章节研读
Sirach 6 — On Friends, Speech, and Seeking Wisdom
Sirach 6 contrasts false friendship with faithful friendship and calls the reader to pursue wisdom with patient, lifelong effort.
经文
- 1.恶名招致羞辱和耻笑：如此是双舌的罪人所遭遇的。for a bad name incurs shame and reproach: so fares the double-tongued sinner.
- 2.不要倚靠自己的心思而自高自大，否则你的灵魂将像公牛一样被撕裂。Do not exalt yourself through your soul’s counsel, lest your soul be torn in pieces like a bull.
- 3.你们要吃掉自己的叶子，毁掉自己的果子，并且要像枯萎的树一样。You will devour your leaves and destroy your fruit, and will be left like a withered tree.
- 4.邪恶的灵魂会毁灭拥有它的人，并使他成为敌人嘲笑的对象。An evil soul will destroy him who has it, and make him the laughingstock of his enemies.
- 5.友谊，虚假和真实 悦人的声音增多朋友，和蔼的舌头增多礼貌。Friendship, False and True A pleasant voice multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
- 6.愿与你和睦的人多如沙粒，但愿你的谋士只有千人之一。Let those that are at peace with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand.
- 7.你获得一个朋友时，要通过考验来获得，并且不要轻易相信他。When you gain a friend, gain him through testing, and do not trust him hastily.
- 8.因为有这样的一种朋友，只在方便的时候是朋友，但在你遭难的日子里，却不会站在你身边。For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
- 9.还有一个朋友会变成敌人，并会揭露争执使你蒙羞。And there is a friend who changes into an enemy, and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace.
- 10.还有这样一种朋友，是与你同席而食的朋友，但在你遭难的日子里，他却不肯帮助你。And there is a friend who is a table companion, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
- 11.在你繁荣的时候，他会把自己当作你的对等，且会对你的仆人放肆；In your prosperity he will make himself your equal, and be bold with your servants;
- 12.但如果你降卑，他就会转而与你为敌，并在你面前隐藏自己。but if you are brought low he will turn against you, and will hide himself from your presence.
- 13.远离你的敌人，对你的朋友要谨慎。Keep yourself far from your enemies, and be on guard toward your friends.
- 14.一个忠诚的朋友是一座坚固的避难所：找到一个这样的朋友就等于找到了一笔宝藏。A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure.
- 15.没有什么比忠实的朋友更宝贵的，没有任何衡量标准能够衡量出他的优秀。There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence.
- 16.信实的朋友是生命的甘露，敬畏上帝的人必得着他。A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him.
- 17.敬畏上帝的人，知道如何交友，因为他是什么样的人，他的邻居也是什么样的人。Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.
- 18.智慧的祝福 我的儿子，从你年轻时就选择教诲，直到你年老，你仍将不断寻找智慧。Blessings of Wisdom My son, from your youth up choose instruction, and until you are old you will keep finding wisdom.
- 19.像一个耕种和撒种的人来到她身边，等待她美好的收获。因为在她的服务中，你只会劳苦一会儿，很快你就会享用她的产物。Come to her like one who plows and sows, and wait for her good harvest. For in her service you will toil a little while, and soon you will eat of her produce.
- 20.她对没有受过教诲的人似乎非常严厉；软弱的人不能与她同在。She seems very harsh to the uninstructed; a weakling will not remain with her.
- 21.她将像一块沉重的试验石压在他身上，他也不会迟延地将她抛弃。She will weigh him down like a heavy testing stone, and he will not be slow to cast her off.
- 22.因为智慧如同她的名字一样，不为许多人所显现。For wisdom is like her name, and is not manifest to many.
- 23.听啊，我的儿子，也要接受我的判断，不要丢弃我的劝诫。Listen, my son, and accept my judgment; do not reject my counsel.
- 24.把你的脚放在她的锁链里，把你的脖子放在她的枷锁中。Put your feet into her fetters, and your neck into her collar.
- 25.把你的肩膀放在她身上，承担她，不要为她的重担烦恼。Put your shoulder under her and carry her, and do not fret under her bonds.
- 26.用你全部的灵魂亲近她，并用你全部的力量遵守她的道。Come to her with all your soul, and keep her ways with all your might.
- 27.寻找和寻求，她就会为你所知晓；当你抓住她时，不要放手。Search out and seek, and she will become known to you; and when you get hold of her, do not let her go.
- 28.最后你们终必找到她所赐的安息，她也必变为你们的喜乐。For at last you will find the rest she gives, and she will be changed into joy for you.
- 29.到那时，她的锁链要成为你强大的保护，她的项圈要成为你荣耀的外袍。Then her fetters will become for you a strong protection, and her collar a glorious robe.
- 30.她的轭是金子的装饰，她的锁链是蓝色的绳子。Her yoke is a golden ornament, and her bonds are a cord of blue.
- 31.你们必将她如同荣耀的衣服穿上，如同喜乐的冠冕戴上。You will wear her like a glorious robe, and put her on like a crown of gladness.
- 32.你若愿意，我的儿子，你就会受到教诲，并且你会变得聪明。If you are willing, my son, you will be taught, and if you apply yourself you will become clever.
- 33.如果你喜欢听，你就会获得知识，如果你侧耳倾听，你就会变得聪明。If you love to listen you will gain knowledge, and if you incline your ear you will become wise.
- 34.站在长老的会中。 谁是智慧人？ 就与他亲近。Stand in the assembly of the elders. Who is wise? Cleave to him.
- 35.要准备好听每一个故事，切不可让智慧的谚语从你身边溜走。Be ready to listen to every narrative, and do not let wise proverbs escape you.
- 36.如果你看见一个智慧人，就要早去拜访他，让你的脚常常磨损他的门槛。If you see an intelligent man, visit him early; let your foot wear out his doorstep.
- 37.思考主的律法，并常常默想他的诫命。他将使你心中明白，并使你智慧的愿望得以成就。Reflect on the statutes of the Lord, and meditate at all times on his commandments. It is he who will give insight to your mind, and your desire for wisdom will be granted.
这段经文的意思
The chapter opens with a warning about double-tongued speech (v. 1) and the destructive self-exaltation that leads to ruin, imaged as a bull torn in pieces, a tree stripped of leaves and fruit, and a soul mocked by enemies (vv. 2–4). Speech and pride are framed as the starting point of social breakdown.
Verses 5–17 distinguish kinds of companions. Fair words multiply friends, but only tested friends are trustworthy (vv. 5–7). Several portraits are drawn — the fair-weather friend, the friend who turns enemy, the table companion who disappears in trouble (vv. 8–13). Against these stands the faithful friend, described as shelter, treasure, and 'elixir of life' (vv. 14–16). Verse 17 grounds true friendship in the fear of the Lord, linking character with the kind of neighbor one attracts.
Verses 18–37 turn to wisdom. The reader is told to choose instruction from youth, to accept its harsh discipline, and to bind oneself to it like a yoke and collar (vv. 18–31). The metaphor shifts: what first feels heavy becomes 'a strong protection' and 'a glorious robe' (v. 29). The chapter closes with practical disciplines — listening, sitting at the feet of the wise, pondering the Lord's statutes — through which wisdom is granted (vv. 32–37).
背景
Sirach 6 sits within a wisdom book written in Hebrew (later translated into Greek and other languages) that collects sayings on conduct, speech, and the fear of the Lord. The chapter is unified by two movements — the testing of friends and the disciplined pursuit of wisdom — joined by the repeated claim that the fear of the Lord shapes both character and relationships.
The provided curated note identifies this chapter as part of a backfill outside a previously selected P0/P1 set, and no external commentary, cross references, or original-language data were supplied with this passage. Therefore this reference page describes only what the chapter itself states.
常见问题
What is the main point of Sirach 6?
The chapter teaches two paired lessons: test friendships before trusting them, and pursue wisdom with patient discipline. It grounds both in the fear of the Lord, presenting a faithful friend and true wisdom as linked gifts of a life ordered by God's commandments.
How does Sirach 6 describe a false friend versus a faithful friend?
False friends are those who are pleasant in good times but disappear or even become enemies in trouble (vv. 8–13). The faithful friend is called a sturdy shelter, a treasure, and an 'elixir of life' who is found by those who fear the Lord (vv. 14–16).
Why does Sirach 6 describe wisdom's discipline as both heavy and joyful?
The chapter first presents wisdom as harsh, like a heavy stone and fetters (vv. 20–25), then turns the image: those who persist find rest, the fetters become 'a strong protection,' and wisdom becomes 'a glorious robe' and 'a crown of gladness' (vv. 28–31). The point is that what costs effort at first yields joy in the end.