章节研读
Sirach 11 — Appearances, Diligence, and Divine Sovereignty
A wisdom collection warning against judging by appearances, urging deliberation, cautioning that human effort cannot guarantee outcomes, and affirming God's sovereign control over prosperity and adversity.
经文
- 1.外表的欺骗 谦逊的人的智慧必抬起他的头，并使他与贵人同坐The Deceptiveness of Appearances The wisdom of a humble man will lift up his head, and will seat him among the great.
- 2.不要因为一个人的外貌而称赞他，也不要因为一个人的长相而憎恶他。Do not praise a man for his good looks, nor loathe a man because of his appearance.
- 3.蜜蜂在飞行的生物中是最小的，但它的产品是最好的甜物。The bee is small among flying creatures, but her product is the best of sweet things.
- 4.不要因穿着华丽的衣服而自夸，也不要在你受到尊敬的日子里自高自大，因为主的作为是奇妙的，祂的作为往往隐藏于人。Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, nor exalt yourself in the day that you are honored; for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from men.
- 5.许多君王都曾经沦落到坐在地上，而一个从未被人想到的人却戴上了王冠。Many kings have had to sit on the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
- 6.许多君王都大大地蒙羞，尊贵的人也落在别人手里。Many rulers have been greatly disgraced, and illustrious men have been handed over to others.
- 7.审慎与谨慎 在调查之前不要指责错误，先考虑然后批评Deliberation and Caution Do not find fault before you investigate; first consider, and then reprove.
- 8.不要在听完之前回答，也不要在说话的人说话时插嘴。Do not answer before you have heard, nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words.
- 9.不要为与你无关的事争论，也不要与作恶的人同坐，听他们审判案件。Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you, nor sit with sinners when they judge a case.
- 10.我的儿子，不要忙于许多事情；如果你增加活动，你不会不受惩罚，如果你追求，你不会追上，而且通过逃跑，你不会逃脱。My son, do not busy yourself with many matters; if you multiply activities you will not go unpunished, and if you pursue you will not overtake, and by fleeing you will not escape.
- 11.有一个人辛劳劳碌、孜孜不倦地工作，却越发贫穷。There is a man who works, and toils, and presses on, but is so much the more in want.
- 12.还有一个人行动迟缓，需要帮助，力量不够，贫穷很多，但耶和华的眼目看顾他为他的好，他从低处将他抬起There is another who is slow and needs help, who lacks strength and abounds in poverty; but the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good; he lifts him out of his low estate
- 13.他抬起头来，以致许多人惊奇他。and raises up his head, so that many are amazed at him.
- 14.善事与恶事，生与死，贫穷与富足，都出于主。Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, come from the Lord.
- 17.主的恩赐使敬虔的人永远得福，他所喜悦的必得亨通The gift of the Lord endures for those who are godly, and what he approves will have lasting success.
- 18.有一个人因勤劳和自我节制而富有，这是分配给他的报酬：There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial, and this is the reward allotted to him:
- 19.当他说“我的心灵得到了安息，现在我要享受我的财产”时，他不知道还要过多少时间才会把财产留给别人然后死去。when he says, “I have found rest, and now I shall enjoy my goods!” he does not know how much time will pass until he leaves them to others and dies.
- 20.坚守你的约，遵守它，并在你的工作中渐渐老去。Stand by your covenant and attend to it, and grow old in your work.
- 21.不要对恶人的行为感到惊奇，只要信靠主并且继续劳碌，因为在主眼中，很容易迅速而突然地使穷人富裕起来。Do not wonder at the works of a sinner, but trust in the Lord and keep at your toil; for it is easy in the sight of the Lord to enrich a poor man quickly and suddenly.
- 22.主的福气是义人的赏赐，神迅速使他的福气繁荣。The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the godly, and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.
- 23.不要说：“我需要什么，未来会给我带来什么繁荣？”Do not say, “What do I need, and what prosperity could be mine in the future?”
- 24.不要说“我的已经足够了，将来还会有什么灾祸临到我呢”Do not say, “I have enough, and what calamity could happen to me in the future?”
- 25.在繁荣的日子里，逆境被遗忘，在逆境的日子里，繁荣不被记住。In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten, and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.
- 26.因为在主看来，按照一个人的行为，在他死的那天报应他是容易的。For it is easy in the sight of the Lord to reward a man on the day of death according to his conduct.
- 27.一时的痛苦使人忘却奢华，而当一个人生命的终结时，他所做的一切都会被揭示出来。The misery of an hour makes one forget luxury, and at the close of a man’s life his deeds will be revealed.
- 28.在一个人死之前，不要说他是幸福的；一个人的好坏往往要看他的后代。Call no one happy before his death; a man will be known through his children.
- 29.选择朋友要谨慎，不要把每个人都带到你家里，因为狡猾的人有很多诡计。Care in Choosing Friends Do not bring every man into your home, for many are the wiles of the crafty.
- 30.像笼中的诱鸟一样，骄傲的人的心也是如此，他像一个密探一样观察你的弱点；Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the mind of a proud man, and like a spy he observes your weakness;
- 31.因为他潜伏在暗中，将善事变为恶事，并对值得称赞的行为加以指责。for he lies in wait, turning good into evil, and to worthy actions he will attach blame.
- 32.一星火可以燒成很多燒紅的炭，罪人藏伏著要流人血。From a spark of fire come many burning coals, and a sinner lies in wait to shed blood.
- 33.要提防恶人，因为他谋划恶事，免得他给你留下永久的污点。Beware of a scoundrel, for he devises evil, lest he give you a lasting blemish.
- 34.接待一个陌生人到你的家里，他会用喧闹扰乱你，并会使你与你的家人疏远。Receive a stranger into your home and he will upset you with commotion, and will estrange you from your family.
这段经文的意思
Sirach 11 opens by undercutting surface judgments. The humble person may sit among the great (v. 1), outward looks tell nothing reliable (v. 2), and the tiny bee produces the finest sweetness (v. 3). Kings have fallen while unknowns took the crown (vv. 5–6). The subheadings in the translation flag the logic of the chapter: appearances deceive, and deliberation is required. The section headings 'The Deceptiveness of Appearances' and 'Deliberation and Caution' (vv. 1–10) structure the first movement, separating observable status from actual worth.
The central section (vv. 10–28) addresses the unpredictability of human effort. A hardworking person can remain in want while a slow, weak person is unexpectedly lifted up (vv. 11–13). Good and bad, wealth and poverty, come from the Lord (v. 14). A rich man may boast of rest only to leave everything to others at death (vv. 18–19). The chapter counsels steady covenant faithfulness (v. 20), warns against envying sinners (v. 21), forbids presuming on tomorrow's prosperity or safety (vv. 23–24), and concludes that a man's deeds are revealed only at life's end (vv. 27–28).
The final section (vv. 29–34) shifts to guarding against crafty people. A stranger may unsettle a household; a proud man watches for weakness like a decoy bird in a trap; a sinner lies in wait to shed blood. The chapter closes as it began: hidden motives and concealed outcomes demand watchfulness rather than trust in visible signs.
背景
The provided material for Sirach 11 consists of the English text of selected verses (1–14, 17–34) with the contextual note that it was 'Backfilled remaining chapters from Sirach outside P0/P1,' indicating chapter-level inclusion in the database. No full chapter text beyond the listed verses, no cross references, and no original-language entries were supplied. The chapter note states this was backfilled for chapters outside the initial P0/P1 priority tiers.
The translation includes section headings ('The Deceptiveness of Appearances,' 'Deliberation and Caution,' 'Care in Choosing Friends') that the provided text itself surfaces. Because no cross references and no original-language words were supplied, this page makes no claims about Hebrew or Greek terminology and cites no other biblical passages.
常见问题
Why does Sirach 11 contrast a hard worker in want with a weak person lifted up?
The contrast (vv. 11–13) teaches that human diligence does not guarantee outcome. A person may 'press on' yet remain in want, while another who is 'slow and needs help' is unexpectedly raised. The chapter locates the cause not in effort but in the Lord, who 'look[s] upon him for his good' and lifts him out of low estate. Read alongside v. 14 ('Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, come from the Lord'), the point is theological: outcomes are in God's hands, not in human striving alone.
What does Sirach 11 mean by 'do not busy yourself with many matters'?
Sirach 11:10 warns against scattering effort across many activities: 'if you multiply activities you will not go unpunished, and if you pursue you will not overtake, and by fleeing you will not escape.' The chapter frames this within a broader pattern: toiling and pressing on (v. 11) does not ensure prosperity, because God alone gives wealth and poverty (v. 14). The counsel is to stay with one's covenant commitment and work (v. 20) rather than chase many ventures. The supplied material does not specify which 'matters' are in view; the warning is stated in general terms about overextension.
Why does Sirach 11 say 'Call no one happy before his death'?
The saying in v. 28 ('Call no one happy before his death; a man will be known through his children') ties the chapter together. Because prosperity and adversity can reverse in an hour (vv. 25, 27), because the rich man boasting of rest does not know when he will die (vv. 18–19), and because deeds are revealed only at life's close (v. 27), final assessment belongs to God at death. The phrase about children reflects the verse's own context: lasting reputation and outcome are determined posthumously, both through descendants and through what is finally disclosed about a person's life.