章节研读
Sirach 20 — On Speech, Paradox, and Folly
Sirach 20 gathers short maxims on the proper use of speech, the reversals of fortune and reputation, the damage of lies, and the way gifts can silence correction.
经文
- 1.沉默与言语 责备有时不合时宜；也有人默不作声，却是有智慧的。Silence and Speech There is a reproof which is not timely; and there is a man who keeps silent but is wise.
- 2.责备人胜过怀怒，承认过失的，必免遭损失。How much better it is to reprove than to stay angry! And the one who confesses his fault will be kept from loss.
- 4.太监想要侵犯少女，正如有以暴力施行审判的人。Like a eunuch’s desire to violate a maiden is a man who executes judgments by violence.
- 5.有人因沉默而显为有智慧，有人却因话多而令人厌恶。There is one who by keeping silent is found wise, while another is detested for being too talkative.
- 6.有一人沉默无语，因为他无话可答；另一人沉默不语，因为他知道何时该开口。There is one who keeps silent because he has no answer, while another keeps silent because he knows when to speak.
- 7.智者会在适当的时机保持沉默，而爱夸耀的愚人却越过恰当的时刻。A wise man will be silent until the right moment, but a braggart and fool goes beyond the right moment.
- 8.多言多语的必遭厌恶，擅自专言的必被憎恨。Whoever uses too many words will be loathed, and whoever usurps the right to speak will be hated.
- 9.悖论：人处患难中或有福分，意外之财反致损失。Paradoxes There may be good fortune for a man in adversity, and a windfall may result in a loss.
- 10.有一份礼物于你毫无益处，也有一份礼物带来加倍的回报。There is a gift that profits you nothing, and there is a gift that brings a double return.
- 11.有因荣耀而有的损失，也有从卑微中抬起头来的人。There are losses because of glory, and there are men who have raised their heads from humble circumstances.
- 12.有一个人以少许换来许多，却要付出七倍的代价。There is a man who buys much for a little, but pays for it seven times over.
- 13.智慧人因言语赢得爱戴，愚人的殷勤终归徒劳。The wise man makes himself beloved through his words, but the courtesies of fools are wasted.
- 14.愚昧人的礼物于你毫无益处，因为他有许多眼睛，而不是专一的。A fool’s gift will profit you nothing, for he has many eyes instead of one.
- 15.他施与少许，却多方斥责；他张口如传令官；他今日借出，明日索回；这样的人，实为可恨。He gives little and upbraids much, he opens his mouth like a herald; today he lends and tomorrow he asks it back; such a one is a hateful man.
- 16.愚顽人必说：“我无朋友，我的善行也无人感念；那吃我饭的，竟以恶言相待。”A fool will say, “I have no friend, and there is no gratitude for my good deeds; those who eat my bread speak unkindly.”
- 17.多少人要讥笑他，而且何等频繁！How many will ridicule him, and how often!
- 18.言语失当 跌倒在路，胜于失言； 故恶人必速速陷落。Inappropriate Speech A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily.
- 19.无礼的人犹如不合时宜的故事，常挂在愚昧人的嘴边。An ungracious man is like a story told at the wrong time, which is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
- 20.愚人嘴中的箴言也必被厌弃，因他不在合宜的时候说出。A proverb from a fool’s lips will be rejected, for he does not tell it at its proper time.
- 21.贫穷或许能阻止人犯罪，故他安歇时无所悔恨。A man may be prevented from sinning by his poverty, so when he rests he feels no remorse.
- 22.人因羞耻而丧命，或因愚颜而亡命。A man may lose his life through shame, or lose it because of his foolish look.
- 23.人或许会因羞愧而向朋友许诺，却无端地把他变成仇敌。A man may for shame make promises to a friend, and needlessly make him an enemy.
- 24.撒谎 谎言是人丑陋的污点，常挂在无知者的嘴上。Lying A lie is an ugly blot on a man; it is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
- 25.偷盗的胜过惯常说谎的，但两者的结局都是灭亡。A thief is preferable to a habitual liar, but the lot of both is ruin.
- 26.说谎之人的性情带来羞辱，他的耻辱永远与他同在。The disposition of a liar brings disgrace, and his shame is ever with him.
- 27.说话有智慧的，必自亨通；聪明明理的人，必蒙尊贵人喜悦。He who speaks wisely will advance himself, and a sensible man will please great men.
- 28.勤于耕种的人必收获丰盈，讨尊长喜悦的人必弥补过犯。Whoever cultivates the soil will heap up his harvest, and whoever pleases great men will atone for injustice.
- 29.礼物和贿赂蒙蔽智慧人的眼目，又如笼头堵住口，使之无法直言责备。Presents and gifts blind the eyes of the wise; like a muzzle on the mouth they avert reproofs.
- 30.隐藏的智慧和看不见的宝藏，这两者有什么益处呢？Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, what advantage is there in either of them?
- 31.隐藏自己愚行的人，胜过隐藏自己智慧的人。Better is the man who hides his folly than the man who hides his wisdom.
这段经文的意思
The chapter opens with a series of contrasts between silence and speech, arguing that wisdom is often shown by knowing when not to speak. Reproof that comes at the wrong time, or from someone unqualified, does no good (v. 1); confession that precedes restraint averts further loss (v. 2). The pairing of a eunuch's frustrated desire with a man who enforces judgments violently (v. 4) suggests that action without proper capacity or authority produces only futility or harm.
The middle section, marked by paradoxes (v. 9), observes that good fortune can coexist with adversity and that a gift may profit nothing or yield double returns (vv. 9–10). The wise man wins affection through words (v. 13), while the fool's gift profits nothing because he multiplies conditions and complaints rather than giving simply (vv. 14–15). The complaint of the fool in vv. 16–17—that no one rewards his kindness—shows how a reputation for self-interest undercuts every generous act.
The final section condemns inappropriate speech and lying. A slip of the tongue is worse than stumbling on a pavement (v. 18), and a proverb from a fool is rejected because he offers it at the wrong time (v. 20). Lying is an enduring blot (v. 24); a habitual liar, the chapter claims, is worse than a thief (v. 25). The chapter closes with the striking claim that hidden wisdom unused is like buried treasure of no advantage (v. 30), and that hiding one's folly is better than hiding wisdom (v. 31)—an inversion that presses the reader toward active, timely expression of what one knows.
背景
The chapter note in the provided material indicates that Sirach 20 was backfilled outside the P0/P1 priority chapters, and the surrounding chapter context (context_before, context_after, and full_chapter) is not supplied. Within the chapter itself, verse headings are explicitly given for three thematic blocks—'Silence and Speech' (1–8), 'Paradoxes' (9–17), and 'Inappropriate Speech' (18–31 with a 'Lying' subsection at 24–29)—and these divisions structure the maxims into clusters on speech, gain, and falsehood. No cross references or original-language word entries were provided, so any intertextual or lexical analysis beyond what the verses state cannot be drawn from the given material.
常见问题
Why does the chapter say a thief is preferable to a habitual liar (v. 25)?
The chapter presents a scale in which theft causes bounded damage while a liar's disposition (v. 26) brings ongoing disgrace, because lying corrupts every interaction it touches and 'is continually on the lips of the ignorant' (v. 24). A thief takes a thing; a liar, the chapter suggests, undermines trust itself, and 'the lot of both is ruin' (v. 25).
What is meant by the paradoxes in vv. 9–12?
The sayings in this section overturn ordinary assumptions: good fortune can coexist with hardship (v. 9), a gift may profit nothing while another yields double (v. 10), elevation can come from humble origins (v. 11), and a small purchase may cost sevenfold (v. 12). Together they warn the reader to judge outcomes rather than appearances—true value is not always visible on the surface.
How should v. 31—'better is the man who hides his folly than the man who hides his wisdom'—be understood?
Read against the surrounding sayings about hidden wisdom being of no advantage (v. 30), the verse praises restraint of harm over restraint of good. A foolish word released at the wrong time causes damage (vv. 18–20), while wisdom kept silent shares the same uselessness as buried treasure. The chapter's consistent concern is timely expression: concealed folly spares others, but concealed wisdom deprives them—and concealing wisdom is the worse failure.