot take a step;

19 for money-making and work and success with his hands
he asks strength of a thing whose hands have no strength.

[Wisdom of Solomon 14]

1 Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves
calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries
him.

2 For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel,
and wisdom was the artisan who built it;

3 but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course,
because you have given it a path in the sea,
and a safe way through the waves,

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4 showing that you can save from every danger,
so that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea.

5 It is your will that works of your wisdom should not be without
effect; therefore people trust their lives even to the smallest
piece of wood, and passing through the billows on a raft they
come safely to land.

6 For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing,
the hope of the world took refuge on a raft,
and guided by your hand left to the world the seed of a new
generation.

7 For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes.

8 But the idol made with hands is accursed, and so is the one who
made it — he for having made it, and the perishable thing
because it was named a god.

9 For equally hateful to God are the ungodly and their ungodliness;

10 for what was done will be punished together with the one who
did it.

11 Therefore there will be a visitation also upon the heathen idols,
because, though part of what God created, they became an
abomination, snares for human souls and a trap for the feet of
the foolish.

Idols are the invention of human vanity

12 For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication,
and the invention of them was the corruption of life;

13 for they did not exist from the beginning,
nor will they last forever.

14 For through human vanity they entered the world,
and therefore their speedy end has been planned.

15 For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely bereavement,
made an image of his child, who had been suddenly taken from
him; he now honored as a god what was once a dead human
being, and handed on to his dependents secret rites and
initiations.

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16 Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as a
law, and at the command of monarchs carved images were
worshiped.

17 When people could not honor monarchs in their presence, since they
lived at a distance, they imagined their appearance far away,
and made a visible image of the king whom they honored,
so that by their zeal they might flatter the absent one as though
present.

18 Then the ambition of the artisan impelled
even those who did not know the king to intensify their worship.
19 For he, perhaps wishing to please his ruler,
skillfully forced the likeness to take more beautiful form,

20 and the multitude, attracted by the charm of his work,
now regarded as an object of worship the one whom shortly
before they had honored as a human being.

21 And this became a hidden trap for humankind,
because people, in bondage to misfortune or to royal authority,
bestowed on objects of stone or wood the name that ought not
to be shared.

The repercussions of idolatry

22 Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of
God, but though living in great strife due to ignorance,
they call such great evils peace.

23 For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret
mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs,

24 they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure,
but they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one
another by adultery,

25 and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit,
corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury,

26 confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors,
defiling of souls, sexual perversion,
disorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.

27 For the worship of idols not to be named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.

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28 For their worshipers either rave in exultation,
or prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
29 for because they trust in lifeless idols
they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.

30 But just penalties will overtake them on two counts:
because they thought wrongly about God in devoting themselves
to idols, and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through
contempt for holiness.

31 For it is not the power of the things by which people swear,
but the just penalty for those who sin,
that always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous.

[Wisdom of Solomon 15]
The benefits of true worship

1 But you, our God, are kind and true,
patient, and ruling all things in mercy.

2 For even if we sin we are yours, knowing your power;
but we will not sin, because we know that you acknowledge
us as yours.

3 For to know you is complete righteousness,
and to know your power is the root of immortality.

4 For neither has the evil intent of human art misled us,
nor the fruitless toil of painters,
a figure stained with varied colors,

5 whose appearance arouses yearning in fools,
so that they desire the lifeless form of a dead image.
6 Lovers of evil things and fit for such objects of hope
are those who either make or desire or worship them.

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The fabrication of idols

7 A potter kneads the soft earth
and laboriously molds each vessel for our service,
fashioning out of the same clay
both the vessels that serve clean uses
and those for contrary uses, making all alike;
but which shall be the use of each of them
the worker in clay decides.

8 With misspent toil, these workers form a futile god from the same
clay — these mortals who were made of earth a short time
before and after a little while go to the earth from which all
mortals are taken, when the time comes to return the souls that
were borrowed.

9 But the workers are not concerned that mortals are destined to die
or that their life is brief,
but they compete with workers in gold and silver,
and imitate workers in copper;
and they count it a glorious thing to mold counterfeit gods.

10 Their heart is ashes, their hope is cheaper than dirt,
and their lives are of less worth than clay,

11 because they failed to know the one who formed them
and inspired them with active souls
and breathed a living spirit into them.

12 But they considered our existence an idle game,
and life a festival held for profit,
for they say one must get money however one can, even by
base means.

13 For these persons, more than all others, know that they sin
when they make from earthy matter fragile vessels and
carved images.

14 But most foolish, and more miserable than an infant,
are all the enemies who oppressed your people.

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15 For they thought that all their heathen idols were gods,
though these have neither the use of their eyes to see with,
nor nostrils with which to draw breath,
nor ears with which to hear,
nor fingers to feel with,
and their feet are of no use for walking.

16 For a human being made them,
and one whose spirit is borrowed formed them;
for none can form gods that are like themselves.

17 People are mortal, and what they make with lawless hands is dead;
for they are better than the objects they worship,
since they have life, but the idols never had.

18 Moreover, they worship even the most hateful animals,
which are worse than all others when judged by their lack of
intelligence;

19 and even as animals they are not so beautiful in appearance that
one would desire them, but they have escaped both the praise of
God and his blessing.

[Wisdom of Solomon 16]
The second contrast

1 Therefore those people were deservedly punished through such
creatures, and were tormented by a multitude of animals.

2 Instead of this punishment you showed kindness to your people,
and you prepared quails to eat,
a delicacy to satisfy the desire of appetite;

3 in order that those people, when they desired food,
might lose the least remnant of appetite
because of the odious creatures sent to them,
while your people, after suffering want a short time,
might partake of delicacies.

4 For it was necessary that upon those oppressors inescapable want
should come, while to these others it was merely shown how
their enemies were being tormented.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 130


The third contrast

5 For when the terrible rage of wild animals came upon your people
and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents,
your wrath did not continue to the end;

6 they were troubled for a little while as a warning,
and received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your
law's command.

7 For the one who turned toward it was saved, not by the thing that
was beheld, but by you, the Savior of all.
8 And by this also you convinced our enemies
that it is you who deliver from every evil.

9 For they were killed by the bites of locusts and flies,
and no healing was found for them,
because they deserved to be punished by such things.

10 But your children were not conquered even by the fangs of
venomous serpents, for your mercy came to their help and healed
them.

11 To remind them of your oracles they were bitten,
and then were quickly delivered,
so that they would not fall into deep forgetfulness
and become unresponsive to your kindness.

12 For neither herb nor poultice cured them,
but it was your word, O Lord, that heals all people.
13 For you have power over life and death;
you lead mortals down to the gates of Hades and back again.

14 A person in wickedness kills another,
but cannot bring back the departed spirit,
or set free the imprisoned soul.

The fourth contrast

15 To escape from your hand is impossible;

16 for the ungodly, refusing to know you,
were flogged by the strength of your arm,
pursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms,
and utterly consumed by fire.

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17 For — most incredible of all — in water, which quenches all things,
the fire had still greater effect,
for the universe defends the righteous.

18 At one time the flame was restrained,
so that it might not consume the creatures sent against the
ungodly, but that seeing this they might know
that they were being pursued by the judgment of God;

19 and at another time even in the midst of water it burned more
intensely than fire, to destroy the crops of the unrighteous land.

20 Instead of these things you gave your people food of angels,
and without their toil you supplied them from heaven with bread
ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste.

21 For your sustenance manifested your sweetness toward your
children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who
took it, was changed to suit everyone's liking.

22 Snow and ice withstood fire without melting,
so that they might know that the crops of their enemies
were being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail
and flashed in the showers of rain;

23 whereas the fire, in order that the righteous might be fed,
even forgot its native power.

24 For creation, serving you who made it,
exerts itself to punish the unrighteous,
and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in you.

25 Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms,
it served your all-nourishing bounty,
according to the desire of those who had need,

26 so that your children, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn
that it is not the production of crops that feeds humankind
but that your word sustains those who trust in you.

27 For what was not destroyed by fire
was melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun,
28 to make it known that one must rise before the sun to give you
thanks, and must pray to you at the dawning of the light;
29 for the hope of an ungrateful person will melt like wintry frost,
and flow away like waste water.

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WISDOM OF SOLOMON 132


[Wisdom of Solomon 17]
The fifth contrast

1 Great are your judgments and hard to describe;
therefore uninstructed souls have gone astray.

2 For when lawless people supposed that they held the holy nation in
their power, they themselves lay as captives of darkness and
prisoners of long night, shut in under their roofs, exiles from
eternal providence.

3 For thinking that in their secret sins they were unobserved
behind a dark curtain of forgetfulness,
they were scattered, terribly alarmed,
and appalled by specters.

4 For not even the inner chamber that held them protected them from
fear, but terrifying sounds rang out around them,
and dismal phantoms with gloomy faces appeared.

5 And no power of fire was able to give light,
nor did the brilliant flames of the stars
avail to illumine that hateful night.

6 Nothing was shining through to them
except a dreadful, self-kindled fire,
and in terror they deemed the things that they saw
to be worse than that unseen appearance.

7 The delusions of their magic art lay humbled,
and their boasted wisdom was scornfully rebuked.
8 For those who promised to drive off the fears and disorders of a sick
soul were sick themselves with ridiculous fear.

9 For even if nothing disturbing frightened them,
yet, scared by the passing of wild animals and the hissing of
snakes

10 they perished in trembling fear,
refusing to look even at the air, though it nowhere could be
avoided.

11 For wickedness is a cowardly thing, condemned by its own testimony;
distressed by conscience, it has always exaggerated the
difficulties.

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12 For fear is nothing but a giving up of the helps that come from
reason;
13 and hope, defeated by this inward weakness,
prefers ignorance of what causes the torment.

14 But throughout the night, which was really powerless
and which came upon them from the recesses of powerless
Hades, they all slept the same sleep,

15 and now were driven by monstrous specters,
and now were paralyzed by their souls' surrender;
for sudden and unexpected fear overwhelmed them.

16 And whoever was there fell down,
and thus was kept shut up in a prison not made of iron;

17 for whether they were farmers or shepherds
or workers who toiled in the wilderness,
they were seized, and endured the inescapable fate;
for with one chain of darkness they all were bound.

18 Whether there came a whistling wind,
or a melodious sound of birds in wide-spreading branches,
or the rhythm of violently rushing water,

19 or the harsh crash of rocks hurled down,
or the unseen running of leaping animals,
or the sound of the most savage roaring beasts,
or an echo thrown back from a hollow of the mountains,
it paralyzed them with terror.

20 For the whole world was illumined with brilliant light,
and went about its work unhindered,

21 while over those people alone heavy night was spread,
an image of the darkness that was destined to receive them;
but still heavier than darkness were they to themselves.

[Wisdom of Solomon 18]

1 But for your holy ones there was very great light.
Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms,
and counted them happy for not having suffered,

2 and were thankful that your holy ones, though previously wronged,
were doing them no injury; and they begged their pardon for
having been at variance with them.

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3 Therefore you provided a flaming pillar of fire
as a guide for your people's unknown journey,
and a harmless sun for their glorious wandering.

4 For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in
darkness, those who had kept your children imprisoned,
through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given
to the world.

The sixth contrast

5 When they had resolved to kill the infants of your holy ones,
and one child had been abandoned and rescued,
you in punishment took away a multitude of their children;
and you destroyed them all together by a mighty flood.

6 That night was made known beforehand to our ancestors,
so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in
which they trusted.

7 The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies
were expected by your people.
8 For by the same means by which you punished our enemies
you called us to yourself and glorified us.

9 For in secret the holy children of good people offered sacrifices,
and with one accord agreed to the divine law,
so that the saints would share alike the same things,
both blessings and dangers;
and already they were singing the praises of the ancestors.

10 But the discordant cry of their enemies echoed back,
and their piteous lament for their children was spread abroad.
11 The slave was punished with the same penalty as the master,
and the commoner suffered the same loss as the king;

12 and they all together, by the one form of death,
had corpses too many to count.
For the living were not sufficient even to bury them,
since in one instant their most valued children had been
destroyed.

13 For though they had disbelieved everything because of their magic
arts, yet, when their firstborn were destroyed, they
acknowledged your people to be God's child.

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14 For while gentle silence enveloped all things,
and night in its swift course was now half gone,
15 your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne,
into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior

16 carrying the sharp sword of your authentic command,
and stood and filled all things with death,
and touched heaven while standing on the earth.

17 Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them,
and unexpected fears assailed them;
18 and one here and another there, hurled down half dead,
made known why they were dying;

19 for the dreams that disturbed them forewarned them of this,
so that they might not perish without knowing why they
suffered.

20 The experience of death touched also the righteous,
and a plague came upon the multitude in the desert,
but the wrath did not long continue.

21 For a blameless man was quick to act as their champion;
he brought forward the shield of his ministry,
prayer and propitiation by incense;
he withstood the anger and put an end to the disaster,
showing that he was your servant.

22 He conquered the wrath not by strength of body,
not by force of arms,
but by his word he subdued the avenger,
appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our ancestors.

23 For when the dead had already fallen on one another in heaps,
he intervened and held back the wrath,
and cut off its way to the living.

24 For on his long robe the whole world was depicted,
and the glories of the ancestors were engraved on the four rows
of stones, and your majesty was on the diadem upon his head.

25 To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared;
for merely to test the wrath was enough.

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[Wisdom of Solomon 19]
The seventh contrast

1 But the ungodly were assailed to the end by pitiless anger,
for God knew in advance even their future actions:

2 how, though they themselves had permitted your people to depart
and hastily sent them out,
they would change their minds and pursue them.

3 For while they were still engaged in mourning,
and were lamenting at the graves of their dead,
they reached another foolish decision,
and pursued as fugitives those whom they had begged and
compelled to leave.

4 For the fate they deserved drew them on to this end,
and made them forget what had happened,
in order that they might fill up the punishment that their
torments still lacked,

5 and that your people might experience an incredible journey,
but they themselves might meet a strange death.

6 For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned anew,
complying with your commands,
so that your children might be kept unharmed.

7 The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp,
and dry land emerging where water had stood before,
an unhindered way out of the Red Sea,
and a grassy plain out of the raging waves,

8 where those protected by your hand passed through as one nation,
after gazing on marvelous wonders.

9 For they ranged like horses,
and leaped like lambs,
praising you, O Lord, who delivered them.

10 For they still recalled the events of their sojourn,
how instead of producing animals the earth brought forth gnats,
and instead of fish the river spewed out vast numbers of frogs.

11 Afterward they saw also a new kind of birds,
when desire led them to ask for luxurious food;

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12 for, to give them relief, quails came up from the sea.

13 The punishments did not come upon the sinners
without prior signs in the violence of thunder,
for they justly suffered because of their wicked acts;
for they practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers.

14 Others had refused to receive strangers when they came to them,
but these made slaves of guests who were their benefactors.
15 And not only so — but, while punishment of some sort will come
upon the former for having received strangers with hostility,

16 the latter, having first received them with festal celebrations,
afterward afflicted with terrible sufferings
those who had already shared the same rights.

17 They were stricken also with loss of sight —
just as were those at the door of the righteous man —
when, surrounded by yawning darkness,
all of them tried to find the way through their own doors.

18 For the elements changed places with one another,
as on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm,
while each note remains the same.
This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place.

19 For land animals were transformed into water creatures,
and creatures that swim moved over to the land.
20 Fire even in water retained its normal power,
and water forgot its fire-quenching nature.

21 Flames, on the contrary, failed to consume
the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them,
nor did they melt the crystalline, quick-melting kind of
heavenly food.

The concluding doxology

22 For in everything, O Lord, you have exalted and glorified your
people, and you have not neglected to help them at all times
and in all places.

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SIRACH 138


SIRACH


(Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach)

Introduction

The names by which this book is known reflect something of its origin
and history. Sirach is the name of the author, Jesus son of Eleazar son
of Sirach (50.27), in Hebrew, Yeshua be El-azar ben Sira. Although the
book was highly regarded in rabbinic literature and even cited in the
Talmud, it did not achieve canonical status. The early Christian church,
however, did consider it canonical. Although originally it was titled
"The Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach" in Greek and Old Latin
manuscripts, many manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate referred to it as
"Ecclesiasticus," that is, "the Church's book." The Protestant reformers,
in keeping with their practice of conforming the Christian Old
Testament to the book deemed canonical in the Hebrew scriptures,
relegated it to the Apocrypha.

Because the book was not canonical in Judaism, the original Hebrew
text was lost to the western world from about 400 to 1900 CE; the
book survived in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and other translations. Since
about 1900 CE fragmentary copies of the Hebrew, dating from
antiquity to the Middle Ages, have been discovered in various places:
Qumran, Masada, and the Geniza (i.e., storage room) of a medieval
Cairo synagogue. In this way two-thirds of the Hebrew text has been
recovered. The translation here is one of a critically established text,
using both Hebrew and other witnesses to the original. The reader will
occasionally find a slightly different verse numbering from that in
traditional renderings, since the NRSV follows the numbering of the
critical text edited by J. Ziegler.

Ben Sira composed his work in Jerusalem sometime before 180 BCE (see
his description in 50.1-24 of Simon II, high priest from 219-196). Thus he
wrote before the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes

138



SIRACH 139

SIRACH 139

Like the book of Proverbs, Sirach stresses characteristic wisdom
teachings: prudent speech, wealth and poverty, honesty, diligence,
choice of friends, sin and death, retribution, and wisdom itself. Unlike
Proverbs 10ff., individual proverbs are not set apart, but are
incorporated into smooth-flowing poems of some length (often 22
lines in accordance with the number of letters of the Hebrew
alphabet). The doctrine is surprisingly traditional, almost as if Job and
Ecclesiastes had never been written. Ben Sira is not unaware of the
problem of suffering (2.1-6; 11.14; 40.1-10), but he firmly believes in the
justice of divine retribution. God will reward all according to their
deserts (15.11-16.23). There is no intimation of a future life with God in
the Hebrew text as one begins to find in some Jewish literature of the
Hellenistic age (e.g., 2 Macc 7.9; Wis 5.15-16); rather, all go to Sheol, the
traditional abode of the dead (14.12-19; 38.16-23). This is the usual view
of the Hebrew Bible, where immortality is understood only in terms of
one's progeny and good name (44.13-15).

The earlier biblical wisdom literature lacks reference to Israel's sacred
history and covenantal traditions. Sirach, in contrast, reprises biblical
history in the "Hymn in Honor of Our Ancestors" (chs 44-49), and
clearly identifies the figure of Wisdom with the Torah or law (24.23).
Unlike earlier wisdom writings, Sirach is immersed in the environment
of Jerusalem Temple worship and sacrifice (35.1-12; 50.1-24).
Nevertheless, the book belongs definitely to the genre of wisdom
literature, with its stress on the lessons of experience and on the "fear
of the Lord" (1.11-30; 25.10-11; 40.25-27).

Ben Sira describes his profession as a "scribe," or scholar of the sacred
writings (39.1-11) and invites students to his school (51.23). The work's
original addresses were young men preparing for leading adult roles in
the Jewish community. This is evident in many aspects of the book,

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SIRACH 140

SIRACH 140

Sirach's teachings are not arranged in a logical sequence. Reading
straight through the book from beginning to end, therefore is not
necessarily the best approach. Good places to start reading Sirach are
the two pivotal poems on personified Wisdom (1.1-30; 24.1-34; each
introduces a major collection of instructional material) and the hymn
of praise to Israel's ancestors (44.1-49.16).

The book consists of three major blocks of teaching: 1.1-23.27; 24.1-42.14;
and 42.15-50.24) In its current form these are preceded by the Prologue
and followed by concluding comments and additions (50.25-51.30).
Each of the first two collections begin with a poem of praise of
Wisdom (1.1-30; 24.1-34); the third collection consists entirely of hymns
of praise, of the creator (42.15-43.33), of Israel's ancestors (44.1-49.16),
and of the high priest Simon (50.1-24).

Sirach

THE PROLOGUE

Many great teachings have been given to us through the Law and the
Prophets and the others that followed them, and for these we should
praise Israel for instruction and wisdom. Now, those who read the
scriptures must not only themselves understand them, but must also as
lovers of learning be able through the spoken and written word to
help the outsiders. So my grandfather Jesus, who had devoted himself
especially to the reading of the Law and the Prophets and the other
books of our ancestors, and had acquired considerable proficiency in

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SIRACH 141

SIRACH 141

You are invited therefore to read it with goodwill and attention, and
to be indulgent in cases where, despite our diligent labor in
translating, we may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly.
For what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the
same sense when translated into another language. Not only this book,
but even the Law itself, the Prophecies, and the rest of the books differ
not a little when read in the original.

When I came to Egypt in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of
Euergetes and stayed for some time, I found opportunity for no little
instruction. It seemed highly necessary that I should myself devote
some diligence and labor to the translation of this book. During that
time I have applied my skill day and night to complete and publish the
book for those living abroad who wished to gain learning and are
disposed to live according to the law.

[Sirach 1]
Wisdom, God's unfathomable gift


1 All wisdom is from the Lord,

and with him it remains forever.
2 The sand of the sea, the drops of rain,

and the days of eternity — who can count them?
3 The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,

the abyss, and wisdom — who can search them out?
4 Wisdom was created before all other things,

and prudent understanding from eternity.

5 The source of wisdom is God's word in the highest heaven,
and her ways are the eternal commandments.

6 The root of wisdom — to whom has it been revealed?
Her subtleties — who knows them?

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SIRACH 142


7 The knowledge of wisdom — to whom was it manifested?
And her abundant experience — who has understood it?

8 There is but one who is wise, greatly to be feared,
seated upon his throne — the Lord.

9 It is he who created her;
he saw her and took her measure;
he poured her out upon all his works,

10 upon all the living according to his gift;
he lavished her upon those who love him.
Love of the Lord is glorious wisdom; to those whom he
appears he apportions her, that they may see him.

Wisdom as fear of the Lord

11 The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation,
and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.

12 The fear of the Lord delights the heart,
and gives gladness and joy and long life.
The fear of the Lord is a gift from the Lord;
also for love he makes firm paths.

13 Those who fear the Lord will have a happy end;
on the day of their death they will be blessed.

14 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
she is created with the faithful in the womb.
15 She made among human beings an eternal foundation,
and among their descendants she will abide faithfully.
16 To fear the Lord is fullness of wisdom;
she inebriates mortals with her fruits;
17 she fills their whole house with desirable goods,
and their storehouses with her produce.

18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,
making peace and perfect health to flourish.
Both are gifts of God for peace;
glory opens out for those who love him.
He saw her and took her measure.

142



SIRACH 143


19 She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension,
and she heightened the glory of those who held her fast.

20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom,
and her branches are long life.

21 The fear of the Lord drives away sins;
and where it abides, it will turn away all anger.

22 Unjust anger cannot be justified,
for anger tips the scale to one's ruin.
23 Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment,
and then cheerfulness comes back to them.
24 They hold back their words until the right moment;
then the lips of many tell of their good sense.

25 In the treasuries of wisdom are wise sayings,
but godliness is an abomination to a sinner.
26 If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,
and the Lord will lavish her upon you.
27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline,
fidelity and humility are his delight.

28 Do not disobey the fear of the Lord;
do not approach him with a divided mind.
29 Do not be a hypocrite before others,
and keep watch over your lips.
30 Do not exalt yourself, or you may fall
and bring dishonor upon yourself.
The Lord will reveal your secrets
and overthrow you before the whole congregation,
because you did not come in the fear of the Lord,
and your heart was full of deceit.

143



SIRACH 144


[Sirach 2]
Trust in God

1 My child, when you come to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for testing.
2 Set your heart right and be steadfast,
and do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
3 Cling to him and do not depart,
so that your last days may be prosperous.
4 Accept whatever befalls you,
and in times of humiliation be patient.

5 For gold is tested in the fire,
and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.
In sickness and poverty put your trust in him.

6 Trust in him, and he will help you;
make your ways straight, and hope in him.

7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not stray, or else you may fall.
8 You who fear the Lord, trust in him,
and your reward will not be lost.

9 You who fear the Lord, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy. For his reward is
an everlasting gift with joy.

10 Consider the generations of old and see:
has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?

Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord and
been forsaken?
Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected?

11 For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.

12 Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands,
and to the sinner who walks a double path!
13 Woe to the fainthearted who have no trust!
Therefore they will have no shelter.
14 Woe to you who have lost your nerve!
What will you do when the LORD's reckoning comes?

144



SIRACH 145


15 Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his words,
and those who love him keep his ways.
16 Those who fear the Lord seek to please him,
and those who love him are filled with his law.
17 Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts,
and humble themselves before him.
18 Let us fall into the hands of the Lord,
but not into the hands of mortals;
for equal to his majesty is his mercy,
and equal to his name are his works.

[Sirach 3]
Honor of parents


1 Listen to me your father, O children;
act accordingly, that you may be kept in safety.
2 For the Lord honors a father above his children,

and he confirms a mother's right over her children.
3 Those who honor their father atone for sins,
4 and those who respect their mother are like those who lay

 up treasure.
5 Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children,
and when they pray they will be heard.
6 Those who respect their father will have long life,
and those who honor their mother obey the Lord;
7 Those who fear the Lord honor their father;
they will serve their parents as their masters.
8 Honor your father by word and deed,
that his blessing may come upon you.
9 For a father's blessing strengthens the houses of the children,
but a mother's curse uproots their foundations.
10 Do not glorify yourself by dishonoring your father,
for your father's dishonor is no glory to you.
11 The glory of one's father is one's own glory,
and it is a disgrace for children not to respect their mother.

145



SIRACH 146


12 My child, help your father in his old age,
and do not grieve him as long as he lives;
13 even if his mind fails, be patient with him;
because you have all your faculties do not despise him.
14 For kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
and will be credited to you against your sins;
15 in the day of your distress it will be remembered in your favor;
like frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away.
16 Whoever forsakes a father is like a blasphemer,
and whoever angers a mother is cursed by the Lord.

Humility

17 My child, perform your tasks with humility;
then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
18 The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord.
19 Many are lofty and renowned,
but to the humble he reveals his secrets.
20 For great is the might of the Lord;
but by the humble he is glorified.
21 Neither seek what is too difficult for you,
nor investigate what is beyond your power.

22 Reflect upon what you have been commanded,
for what is hidden is not your concern.
23 Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you,


for more than you can understand has been shown you.
24 For their conceit has led many astray,
and wrong opinion has impaired their judgment.

Stubbornness

25 Without eyes there is no light;
without knowledge there is no wisdom.
26 A stubborn mind will fare badly at the end,
and whoever loves danger will perish in it.
27 A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles,
and the sinner adds sin to sins.

146



SIRACH 147


28 When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing,
for an evil plant has taken root in him.
29 The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.

Care for the Poor

30 As water extinguishes a blazing fire,
so almsgiving atones for sin.
31 Those who repay favors give thought to the future;
when they fall they will find support.

[Sirach 4]

1 My child, do not cheat the poor of their living,
and do not keep needy eyes waiting.
2 Do not grieve the hungry,
or anger one in need.
3 Do not add to the troubles of the desperate,
or delay giving to the needy.
4 Do not reject a suppliant in distress,
or turn your face away from the poor.
5 Do not avert your eye from the needy,
and give no one reason to curse you;
6 for if in bitterness of soul some should curse you,
their Creator will hear their prayer.

7 Endear yourself to the congregation;
bow your head low to the great.
8 Give a hearing to the poor,
and return their greeting politely.
9 Rescue the oppressed from the oppressor;
and do not be hesitant in giving a verdict.
10 Be a father to orphans,
and be like a husband to their mother;
you will then be like a son of the Most High,
and he will love you more than does your mother.

147



SIRACH 148


Wisdom's rewards and trials

11 Wisdom teaches her children
and gives help to those who seek her.
12 Whoever loves her loves life,
and those who seek her from early morning are filled with joy.
13 Whoever holds her fast inherits glory,
and the Lord blesses the place she enters.
14 Those who serve her minister to the Holy One;
the Lord loves those who love her.
15 Those who obey her will judge the nations,
and all who listen to her will live secure.
16 If they remain faithful, they will inherit her;
their descendants will also obtain her.
17 For at first she will walk with them on tortuous paths;
she will bring fear and dread upon them,

and will torment them by her discipline
until she trusts them,
and she will test them with her ordinances.


18 Then she will come straight back to them again and gladden them,
and will reveal her secrets to them.
19 If they go astray she will forsake them,
and hand them over to their ruin.

On reticence, true and false

20 Watch for the opportune time, and beware of evil,
and do not be ashamed to be yourself.
21 For there is a shame that leads to sin,
and there is a shame that is glory and favor.
22 Do not show partiality, to your own harm,
or deference, to your downfall.
23 Do not refrain from speaking at the proper moment,
and do not hide your wisdom.
24 For wisdom becomes known through speech,
and education through the words of the tongue.
25 Never speak against the truth,
but be ashamed of your ignorance.

148



SIRACH 149


26 Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,
and do not try to stop the current of a river.
27 Do not subject yourself to a fool,
or show partiality to a ruler.
28 Fight to the death for truth,
and the Lord God will fight for you.

29 Do not be reckless in your speech,
or sluggish and remiss in your deeds.
30 Do not be like a lion in your home,
or suspicious of your servants.
31 Do not let your hand be stretched out to receive
and closed when it is time to give.

[Sirach 5]
Against presumption; false reliance on wealth


1 Do not rely on your wealth,
or say, "I have enough."
2 Do not follow your inclination and strength
in pursuing the desires of your heart.
3 Do not say, "Who can have power over me?"
for the Lord will surely punish you.

4 Do not say, "I sinned, yet what has happened to me?"
for the Lord is slow to anger.
5 Do not be so confident of forgiveness
that you add sin to sin.
6 Do not say, "His mercy is great,
he will forgive the multitude of my sins,"
for both mercy and wrath are with him,
and his anger will rest on sinners.
7 Do not delay to turn back to the Lord,
and do not postpone it from day to day;
for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will come upon you,
and at the time of punishment you will perish.
8 Do not depend on dishonest wealth,
for it will not benefit you on the day of calamity.

149



SIRACH 150


Honesty and self-control

9 Do not winnow in every wind,
or follow every path, so it is with the double-tongued sinner.
10 Stand firm for what you know,
and let your speech be consistent.
11 Be quick to hear,
but deliberate in answering.
12 If you know what to say, answer your neighbor;
but if not, put your hand over your mouth.

13 Honor and dishonor come from speaking,
and the tongue of mortals may be their downfall.
14 Do not be called double-tongued
and do not lay traps with your tongue;
for shame comes to the thief,
and severe condemnation to the double-tongued.
15 In great and small matters cause no harm,

[Sirach 6]

1 and do not become an enemy instead of a friend;
for a bad name incurs shame and reproach;
so it is with the double-tongued sinner.

2 Do not fall into the grip of passion,
or you may be torn apart as by a bull.
3 Your leaves will be devoured and your fruit destroyed,
and you will be left like a withered tree.
4 Evil passion destroys those who have it,
and makes them the laughingstock of their enemies.

True and false friendship

5 Pleasant speech multiplies friends,
and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
6 Let those who are friendly with you be many,
but let your advisers be one in a thousand.

150



SIRACH 151


7 When you gain friends, gain them through testing,
and do not trust them hastily.
8 For there are friends who are such when it suits them,
but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
9 And there are friends who change into enemies,
and tell of the quarrel to your disgrace.
10 And there are friends who sit at your table,
but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
11 When you are prosperous, they become your second self,
and lord it over your servants;
12 but if you are brought low, they turn against you,
and hide themselves from you.
13 Keep away from your enemies,
and be on guard with your friends.

14 Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:
whoever finds one has found a treasure.
15 Faithful friends are beyond price;
no amount can balance their worth.
16 Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
and those who fear the Lord will find them.
17 Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright,
for as they are, so are their neighbors also.

Wisdom's discipline

18 My child, from your youth choose discipline,
and when you have gray hair you will still find wisdom.
19 Come to her like one who plows and sows,
and wait for her good harvest.
For when you cultivate her you will toil but little,
and soon you will eat of her produce.
20 She seems very harsh to the undisciplined;
fools cannot remain with her.
21 She will be like a heavy stone to test them,
and they will not delay in casting her aside.
22 For wisdom is like her name;
she is not readily perceived by many.

151



SIRACH 152


23 Listen, my child, and accept my judgment;
do not reject my counsel.
24 Put your feet into her fetters,
and your neck into her collar.
25 Bend your shoulders and carry her,
and do not fret under her bonds.
26 Come to her with all your soul,
and keep her ways with all your might.
27 Search out and seek, and she will become known to you;
and when you get hold of her, do not let her go.
28 For at last you will find the rest she gives,
and she will be changed into joy for you.
29 Then her fetters will become for you a strong defense,
and her collar a glorious robe.
30 Her yoke is a golden ornament,
and her bonds a purple cord.
31 You will wear her like a glorious robe,
and put her on like a splendid crown.

32 If you are willing, my child, you can be disciplined,
and if you apply yourself you will become clever.
33 If you love to listen you will gain knowledge,
and if you pay attention you will become wise.
34 Stand in the company of the elders.
Who is wise? Attach yourself to such a one.
35 Be ready to listen to every godly discourse,
and let no wise proverbs escape you.
36 If you see an intelligent person, rise early to visit him;
let your foot wear out his doorstep.
37 Reflect on the statutes of the Lord,
and meditate at all times on his commandments.
It is he who will give insight to your mind,
and your desire for wisdom will be granted.

152



SIRACH 153


[Sirach 7]
Ethical conduct

1 Do no evil, and evil will never overtake you.
2 Stay away from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
3 Do not sow in the furrows of injustice,

and you will not reap a sevenfold crop.

4 Do not seek from the Lord high office,
or the seat of honor from the king.
5 Do not assert your righteousness before the Lord,
or display your wisdom before the king.
6 Do not seek to become a judge,
or you may be unable to root out injustice;
you may be partial to the powerful,
and so mar your integrity.
7 Commit no offense against the public,
and do not disgrace yourself among the people.

8 Do not commit a sin twice;
not even for one will you go unpunished.

9 Do not say, "He will consider the great number of my gifts,
and when I make an offering to the Most High God, he will
accept it."

10 Do not grow weary when you pray;
do not neglect to give alms.
11 Do not ridicule a person who is embittered in spirit,
for there is One who humbles and exalts.
12 Do not devise a lie against your brother,
or do the same to a friend.
13 Refuse to utter any lie,
for it is a habit that results in no good.
14 Do not babble in the assembly of the elders,
and do not repeat yourself when you pray.

15 Do not hate hard labor
or farm work, which was created by the Most High.

153



SIRACH 154


16 Do not enroll in the ranks of sinners;
remember that retribution does not delay.
17 Humble yourself to the utmost,
for the punishment of the ungodly is fire and worms.

Authority in the household

18 Do not exchange a friend for money,
or a real brother for the gold of Ophir.
19 Do not dismiss a wise and good wife,
for her charm is worth more than gold.
20 Do not abuse slaves who work faithfully,
or hired laborers who devote themselves to their task.
21 Let your soul love intelligent slaves;
do not withhold from them their freedom.

22 Do you have cattle? Look after them;
if they are profitable to you, keep them.
23 Do you have children? Discipline them,
and make them obedient from their youth.
24 Do you have daughters? Be concerned for their chastity,
and do not show yourself too indulgent with them.
25 Give a daughter in marriage, and you complete a great task;
but give her to a sensible man.
26 Do you have a wife who pleases you? Do not divorce her;
but do not trust yourself to one whom you detest.

27 With all your heart honor your father,
and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother.
28 Remember that it was of your parents you were born;
how can you repay what they have given to you?

Obligations to priests and to the poor

29 With all your soul fear the Lord,
and revere his priests.
30 With all your might love your Maker,
and do not neglect his ministers.

154



SIRACH 155


31 Fear the Lord and honor the priest,
and give him his portion, as you have been commanded:

 the first fruits, the guilt offering, the gift of the shoulders,
the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of the
holy things.

32 Stretch out your hand to the poor,
so that your blessing may be complete.
33 Give graciously to all the living;
do not withhold kindness even from the dead.
34 Do not avoid those who weep,
but mourn with those who mourn.
35 Do not hesitate to visit the sick,
because for such deeds you will be loved.
36 In all you do, remember the end of your life,
and then you will never sin.

[Sirach 8]
Caution in relationships


1 Do not contend with the powerful,
or you may fall into their hands.
2 Do not quarrel with the rich,
in case their resources outweigh yours;
for gold has ruined many,
and has perverted the minds of kings.
3 Do not argue with the loud of mouth,
and do not heap wood on their fire.
4 Do not make fun of one who is ill-bred,
or your ancestors may be insulted.
5 Do not reproach one who is turning away from sin;
remember that we all deserve punishment.
6 Do not disdain one who is old,
for some of us are also growing old.
7 Do not rejoice over anyone's death;
remember that we must all die.

155



SIRACH 156


8 Do not slight the discourse of the sages,
but busy yourself with their maxims;
because from them you will learn discipline
and how to serve princes.
9 Do not ignore the discourse of the aged,
for they themselves learned from their parents;
from them you learn how to understand
and to give an answer when the need arises.

10 Do not kindle the coals of sinners,
or you may be burned in their flaming fire.
11 Do not let the insolent bring you to your feet,
or they may lie in ambush against your words.
12 Do not lend to one who is stronger than you;
but if you do lend anything, count it as a loss.
13 Do not give surety beyond your means;
but if you give surety, be prepared to pay.

14 Do not go to law against a judge,
for the decision will favor him because of his standing.
15 Do not go traveling with the reckless,
or they will be burdensome to you;
for they will act as they please,
and through their folly you will perish with them.
16 Do not pick a fight with the quick-tempered,
and do not journey with them through lonely country,
because bloodshed means nothing to them,
and where no help is at hand, they will strike you down.
17 Do not consult with fools,
for they cannot keep a secret.
18 In the presence of strangers do nothing that is to be kept secret,
for you do not know what they will divulge.
19 Do not reveal your thoughts to anyone,
or you may drive away your happiness.

156



SIRACH 157


[Sirach 9]
Warnings about women


1 Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom,
or you will teach her an evil lesson to your own hurt.
2 Do not give yourself to a woman
and let her trample down your strength.
3 Do not go near a loose woman,
or you will fall into her snares.
4 Do not dally with a singing girl,
or you will be caught by her tricks.
5 Do not look intently at a virgin,
or you may stumble and incur penalties for her.
6 Do not give yourself to prostitutes,
or you may lose your inheritance.
7 Do not look around in the streets of a city,
or wander about in its deserted sections.
8 Turn away your eyes from a shapely woman,
and do not gaze at beauty belonging to another;
many have been seduced by a woman's beauty,
and by it passion is kindled like a fire.
9 Never dine with another man's wife,
or revel with her at wine;
or your heart may turn aside to her,
and in blood you may be plunged into destruction.

Friends and associates

10 Do not abandon old friends,
for new ones cannot equal them.
A new friend is like new wine;
when it has aged, you can drink it with pleasure.

11 Do not envy the success of sinners,
for you do not know what their end will be like.
12 Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly;
remember that they will not be held guiltless all their lives.

157



SIRACH 158


13 Keep far from those who have power to kill,
and you will not be haunted by the fear of death.
But if you approach them, make no misstep,
or they may rob you of your life.
Know that you are stepping among snares,
and that you are walking on the city battlements.

14 As much as you can, aim to know your neighbors,

and consult with the wise.
15 Let your conversation be with intelligent people,

and let all your discussion be about the law of the Most High.
16 Let the righteous be your dinner companions,

and let your glory be in the fear of the Lord.

Concerning Rulers

17 A work is praised for the skill of the artisan;

so a people's leader is proved wise by his words.
18 The loud of mouth are feared in their city,

and the one who is reckless in speech is hated.

[Sirach 10]

1 A wise magistrate educates his people,

and the rule of an intelligent person is well ordered.
2 As the people's judge is, so are his officials;

as the ruler of the city is, so are all its inhabitants.
3 An undisciplined king ruins his people,

but a city becomes fit to live in through the understanding

of its rulers.
4 The government of the earth is in the hand of the Lord,

and over it he will raise up the right leader for the time.
5 Human success is in the hand of the Lord,

and it is he who confers honor upon the lawgiver.

158



SIRACH 159


Concerning arrogance and pride

6 Do not get angry with your neighbor for every injury,
and do not resort to acts of insolence.
7 Arrogance is hateful to the Lord and to mortals,
and injustice is outrageous to both.
8 Sovereignty passes from nation to nation
on account of injustice and insolence and wealth.
9 How can dust and ashes be proud?
Even in life the human body decays.
Nothing is more wicked than one who loves money,
for such a person puts his own soul up for sale.
10 A long illness baffles the physician;
the king of today will die tomorrow.
11 For when one is dead
he inherits maggots and vermin and worms.
12 The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord;
the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
13 For the beginning of pride is sin,
and the one who clings to it pours out abominations.
Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities,
and destroys them completely.
14 The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers,
and enthrones the lowly in their place.
15 The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations,
and plants the humble in their place.
16 The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations,
and destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
17 He removes some of them and destroys them,
and erases the memory of them from the earth.
18 Pride was not created for human beings,
or violent anger for those born of women.

159



SIRACH 160


True honor is compatible with humility

19 Whose offspring are worthy of honor?
Human offspring.
Whose offspring are worthy of honor?
Those who fear the Lord.
Whose offspring are unworthy of honor?
Human offspring.
Whose offspring are unworthy of honor?
Those who break the commandments.
20 Among family members their leader is worthy of honor,
but those who fear the Lord are worthy of honor in his eyes.
21 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance;
obduracy and pride are the beginning of rejection.
22 The rich, and the eminent, and the poor —
their glory is the fear of the Lord.
23 It is not right to despise one who is intelligent but poor,
and it is not proper to honor one who is sinful.
24 The prince and the judge and the ruler are honored,
but none of them is greater than the one who fears the Lord.
25 Free citizens will serve a wise servant,
and an intelligent person will not complain.

26 Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work,
and do not boast when you are in need.
27 Better is the worker who has goods in plenty
than the boaster who lacks bread.

28 My child, honor yourself with humility,
and give yourself the esteem you deserve.
29 Who will acquit those who condemn themselves?
And who will honor those who dishonor themselves?
30 The poor are honored for their knowledge,
while the rich are honored for their wealth.
31 One who is honored in poverty, how much more in wealth!
And one dishonored in wealth, how much more in poverty!

160



SIRACH 161


[Sirach 11]

1 The wisdom of the humble lifts their heads high,
and seats them among the great.
2 Do not praise individuals for their good looks,
or loathe anyone because of appearance alone.
3 The bee is small among flying creatures,
but what it produces is the best of sweet things.
4 Do not boast about wearing fine clothes,
and do not exalt yourself when you are honored;
for the works of the Lord are wonderful,
and his works are concealed from humankind.
5 Many kings have had to sit on the ground,
but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
6 Many rulers have been utterly disgraced,
and the honored have been handed over to others.

Against hasty and rash actions

7 Do not find fault before you investigate;
examine first, and then criticize.
8 Do not answer before you listen,
and do not interrupt when another is speaking.
9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case.

Do not strive for material security

10 My child, do not busy yourself with many matters;
if you multiply activities, you will not be held blameless.
If you pursue, you will not overtake,
and by fleeing you will not escape.
11 There are those who work and struggle and hurry,
but are so much the more in want.
12 There are others who are slow and need help,
who lack strength and abound in poverty;
but the eyes of the Lord look kindly upon them;
he lifts them out of their lowly condition

161



SIRACH 162


13 and raises up their heads
to the amazement of the many.

14 Good things and bad, life and death,
poverty and wealth, come from the Lord.
15 Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of the law come from the
Lord; affection and the ways of good works come from him.
16 Error and darkness were created with sinners;
evil grows old with those who take pride in malice.
17 The LORD's gift remains with the devout,
and his favor brings lasting success.
18 One becomes rich through diligence and self-denial,
and the reward allotted to him is this:
19 when he says, "I have found rest,
and now I shall feast on my goods!"
he does not know how long it will be
until he leaves them to others and dies.

Retribution

20 Stand by your agreement and attend to it,
and grow old in your work.
21 Do not wonder at the works of a sinner,
but trust in the Lord and keep at your job;
for it is easy in the sight of the Lord
to make the poor rich suddenly, in an instant.
22 The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the pious,
and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.
23 Do not say, "What do I need,
and what further benefit can be mine?"
24 Do not say, "I have enough,
and what harm can come to me now?"
25 In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten,
and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.
26 For it is easy for the Lord on the day of death
to reward individuals according to their conduct.
27 An hour's misery makes one forget past delights,
and at the close of one's life one's deeds are revealed.

162



SIRACH 163


28 Call no one happy before his death;
by how he ends, a person becomes known.

Choosing companions

29 Do not invite everyone into your home,
for many are the tricks of the crafty.
30 Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the mind of the proud,
and like spies they observe your weakness;
31 for they lie in wait, turning good into evil,
and to worthy actions they attach blame.
32 From a spark many coals are kindled,
and a sinner lies in wait to shed blood.
33 Beware of scoundrels, for they devise evil,
and they may ruin your reputation forever.
34 Receive strangers into your home and they will stir up trouble
for you, and will make you a stranger to your own family.

[Sirach 12]

1 If you do good, know to whom you do it,
and you will be thanked for your good deeds.
2 Do good to the devout, and you will be repaid —
if not by them, certainly by the Most High.
3 No good comes to one who persists in evil

or to one who does not give alms.
4 Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.
5 Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly;

hold back their bread, and do not give it to them,
for by means of it they might subdue you;
then you will receive twice as much evil
for all the good you have done to them.


6 For the Most High also hates sinners
and will inflict punishment on the ungodly,
and he is keeping them for the day of their punishment.

7 Give to the one who is good, but do not help the sinner.
8 A friend is not known in prosperity,
nor is an enemy hidden in adversity.

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SIRACH 164


9 One's enemies are friendly when one prospers,
but in adversity even one's friend disappears.
10 Never trust your enemy,
for like corrosion in copper, so is his wickedness.
11 Even if he humbles himself and walks bowed down,
take care to be on your guard against him.
Be to him like one who polishes a mirror,
to be sure it does not become completely tarnished.
12 Do not put him next to you,
or he may overthrow you and take your place.
Do not let him sit at your right hand,
or else he may try to take your own seat,
and at last you will realize the truth of my words,
and be stung by what I have said.

13 Who pities a snake charmer when he is bitten,
or all those who go near wild animals?
14 So no one pities a person who associates with a sinner
and becomes involved in the other's sins.
15 He stands by you for a while,
but if you falter, he will not be there.
16 An enemy speaks sweetly with his lips,
but in his heart he plans to throw you into a pit;

an enemy may have tears in his eyes,
but if he finds an opportunity he will never have enough of
your blood.

17 If evil comes upon you, you will find him there ahead of you;
pretending to help, he will trip you up.
18 Then he will shake his head, and clap his hands,
and whisper much, and show his true face.

[Sirach 13]
Warnings about associates


1 Whoever touches pitch gets dirty,
and whoever associates with a proud person becomes like him.

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SIRACH 165


2 Do not lift a weight too heavy for you,
or associate with one mightier and richer than you.
How can the clay pot associate with the iron kettle?
The pot will strike against it and be smashed.
3 A rich person does wrong, and even adds insults;
a poor person suffers wrong, and must add apologies.
4 A rich person will exploit you if you can be of use to him,
but if you are in need he will abandon you.
5 If you own something, he will live with you;
he will drain your resources without a qualm.

6 When he needs you he will deceive you,
and will smile at you and encourage you;
he will speak to you kindly and say, "What do you need?"

7 He will embarrass you with his delicacies,
until he has drained you two or three times,
and finally he will laugh at you.

 Should he see you afterwards, he will pass you by
and shake his head at you.


8 Take care not to be led astray
and humiliated when you are enjoying yourself.
9 When an influential person invites you, be reserved,
and he will invite you more insistently.
10 Do not be forward, or you may be rebuffed;
do not stand aloof, or you will be forgotten.
11 Do not try to treat him as an equal,
or trust his lengthy conversations;
for he will test you by prolonged talk,
and while he smiles he will be examining you.
12 Cruel are those who do not keep your secrets;
they will not spare you harm or imprisonment.

13 Be on your guard and very careful,
for you are walking about with your own downfall.

14 When you hear these things in your sleep, wake up!
During all your life love the Lord, and call on him for
your salvation.

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SIRACH 166


Rich and poor

15 Every creature loves its like,
and every person the neighbor.
16 All living beings associate with their own kind,
and people stick close to those like themselves.
17 What does a wolf have in common with a lamb?
No more has a sinner with the devout.
18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog?
And what peace between the rich and the poor?
19 Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions;
likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.
20 Humility is an abomination to the proud;
likewise the poor are an abomination to the rich.

21 When the rich person totters, he is supported by friends,
but when the humble falls, he is pushed away even by friends.
22 If the rich person slips, many come to the rescue;
he speaks unseemly words, but they justify him.
If the humble person slips, they even criticize him;
he talks sense, but is not given a hearing.
23 The rich person speaks and all are silent;
they extol to the clouds what he says.
The poor person speaks and they say, "Who is this fellow?"
And should he stumble, they even push him down.

Wealth and conscience

24 Riches are good if they are free from sin;
poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly.

25 The heart changes the countenance,
either for good or for evil, and a glad heart
makes a cheerful countenance.

26 The sign of a happy heart is a cheerful face,
but to devise proverbs requires painful thinking.

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SIRACH 167


[Sirach 14]

1 Happy are those who do not blunder with their lips,
and need not suffer remorse for sin.
2 Happy are those whose hearts do not condemn them,
and who have not given up their hope.

The proper use of wealth

3 Riches are inappropriate for a small-minded person;
and of what use is wealth to a miser?
4 What he denies himself he collects for others;
and others will live in luxury on his goods.
5 If one is mean to himself, to whom will he be generous?
He will not enjoy his own riches.
6 No one is worse than one who is grudging to himself;
this is the punishment for his meanness.
7 If ever he does good, it is by mistake;
and in the end he reveals his meanness.
8 The miser is an evil person;
he turns away and disregards people.
9 The eye of the greedy person is not satisfied with his share;
greedy injustice withers the soul.
10 A miser begrudges bread,
and it is lacking at his table.

11 My child, treat yourself well, according to your means,
and present worthy offerings to the Lord.
12 Remember that death does not tarry,
and the decree of Hades has not been shown to you.
13 Do good to friends before you die,
and reach out and give to them as much as you can.
14 Do not deprive yourself of a day's enjoyment;
do not let your share of desired good pass by you.
15 Will you not leave the fruit of your labors to another,
and what you acquired by toil to be divided by lot?
16 Give, and take, and indulge yourself,
because in Hades one cannot look for luxury.

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SIRACH 168


17 All living beings become old like a garment,
for the decree from of old is, "You must die!"
18 Like abundant leaves on a spreading tree
that sheds some and puts forth others,
so are the generations of flesh and blood:
one dies and another is born.
19 Every work decays and ceases to exist,
and the one who made it will pass away with it.

The search for Wisdom and her blessings

20 Happy is the person who meditates on wisdom
and reasons intelligently,
21 who reflects in his heart on her ways
and ponders her secrets,
22 pursuing her like a hunter,
and lying in wait on her paths;
23 who peers through her windows
and listens at her doors;
24 who camps near her house
and fastens his tent peg to her walls;
25 who pitches his tent near her,
and so occupies an excellent lodging place;
26 who places his children under her shelter,
and lodges under her boughs;
27 who is sheltered by her from the heat,
and dwells in the midst of her glory.

[Sirach 15]

1 Whoever fears the Lord will do this,
and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom.
2 She will come to meet him like a mother,
and like a young bride she will welcome him.
3 She will feed him with the bread of learning,
and give him the water of wisdom to drink.
4 He will lean on her and not fall,
and he will rely on her and not be put to shame.

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SIRACH 169


5 She will exalt him above his neighbors,
and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.
6 He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing,
and will inherit an everlasting name.
7 The foolish will not obtain her,
and sinners will not see her.
8 She is far from arrogance,
and liars will never think of her.
9 Praise is unseemly on the lips of a sinner,
for it has not been sent from the Lord.
10 For in wisdom must praise be uttered,
and the Lord will make it prosper.

Human responsibility

11 Do not say, "It was the LORD's doing that I fell away";
for he does not do what he hates.
12 Do not say, "It was he who led me astray";
for he has no need of the sinful.
13 The Lord hates all abominations;
such things are not loved by those who fear him.
14 It was he who created humankind in the beginning,
and he left them in the power of their own free choice.
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
16 He has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each person are life and death,
and whichever one chooses will be given.
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every human action.
20 He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

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SIRACH 170


[Sirach 16]
The certainty of punishment for sin


1 Do not desire a multitude of worthless children,
and do not rejoice in ungodly offspring.
2 If they multiply, do not rejoice in them,
unless the fear of the Lord is in them.

3 Do not trust in their survival, or rely on their numbers;
for one can be better than a thousand,
and to die childless is better than to have ungodly children.

For you will groan in untimely mourning,
and will know of their sudden end.
4 For through one intelligent person a city can be filled with people,
but through a clan of outlaws it becomes desolate.

5 Many such things my eye has seen,
and my ear has heard things more striking than these.
6 In an assembly of sinners a fire is kindled,
and in a disobedient nation wrath blazes up.
7 He did not forgive the ancient giants
who revolted in their might.
8 He did not spare the neighbors of Lot,
whom he loathed on account of their arrogance.
9 He showed no pity on the doomed nation,
on those dispossessed because of their sins
(All these things he did to the hard-hearted nations,
and by the multitude of his holy ones he was not appeased),

10 or on the six hundred thousand foot soldiers
who assembled in their stubbornness. Chastising, showing mercy,
striking, healing, the Lord persisted in mercy and discipline.

11 Even if there were only one stiff-necked person,
it would be a wonder if he remained unpunished.
For mercy and wrath are with the Lord;
he is mighty to forgive — but he also pours out wrath.
12 Great as is his mercy, so also is his chastisement;
he judges a person according to his or her deeds.
13 The sinner will not escape with plunder,
and the patience of the godly will not be frustrated.

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SIRACH 171


14 He makes room for every act of mercy;
everyone receives in accordance with his or her deeds.

15 The Lord hardened Pharaoh so that he did not recognize him,
in order that his works might be known under heaven.
16 His mercy is manifest to the whole of creation, and he divided


his light and darkness with a plumb line.

17 Do not say, "I am hidden from the Lord,
and who from on high has me in mind?
Among so many people I am unknown,
for what am I in a boundless creation?

18 Lo, heaven and the highest heaven,
the abyss and the earth, tremble at his visitation!
The whole world past and present is in his will.

19 The very mountains and the foundations of the earth
quiver and quake when he looks upon them.
20 But no human mind can grasp this,
and who can comprehend his ways?
21 Like a tempest that no one can see,
so most of his works are concealed.
22 Who is to announce his acts of justice?
Or who can await them? For his decree is far off."
(If I sin, no eye can see me, and if I am disloyal all
in secret, who is to know?)
23 Such are the thoughts of one devoid of understanding;
a senseless and misguided person thinks foolishly.

God's own wisdom in creation

24 Listen to me, my child, and acquire knowledge,
and pay close attention to my words.
25 I will impart discipline precisely
and declare knowledge accurately.
26 When the Lord created his works from the beginning,
and, in making them, determined their boundaries,

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