章节研读
Sirach 21 — Sin, Wisdom, and Foolishness Contrasted
Chapter 21 warns against sin, contrasts the prayer of the poor with the violence of the proud, and sets wise speech and disciplined learning over against foolish noise.
经文
- 1.各种罪恶 我的儿子，你有罪吗？不要再这样做了，而要为你以前的罪恶祷告。Various Sins Have you sinned, my son? Do so no more, but pray about your former sins.
- 2.逃避罪恶，如同逃避蛇一样；因为如果你靠近罪恶，它就会咬你。它的牙齿是狮子的牙齿，毁灭人的灵魂。Flee from sin as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you. Its teeth are lion’s teeth, and destroy the souls of men.
- 3.一切的法lessness都像一把双刃剑，没有什么办法可以治愈它所造成的伤害。All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword; there is no healing for its wound.
- 4.恐怖和暴力必使财富荒废，因此骄傲人的家必然荒废。Terror and violence will lay waste riches; thus the house of the proud will be laid waste.
- 5.穷人祷告从他的嘴唇到上帝的耳朵，他的审判很快就来了。The prayer of a poor man goes from his lips to the ears of God, and his judgment comes speedily.
- 6.凡恨惡責備的， 就是走在罪人的道路上； 只怕耶和華的， 必心裡回轉。Whoever hates reproof walks in the steps of the sinner, but he that fears the Lord will repent in his heart.
- 7.能言善辩的人远近皆知，但有见识的人即使失足也能意识到。He who is mighty in speech is known from afar; but the sensible man, when he slips, is aware of it.
- 8.一个用别人的钱盖房子的人，就像为自己堆积坟墓的石头一样。A man who builds his house with other people’s money is like one who gathers stones for his burial mound.
- 9.恶人的聚集，如同聚集的火花，结局是烈火的焰焰。An assembly of the wicked is like tow gathered together, and their end is a flame of fire.
- 10.罪人之路石头铺就平坦，但其末路是哈得斯的深坑。The way of sinners is smoothly paved with stones, but at its end is the pit of Hades.
- 11.智慧与愚昧 谁遵守律法，谁就控制了自己的思绪，智慧就是敬畏上帝的完成Wisdom and Foolishness Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts, and wisdom is the fulfilment of the fear of the Lord.
- 12.不机智的人不能被教导，但有一种机智会增加苦涩。He who is not clever cannot be taught, but there is a cleverness which increases bitterness.
- 13.智慧人的知识必像洪水泛滥，他的建议必像涌流的泉源。The knowledge of a wise man will increase like a flood, and his counsel like a flowing spring.
- 14.愚人的心灵像一个破碎的罐子，它不能容纳任何知识。The mind of a fool is like a broken jar; it will hold no knowledge.
- 15.当有悟性的人听到智慧话语时，他会称赞它并增加它；当一个纵欲的人听到它时，他会讨厌它并把它抛在背后。When a man of understanding hears a wise saying, he will praise it and add to it; when a reveler hears it, he dislikes it and casts it behind his back.
- 16.愚人的叙述就像旅途中的重担，但聪明人说话却能带来快乐。A fool’s narration is like a burden on a journey, but delight will be found in the speech of the intelligent.
- 17.通达人生的智慧之人，在会众中发言必受重视，他们的言语必在人心中默默思考。The utterance of a sensible man will be sought in the assembly, and they will ponder his words in their minds.
- 18.像一座消失的房子，智慧对于愚人来说也是如此；无知者的知识是未经审视的谈论。Like a house that has vanished, so is wisdom to a fool; and the knowledge of the ignorant is unexamined talk.
- 19.对于一个愚昧的人来说，教育就像脚上的锁链和右手上的手铐。To a senseless man education is fetters on his feet, and like manacles on his right hand.
- 20.愚人笑时大声喧哗，聪明人却默默地微笑。A fool raises his voice when he laughs, but a clever man smiles quietly.
- 21.对一个明智的人来说，教育就像一件金色的装饰品，像右臂上的镯子。To a sensible man education is like a golden ornament, and like a bracelet on the right arm.
- 22.愚昧人冲动地闯入别人家，经验丰富的人却在门前谦恭地站立。The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but a man of experience stands respectfully before it.
- 23.一个粗鲁的人会从门口往屋里看，但一个有修养的人会呆在外面。A boor peers into the house from the door, but a cultivated man remains outside.
- 24.窃听门户是没有礼貌的，谨慎的人会因这种耻辱而感到痛苦。It is ill-mannered for a man to listen at a door, and a discreet man is grieved by the disgrace.
- 25.外人的嘴唇要述说这些事，谨慎人说话却要称量。The lips of strangers will speak of these things, but the words of the prudent will be weighed in the balance.
- 26.愚人的心在他的口中，智慧人的口在他的心中。The mind of fools is in their mouth, but the mouth of wise men is in their mind.
- 27.当不虔诚的人咒骂他的对手时，他实际上是在咒骂自己的灵魂。When an ungodly man curses his adversary, he curses his own soul.
- 28.传播谣言的人玷污自己的灵魂，并且在邻里中被人憎恨。A whisperer defiles his own soul and is hated in his neighborhood.
这段经文的意思
The opening section (vv. 1–10) presents sin as a predatory creature: a snake whose bite kills, a two-edged sword with no cure, and a smooth path that ends in the pit of Hades. The remedy is concrete — stop sinning, pray over past offenses, and reject the proud pursuit of violence. Even the poor are heard, because their prayer reaches God's ears and brings swift judgment, while the houses of the proud are laid waste.
The second section (vv. 11–17) defines wisdom not as raw cleverness but as the fulfillment of fearing the Lord and keeping the law. A wise man's knowledge rises like a flood and is sought in the assembly; a fool's mind is a broken jar that holds nothing. Speech marks the difference: the sensible ponder their words, while the fool treats wise sayings as a burden to be discarded.
The closing section (vv. 18–28) extends the contrast to manners and self-control. Education is a golden ornament to the wise but fetters to the fool; a fool rushes in and peers through doors, while a cultured man waits respectfully. The chapter ends with an interior contrast — the fool's mind is in his mouth, but the wise man's mouth is in his mind — and with a warning that cursers and whisperers defile themselves.
背景
The curated note identifies chapter 21 as part of the backfilled material from Sirach outside the P0/P1 priority range. No surrounding chapters were provided, so the comparison stays within this chapter's own movement from sin (vv. 1–10) to wisdom and folly (vv. 11–28). No cross references were supplied for this chapter, so no external parallels are cited.
常见问题
Why does the chapter open with sin imagery of snakes and swords?
The chapter uses vivid, physical metaphors — a biting snake, lion's teeth, a two-edged sword, a burial mound of stones, tow set ablaze — to show that sin is self-destructive and contagious. The point is not literary decoration but warning: sin acts on the sinner like a predator or weapon, and only stopping and praying provides relief (vv. 1–9).
What does 'wisdom is the fulfilment of the fear of the Lord' mean here?
Sirach links wisdom directly to the fear of the Lord and the keeping of the law rather than to innate cleverness (v. 11). The rest of the chapter illustrates this: wise speech is measured and sought in the assembly, while foolish speech is hasty, loud, and self-defeating (vv. 15–17, 20, 26). Wisdom, in short, is shaped obedience expressed in disciplined words and actions.
Is the chapter's view of the poor (v. 5) consistent with its view of the proud (v. 4)?
Yes. Verse 4 says terror and violence lay waste the house of the proud, while verse 5 says the prayer of the poor reaches God's ears and brings swift judgment. The two verses together form a deliberate reversal: human power and intimidation collapse, but the cry of the powerless is heard. The contrast is rhetorical and thematic, not a full social program, so the chapter should be read as moral instruction rather than a policy blueprint.