章节研读
Sirach 19 — Speech, Self-Control, and True Wisdom
Chapter 19 collects warnings about drunkenness, sexual folly, and the careless repetition of words, concluding that true wisdom is the fear of the Lord rather than clever self-advancement.
经文
- 1.嗜酒的工人不能富裕，轻视小事的人会渐渐衰败A workman who is a drunkard will not become rich; he who despises small things will fail little by little.
- 2.酒和女人使聪明人失去方向， 与娼妓交往的人行为非常鲁莽。Wine and women lead intelligent men astray, and the man who consorts with harlots is very reckless.
- 3.腐烂和虫子将会继承他，鲁莽的灵魂将会被夺去。Decay and worms will inherit him, and the reckless soul will be snatched away.
- 4.警惕轻率说话 人若轻易相信别人，心就不稳健，犯罪的人，自己受害。Against Loose Talk One who trusts others too quickly is lightminded, and one who sins does wrong to himself.
- 5.以恶为乐的必被定罪，One who rejoices in wickedness will be condemned,
- 6.对于憎恶流言的人，邪恶会减少。and for one who hates gossip evil is lessened.
- 7.永远不要重复一段对话，你就不会失去任何东西。Never repeat a conversation, and you will lose nothing at all.
- 8.无论是对朋友或敌人，都不要传扬，除非对你来说是罪，不要泄露；With friend or foe do not report it, and unless it would be a sin for you, do not disclose it;
- 9.因为有人曾听见你们，也看见你们，到了时候他要恨你们。for some one has heard you and watched you, and when the time comes he will hate you.
- 10.你听见了一句话吗？就让它死在你这里吧。要勇敢！它不会让你爆炸！Have you heard a word? Let it die with you. Be brave! It will not make you burst!
- 11.有这样的话，愚昧的人将会像生孩子的妇人一样受苦。With such a word a fool will suffer pangs like a woman in labor with a child.
- 12.像箭射入大腿的肉里一样，愚昧人的话语也是这样。Like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word inside a fool.
- 13.质问一个朋友，也许他没有做；但如果他做了什么，那么他就不会再这样做。Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything, so that he may do it no more.
- 14.问你的邻居，也许他没有说过；但如果他说过，那么是为了他不再说。Question a neighbor, perhaps he did not say it; but if he said it, so that he may not say it again.
- 15.要审问朋友，因为常常流传的都是谤言，所以不要轻易相信你所听到的。Question a friend, for often it is slander; so do not believe everything you hear.
- 16.一个人可能会无意中犯错，谁没有用舌头犯罪过呢？A person may make a slip without intending it. Who has never sinned with his tongue?
- 17.在指责邻居之前先质问他，让至高者的律法得到实施。Question your neighbor before you threaten him; and let the law of the Most High take its course.
- 20.真正和虚假的智慧 所有的智慧都是敬畏上帝，在所有的智慧中都包含了律法的成全。True and False Wisdom All wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and in all wisdom there is the fulfilment of the law.
- 22.但认识邪恶并不是智慧，在罪人商议的地方也没有谨慎。But the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom, nor is there prudence where sinners take counsel.
- 23.有狡猾的智慧是可憎的，但有愚昧的人只是缺乏智慧。There is a cleverness which is abominable, but there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.
- 24.敬畏上帝而缺乏智慧的人，胜过极其精明却违法乱纪的人。Better is the God-fearing man who lacks intelligence, than the highly prudent man who transgresses the law.
- 25.有狡猾的人虽然谨慎小心，但不公正，也有人歪曲仁义来获得判决。There is a cleverness which is scrupulous but unjust, and there are people who distort kindness to gain a verdict.
- 26.有一个人装出哀悼的样子，低着头，然而心里却满是欺诈。There is a rascal bowed down in mourning, but inwardly he is full of deceit.
- 27.他隐藏自己的面容，假装没有听见，但在没有人注意的地方，他会先下手为强。He hides his face and pretends not to hear; but where no one notices, he will forestall you.
- 28.如果他因力量不足而被阻止犯罪，他一旦找到机会就会作恶。And if by lack of strength he is prevented from sinning, he will do evil when he finds an opportunity.
- 29.一个人的外貌可以反映出他的为人，而一个明智的人可以从他的面部表情看出来，当你遇见他时。A man is known by his appearance, and a sensible man is known by his face, when you meet him.
- 30.一个人的穿着和大笑的表情，以及一个人的走路姿势，表明了他的为人。A man’s attire and open-mouthed laughter, and a man’s manner of walking, show what he is.
这段经文的意思
The chapter opens with a chain of proverbs linking small compromises to ruin. The drunkard who neglects work, the man drawn aside by 'wine and women,' and the reckless soul are said to end in decay and being 'snatched away.' The point is not that drink or companionship are evil in themselves but that yielding to them 'little by little' hollows out a life. Verses 4–17 then focus on the tongue: trusting too quickly, repeating what one hears, and refusing to question a friend or neighbor before passing something along are all treated as moral failures, because a careless word sticks in a fool 'like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the thigh.'
Verses 20–28 pivot from conduct to categories of wisdom. The chapter states bluntly that 'all wisdom is the fear of the Lord' and that 'the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom.' Several kinds of false cleverness are catalogued: cleverness that is 'abominable,' the fool who has no wisdom, the scrupulous but unjust schemer, and the mourner who is 'inwardly full of deceit.' Each is exposed by a contrast with the 'God-fearing man who lacks intelligence' being 'better' than the 'highly prudent man who transgresses the law.' Thus prudence untethered from the fear of the Lord is reclassified as sin.
Verses 29–30 close the chapter by describing how a man is 'known by his appearance': attire, laughter, and gait betray his character. This functions as a summary of the whole chapter's ethic — discipline shows on the outside. A person who has mastered speech, drink, and self-deception will look different from one who has not, and the wise reader is called to read those outward signs carefully.
背景
Within the book of Sirach, chapter 19 sits inside a larger section of sayings on conduct and speech that runs roughly through chapters 18–23. The chapter is constructed as a series of short, self-contained proverbs rather than a continuous narrative, and it shifts topics twice: from drink and women (vv. 1–3), to the dangers of the tongue (vv. 4–17), to a definition of true versus false wisdom (vv. 20–30). The opening proverb about 'despising small things' frames the whole collection, since every warning that follows is about a seemingly minor lapse — a drink, a repeated rumor, a clever shortcut.
The curated note simply identifies this chapter as part of a backfill of Sirach material outside the highest-priority ranges, so no further authorial, historical, or liturgical framing is supplied. Because no cross-references or original-language entries were provided, the reference page treats the chapter on its own terms: as wisdom literature that links daily habits of speech and self-control to a foundational claim that 'all wisdom is the fear of the Lord.'
常见问题
Why does Sirach 19 lump together drunkenness, women, and careless talk?
The chapter treats them as examples of the same pattern: small, seemingly private failures that 'little by little' destroy a person. Whether the failure is in the mouth, in sexual conduct, or in handling what one has heard, the underlying problem is self-control abandoned for short-term pleasure or convenience.
Does Sirach 19 mean that any knowledge of evil is wisdom?
No. Verse 22 explicitly says, 'the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom.' The chapter distinguishes between knowing how evil works and being wise; the latter is defined solely as 'the fear of the Lord' and the 'fulfilment of the law,' so cunning that exploits others is reclassified as folly rather than intelligence.
What is the point of judging people by appearance, attire, and laughter in verses 29–30?
These verses act as a summary of the chapter's ethic: inner discipline eventually shows outwardly. A person who has mastered speech, drink, and self-deception will visibly differ from one who has not, so the wise reader is called to pay attention to those external cues rather than trusting every smooth presentation.