章节研读
Sirach 7 — A Catalog of Practical Wisdom
A series of short, imperative sayings covering moral restraint, humility before God and rulers, family and household relationships, and duties toward the poor and dead.
经文
- 1.杂记 务必不要作恶，邪恶就永远不会降临到你身上。Miscellaneous Advice Do no evil, and evil will never befall you.
- 2.远离邪恶，邪恶也会远离你。Stay away from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
- 3.我的儿子，不要种下不公的田地，否则你将收获七倍的后果。My son, do not sow the furrows of injustice, and you will not reap a sevenfold crop.
- 4.不要向上帝求最高的职位，也不要向君王求有荣耀的座位。Do not seek from the Lord the highest office, nor the seat of honor from the king.
- 5.在主面前不要自夸你的义行，在王面前不要显露你的智慧。Do not assert your righteousness before the Lord, nor display your wisdom before the king.
- 6.不要寻求做官判事，免得你无法除掉不公，免得你偏向有权势的人，从而玷污你的清廉。Do not seek to become a judge, lest you be unable to remove iniquity, lest you be partial to a powerful man, and thus put a blot on your integrity.
- 7.不要在众人面前犯错，也不要在人民中失去自己的荣誉。Do not offend against the public, and do not disgrace yourself among the people.
- 8.不要重犯同样的罪过，即使只犯一次也不会不受惩罚。Do not commit a sin twice; even for one you will not go unpunished.
- 9.不要说：“他会因为我的礼物很多，就在我向至高的神献祭的时候接受我。”Do not say, “He will consider the multitude of my gifts, and when I make an offering to the Most High God he will accept it.”
- 10.不要在祷告中失去勇气，也不要忽略施舍。Do not be fainthearted in your prayer, nor neglect to give alms.
- 11.不要轻视一个心灵苦恼的人，因为有一个使人卑微和升高的主。Do not ridicule a man who is bitter in soul, for there is One who abases and exalts.
- 12.不要对你的兄弟编造谎言，也不要对你的朋友那样做。Do not devise a lie against your brother, nor do the like to a friend.
- 13.绝不说谎，因为撒谎的习惯毫无益处。Refuse to utter any lie, for the habit of lying serves no good.
- 14.不要在长辈聚会中唠叨，不要在祷告中重复自己。Do not prattle in the assembly of the elders, nor repeat yourself in your prayer.
- 15.不要憎恨劳苦的工作或农场的劳动，因为它们都是全能的上帝所创造的。Do not hate toilsome labor, or farm work, which were created by the Most High.
- 16.不要把自己算在罪人之中，记住愤怒不会延迟。Do not count yourself among the crowd of sinners; remember that wrath does not delay.
- 17.深深地卑微自己，因为不敬虔的人的刑罚是火和虫子。Humble yourself greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly is fire and worms.
- 18.与人相处 不要用金钱换朋友，也不要用俄斐金换真正的兄弟。Relations with Others Do not exchange a friend for money, or a real brother for the gold of Ophir.
- 19.不要剥夺自己拥有一个聪明和好的妻子，因为她的魅力比黄金更有价值。Do not deprive yourself of a wise and good wife, for her charm is worth more than gold.
- 20.不要欺负忠诚地做工的仆人，或是专心为你劳动的雇工。Do not abuse a servant who performs his work faithfully, or a hired laborer who devotes himself to you.
- 21.让你的灵魂爱上一个聪明的仆人，不要剥夺他获得自由。Let your soul love an intelligent servant; do not withhold from him his freedom.
- 22.你有牛吗？照顾它们，如果它们对你有益，就留下它们。Do you have cattle? Look after them; if they are profitable to you, keep them.
- 23.你们有孩子吗？要管教他们，并从他们年幼时就使他们听从命令。Do you have children? Discipline them, and make them obedient from their youth.
- 24.你们有女儿吗？要关心她们的贞节，不要对她们过于纵容。Do you have daughters? Be concerned for their chastity, and do not show yourself too indulgent with them.
- 25.把女儿嫁出去，你就完成了一件大事。但是要把她嫁给一个明白事理的人。Give a daughter in marriage; you will have finished a great task. But give her to a man of understanding.
- 26.如果你有一个讨你喜欢的妻子，不要赶她走；但不要相信你所憎恶的。If you have a wife who pleases you, do not cast her out; but do not trust yourself to one whom you detest.
- 27.用你的一切心尊敬你的父亲，不要忘记你母亲怀你的辛劳。With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother.
- 28.要记住，你是通过父母而来到这个世界的，你能给予他们什么来报答他们给你的恩惠呢？Remember that through your parents you were born; and what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?
- 29.用你全部的灵魂敬畏上帝，并尊敬他的祭司。With all your soul fear the Lord, and honor his priests.
- 30.用你全部的力量爱你的创造主，不要离弃他的仆人。With all your might love your Maker, and do not forsake his ministers.
- 31.敬畏上主，尊敬祭司，按命令给他应得的：初熟之物，赎罪祭，肩肉，圣献祭和圣物的初熟之物。Fear the Lord and honor the priest, and give him his portion, as is commanded you: the first fruits, the guilt offering, the gift of the shoulders, the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of the holy things.
- 32.向贫穷的人伸出你的手，这样你的祝福才会完全。Stretch forth your hand to the poor, so that your blessing may be complete.
- 33.宽容地施舍给所有活着的人，不要向死者吝惜仁慈。Give graciously to all the living, and withhold not kindness from the dead.
- 34.不要丢下那些哭泣的人，要与那些哀恸的人一同哀恸。Do not fail those who weep, but mourn with those who mourn.
- 35.不要因为害怕而不去看望病人，因为这样做你会得到爱戴。Do not shrink from visiting a sick man, because for such deeds you will be loved.
- 36.在你所做的一切事上，记得你生命的结局，你就永远不会犯罪。In all you do, remember the end of your life, and then you will never sin.
这段经文的意思
Sirach 7 is structured as a chain of negative imperatives — "Do not" sayings — that cover several arenas of life at once. The chapter opens with the principle that avoiding wrongdoing is itself a form of protection (vv. 1–2), then warns against presumption before God and rulers (vv. 4–6) and against using religious offerings as a cover for sin (vv. 8–9). The sayings are deliberately unsystematic, moving from prayer and almsgiving (vv. 10–11) to speech (vv. 12–14) to labor (v. 15) and self-assessment (v. 16), which gives the chapter the character of a wisdom compendium rather than a developed argument.
The second half of the chapter turns to relationships. Household members — wife, servant, children, daughters — are each addressed in turn (vv. 18–26), followed by duties to parents (vv. 27–28) and to God through the priests and the sanctuary offerings (vv. 29–31). The final cluster (vv. 32–36) widens outward to the poor, the dead, the grieving, and the sick, and closes with the summary maxim that remembering death restrains sin (v. 36). The movement from self to household to community to mortality gives the loose collection an underlying shape.
The chapter's theology is concrete and transactional in a way typical of Ben Sira: obedience brings favor, sin brings punishment, generosity is rewarded, and divine justice, though sometimes delayed (v. 16), is certain. Humility is repeated as a controlling virtue (vv. 15, 17), and the fear of the Lord frames the duties to priests and to the poor (vv. 29, 31). None of the sayings is developed with case law or example; each is offered as a self-standing rule to be stored and applied.
背景
The curated note states only that Sirach 7 was backfilled from chapters outside the previously curated P0/P1 range; it offers no commentary on the chapter's content. The full chapter text and surrounding chapters were not provided, so this page cannot place Sirach 7 against the book's larger structure of individual proverbs and longer essays on topics such as wisdom, the law, and the divine sage (see, e.g., Sirach 24). Because no cross-references were supplied, no links to other biblical passages can be drawn from the provided material.
Within the chapter itself, the supplied verses move from generic moral maxims (vv. 1–17) to domestic and social duties (vv. 18–36) without narrative or setting, which matches Ben Sira's usual didactic style of compiling short instructions under loose headings. The verse numbers provided correspond to the standard NRSV-style numbering used in many English editions of Sirach.
常见问题
Why does Sirach 7 read like a list rather than a story?
The chapter consists of roughly thirty short imperatives grouped only loosely by topic (self, household, community). This compendium style is characteristic of Ben Sira's collection of proverbial sayings, and the supplied verses show no narrative frame or connecting argument.
What does Sirach 7 say about sin and punishment?
Verses 1–2 teach that avoiding evil is itself protection; verse 8 says one sin will not go unpunished, and verse 9 warns against assuming God will accept offerings from the unrepentant. Verse 16 adds that wrath does not delay, and verse 17 links the punishment of the ungodly to fire and worms.
How does Sirach 7 treat the poor, the dead, and the sick?
The closing cluster commands generous giving to the poor (v. 32) and to the living generally, including the dead (v. 33), weeping with those who weep (v. 34), and not neglecting the sick, because such deeds win love (v. 35). The chapter then ends with the summary: remember your end and you will not sin (v. 36).