章节研读

Sirach 10 — Wisdom, Pride, and Honor

Sirach 10 links the quality of rulers to the quality of a people, traces pride to departure from the Lord, and makes the fear of the Lord the true measure of human honor.

经文

  1. 1.一个明智的官员会教育他的百姓，一个有见识的人的统治将井然有序。A wise magistrate will educate his people, and the rule of an understanding man will be well ordered.
  2. 2.百姓如何，官吏也如何；城邑如何，居民也如何。Like the magistrate of the people, so are his officials; and like the ruler of the city, so are all its inhabitants.
  3. 3.不守法度的王必使国民受害，城邑因官长有见识而兴盛An undisciplined king will ruin his people, but a city will grow through the understanding of its rulers.
  4. 4.地上的政府在主的手中，他要在适当的时候兴起合适的人。The government of the earth is in the hands of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right man for the time.
  5. 5.一个人的成功在于主的手中，他将荣耀赐予抄写人的身边。The success of a man is in the hands of the Lord, and he confers his honor upon the person of the scribe.
  6. 6.傲慢的罪恶 不要为邻居所受的伤害而愤怒，也不要试图通过傲慢的行为做任何事情。The Sin of Pride Do not be angry with your neighbor for any injury, and do not attempt anything by acts of insolence.
  7. 7.狂妄在上帝和人面前都是可憎的，暴虐也会让人和上帝都感到愤怒。Arrogance is hateful before the Lord and before men, and injustice is outrageous to both.
  8. 8.主权因不公和骄傲以及财富而从一个国家转移到另一个国家。Sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice and insolence and wealth.
  9. 9.他既是尘土和灰，怎能自豪呢？因为他活着的时候，肠子就已经朽坏了。How can he who is dust and ashes be proud? for even in life his bowels decay.
  10. 10.长期的疾病会让医生束手无策，今日的国王可能明天就会死去。A long illness baffles the physician; the king of today will die tomorrow.
  11. 11.因为人死了以后，他必承受爬行的物，野地的兽和虫子。For when a man is dead, he will inherit creeping things, and wild beasts, and worms.
  12. 12.人的骄傲开始于离弃主，他的心已经抛弃了造他的主。The beginning of man’s pride is to depart from the Lord; his heart has forsaken his Maker.
  13. 13.骄傲的起头是罪恶，坚持骄傲的人滔滔不绝地说出可憎的话。因此，主使他们遭受非常的灾难，并彻底毁灭了他们。For the beginning of pride is sin, and the man who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions, and destroyed them utterly.
  14. 14.主已经推翻了君王的宝座，却使卑微的人坐在他们的位置上。The Lord has cast down the thrones of rulers, and has seated the lowly in their place.
  15. 15.主已经拔出列国的根，代之以谦卑的人。The Lord has plucked up the roots of the nations, and has planted the humble in their place.
  16. 16.主已经翻转列国之地，并且将他们毁灭到大地的根基。The Lord has overthrown the lands of the nations, and has destroyed them to the foundations of the earth.
  17. 17.他已经除掉其中一些，毁灭了他们，并且从大地上消灭了他们的记念。He has removed some of them and destroyed them, and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth.
  18. 18.骄傲不是为人所造的，愤怒也不是为女子所生的。Pride was not created for men, nor fierce anger for those born of women.
  19. 19.应受尊敬的人 什么种族配得尊敬？人类。 什么种族配得尊敬？敬畏上帝的人。 什么种族不配得尊敬？人类。 什么种族不配得尊敬？违背诫命的人。Persons Deserving Honor What race is worthy of honor? The human race. What race is worthy of honor? Those who fear the Lord. What race is unworthy of honor? The human race. What race is unworthy of honor? Those who transgress the commandments.
  20. 20.在兄弟中，他们的领袖是配得尊敬的，敬畏上主的人在他眼中也是配得尊敬的。Among brothers their leader is worthy of honor, and those who fear the Lord are worthy of honor in his eyes.
  21. 22.富人、尊贵人和贫穷人——他们的荣耀是敬畏耶和华。The rich, and the eminent, and the poor— their glory is the fear of the Lord.
  22. 23.不应该轻视聪明的穷人，也不应该尊敬有罪的恶人。It is not right to despise an intelligent poor man, nor is it proper to honor a sinful man.
  23. 24.贵族、官员、统治者都将受到尊敬，但没有一个比敬畏上帝的人更伟大。The nobleman, and the judge, and the ruler will be honored, but none of them is greater than the man who fears the Lord.
  24. 25.自由的人会侍奉一个聪明的仆人，一个有悟性的人不会发牢骚。Free men will be at the service of a wise servant, and a man of understanding will not grumble.
  25. 26.关于谦逊 不要在工作时夸耀你的智慧，也不要在你需要帮助的时候自夸。Concerning Humility Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work, nor glorify yourself at a time when you are in want.
  26. 27.勤劳而且富足胜过夸口而缺乏食物的人Better is a man who works and has an abundance of everything, than one who goes about boasting, but lacks bread.
  27. 28.我的儿子，你要以谦逊使自己得到荣耀，并按照你的价值给自己荣誉。My son, glorify yourself with humility, and ascribe to yourself honor according to your worth.
  28. 29.谁能为违背自己良心的人辩护呢？谁能尊敬那些亵渎自己生命的人呢？Who will justify the man that sins against himself? And who will honor the man that dishonors his own life?
  29. 30.穷人因知识受尊敬，富人因财富受尊敬。A poor man is honored for his knowledge, while a rich man is honored for his wealth.
  30. 31.贫穷中得尊敬的人，在富足中更得尊敬，富足中不得尊敬的人，在贫穷中更不得尊敬A man honored in poverty, how much more in wealth! And a man dishonored in wealth, how much more in poverty!

这段经文的意思

The chapter opens by tying wise government to education: a magistrate who educates produces officials and citizens who mirror his understanding, while an undisciplined king ruins his people. Verse 4 grounds earthly government in the Lord's hand, so that the rise of a suitable leader and the honor given to a scribe are gifts from God, not merely human achievements (verses 1–5).

The middle section turns sharply against pride. Pride is hateful before God and man, sovereignty shifts between nations because of injustice and insolence, and human beings are reminded they are dust whose bodies decay and become the inheritance of worms (verses 6–11, 18). The root diagnosis is that 'the beginning of man's pride is to depart from the Lord,' and history illustrates this pattern: the Lord casts down thrones, uproots nations, and plants the humble in their place (verses 12–17).

The final section redefines honor. Among brothers the leader is honored, but those who fear the Lord are honored in his eyes, and rich and poor alike find their glory in the fear of the Lord. It is wrong to despise an intelligent poor man or to honor a sinful one, and no rank surpasses fearing the Lord; humble self-exaltation and honest labor are then set against boastful display (verses 19–31).

背景

Chapter 10 sits within Sirach, a wisdom book whose full chapter text was not provided here, so any wider framing must be limited to what the chapter itself states. The note attached to the chapter records only that it was backfilled from material outside the P0/P1 priority set, with no further commentary on its themes or sources.

Within the chapter itself three movements are visible: a section on rulers and the quality of their people (verses 1–5), a section on pride as departure from the Lord (verses 6–18, introduced by the heading 'The Sin of Pride'), and a section introduced by headings on those deserving honor and on humility (verses 19–31). Verses 21 and 27 in the standard English numbering are absent from the supplied verse list, so the discussion reflects only the verses provided.

常见问题

Why does Sirach say sovereignty passes between nations?

The chapter itself explains the cause in the same line: sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice, insolence, and wealth, framed within its broader argument that pride begins by departing from the Lord.

What does Sirach 10 consider the true measure of honor?

Verses 19–24 teach that the human race is worthy of honor, but specifically those who fear the Lord; rich and poor alike find their glory in the fear of the Lord, and no office or wealth outranks a person who fears the Lord.

How does Sirach 10 describe pride?

The chapter calls pride hateful before God and man, traces its beginning to departing from the Lord and forsaking the Maker, and warns that clinging to it pours out abominations, with the Lord responding by casting down thrones and uprooting nations (verses 7, 12–17).

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