章节研读

Sirach 18 — God's Majesty, Mercy, and Self-Restraint

Chapter 18 proclaims God's incomparable power and mercy, then turns to practical wisdom: gentle speech in giving, reflection before vows, and restraint of appetite.

经文

  1. 1.上帝的威严 永生者的上帝创造了整个宇宙；The Majesty of God He who lives for ever created the whole universe;
  2. 2.主独自被宣告为义。the Lord alone will be declared righteous.
  3. 4.没有人能宣扬他的作为，谁也不能寻究他的伟大作为。To none has he given power to proclaim his works; and who can search out his mighty deeds?
  4. 5.谁能衡量他的威严大力？谁能详细述说他的慈悲？Who can measure his majestic power? And who can fully recount his mercies?
  5. 6.它们既不能减少也不能增加，而且主的奇妙事也不能穷尽。It is not possible to diminish or increase them, nor is it possible to trace the wonders of the Lord.
  6. 7.当一个人完成了一件事时，他才刚刚开始，而当他停止时，他就会感到困惑。When a man has finished, he is just beginning, and when he stops, he will be at a loss.
  7. 8.人类是什么，人类有什么用处？什么是他的善，什么是他的恶？What is man, and of what use is he? What is his good and what is his evil?
  8. 9.一个人的日子如果能活到一百岁，那就是很多了。The number of a man’s days is great if he reaches a hundred years.
  9. 10.就像大海中的一滴水和沙漠中的一粒沙子一样，在永恒的日子里，几年只是短暂的一瞬间。Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand so are a few years in the day of eternity.
  10. 11.因此上帝对他们忍耐，并向他们施行慈悲。Therefore the Lord is patient with them and pours out his mercy upon them.
  11. 12.他看见并知道他们的结局是邪恶的，因此他大量赐予他们宽恕。He sees and recognizes that their end will be evil; therefore he grants them forgiveness in abundance.
  12. 13.人的慈悲是对待他的邻舍，但耶和华的慈悲是对一切活物。他责备、管教、教导他们，并使他们回转，好像牧人管他的羊群一样。The compassion of man is for his neighbor, but the compassion of the Lord is for all living beings. He rebukes and trains and teaches them, and turns them back, as a shepherd his flock.
  13. 14.他怜悯那些接受他管教和热切等待他判断的人。He has compassion on those who accept his discipline and who are eager for his judgments.
  14. 15.我的儿子，不要把责备混在你的善行中，也不要让你的言语在你献上礼物时带来悲伤。The Right Spirit in Giving Alms My son, do not mix reproach with your good deeds, nor cause grief by your words when you present a gift.
  15. 16.露水难道不能消除酷热吗？同样，话语比礼物更好。Does not the dew assuage the scorching heat? So a word is better than a gift.
  16. 17.的确，一言之重于善赠，二者都能在一个有恩惠的人身上找到。Indeed, does not a word surpass a good gift? Both are to be found in a gracious man.
  17. 18.愚昧人是没有礼貌和辱骂他人，勉强给人的礼物使人眼目昏暗。A fool is ungracious and abusive, and the gift of a grudging man makes the eyes dim.
  18. 19.在说话之前要反思，在学习之前要自律，在生病之前要保重健康。The Need of Reflection and Self-control Before you speak, learn, and before you fall ill, take care of your health.
  19. 20.在审判之前先审视自己，在探访的时刻你就会找到宽恕。Before judgment, examine yourself, and in the hour of visitation you will find forgiveness.
  20. 21.患病之前要谦卑自己，当你即将犯罪时，回头吧。Before falling ill, humble yourself, and when you are on the point of sinning, turn back.
  21. 22.不要让任何事情阻止你及时还愿，也不要等到死才从中解脱。Let nothing hinder you from paying a vow promptly, and do not wait until death to be released from it.
  22. 23.许愿之前先准备自己，不要像一个试探主的男人。Before making a vow, prepare yourself; and do not be like a man who tempts the Lord.
  23. 24.想想他在死的那日的愤怒和他转脸的时候的报应时刻。Think of his wrath on the day of death, and of the moment of vengeance when he turns away his face.
  24. 25.丰足的时候要想到饥饿的时候，富有的时候要想到贫穷和需要。In the time of plenty think of the time of hunger; in the days of wealth think of poverty and need.
  25. 26.从早晨到晚上情况在变化，万物在主面前迅速移动。From morning to evening conditions change, and all things move swiftly before the Lord.
  26. 27.一个智慧的人对一切事都很谨慎，在罪恶的日子里，他防止自己作恶。A wise man is cautious in everything, and in days of sin he guards against wrongdoing.
  27. 28.每一个聪明的人都知道智慧，并且赞美发现她的那个人。Every intelligent man knows wisdom, and he praises the one who finds her.
  28. 29.明白箴言的人自己也变得聪明，充满了恰当的箴语。Those who understand sayings become skilled themselves, and pour forth apt proverbs.
  29. 30.不要随从私欲，要抑制自己的情欲。Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites.
  30. 31.如果你让你的灵魂沉溺于低劣的欲望中，它会使你成为敌人嘲笑的对象。If you allow your soul to take pleasure in base desire, it will make you the laughingstock of your enemies.
  31. 32.不要沉溺于奢侈的享乐，否则你会因其耗费而变得贫穷。Do not revel in great luxury, lest you become impoverished by its expense.
  32. 33.不要用借来的钱宴请客人而使自己变成乞丐，当你钱袋里一无所有时。Do not become a beggar by feasting with borrowed money, when you have nothing in your purse.

这段经文的意思

Verses 1–14 frame God as Creator of the whole universe whose righteous acts belong to the Lord alone. Human language cannot catalogue his mighty deeds, measure his majestic power, or trace his wonders; the more a person investigates, the more there remains. Human life, even at a hundred years, is like a drop of water or a grain of sand against eternity. The passage grounds divine patience in this awareness: because God recognizes that human beings will end in evil, he pours out mercy and abundant forgiveness, rebukes like a shepherd, and shows compassion especially to those who welcome his discipline.

vv. 15–18 turn to the spirit behind almsgiving. A gift accompanied by reproach or grief-words loses its worth; the image of dew cooling scorching heat pictures how a single gracious word can do what a present cannot. Both a word and a gift can be good, but only in a gracious person do they coincide. A fool and a grudging giver undo their own generosity, since harsh delivery dims the eyes of the recipient.

vv. 19–33 collect maxims on reflection and self-control. One should learn before speaking, care for health before illness, and examine oneself before judgment so that at the hour of visitation one finds forgiveness. Vows are to be prepared for, not rushed into as a test of the Lord, and the reader is urged to remember death, hunger, and change before pledging. Wisdom shows itself in caution about base desires, restraint of appetite, and freedom from luxury that bankrupts the one who indulges it.

背景

The chapter opens with a self-contained hymn (vv. 1–14) in which the title given in some manuscripts, The Majesty of God, marks a literary shift from the preceding discussion. It then moves to a second titled section introduced by the heading The Right Spirit in Giving Alms (v. 15), followed by The Need of Reflection and Self-control (v. 19), showing that 18 is a composite of hymn and wisdom collection. The final verses (30–33) warn against base desires and luxury, returning to the practical theme that the chapter closes with.

The curated note identifies Sirach 18 as backfilled material outside the P0/P1 priority range, meaning it is supplied here for completeness rather than as a focus passage. No cross references or original-language data were supplied for this chapter, so word-level study and explicit scriptural links cannot be developed from the provided material.

常见问题

Why does Sirach 18 compare human life to a drop of water or a grain of sand?

The images appear in verse 10 to set human longevity, even at a hundred years, against the day of eternity, underscoring how limited human perspective is before God's unsearchable works in verses 1–7.

What is the relationship between a word and a gift in verses 15–18?

Verse 16 compares a gracious word to dew that cools scorching heat, arguing that such a word can surpass a gift (v. 17). The point is not that gifts are worthless but that, as verse 18 shows, a gift delivered grudgingly or abusively undoes its own good; both word and gift must come from a gracious person.

Why does the chapter pair reflection before vows with warnings about luxury?

Verses 22–27 urge preparing oneself before a vow, remembering death and times of hunger amid plenty, and recognizing how swiftly conditions change before the Lord. Verses 30–33 extend the same logic to appetite and luxury: the self that promises without thought is the same self that indulges desire without restraint. Reflection and self-control form a single ethical thread running through the chapter's final section.

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