Sirach takes its title from the name of its author, Jesus son of
Eleazar son of Sirach. Protestants do not regard Sirach as ‘inspired
Scripture’ and consign it to the Apocrypha. The Roman Catholic and Greek
Orthodox Churches would prefer to call it ‘deuterocanonical’. Sirach was
in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, and
was thus used by Christians from earliest times.

Ben Sira was a wise teacher who lived in Jerusalem and wrote these
sayings somewhere between 200 and 180 BCE. He knew the Hebrew Bible, and
also read widely in Greek and Egyptian literature.

The book has a loose structure, and comprises typical Hebrew wisdom
sayings. Perhaps it’s best-known for the long epic poem (chapters 44-50)
‘in praise of famous men’.

Here are some gleanings for you (from the NRSV translation):

Wisdom for anyone:

Unjust anger cannot be justified, for anger tips the scale to one’s
ruin (1:22)
Give a hearing to the poor, and return their greeting
politely. Rescue the oppressed from the oppressor (4:9)
Do not be
ashamed to be yourself (4:20)
Who is wise? Attach yourself to such a
one. If you see an intelligent person, rise early to visit him; let your
foot wear out his doorstep (6:34, 36)
Do not commit a sin twice; not
even for one will you go unpunished (7:8)
Give a daughter in
marriage, and you complete a great task; but give her to a sensible man
(7:25)
Do not praise individuals for their good looks, or loathe
anyone because of appearance alone (11:2)
Do not invite everyone
into your home, for many are the tricks of the crafty… Receive
strangers into your home and they will stir up trouble for you, and will
make you a stranger to your own family (11:29, 34)
Who pities a
snake charmer when he is bitten, or all those who go near wild animals?
(12:13)
Wine and women lead intelligent men astray… (19:2)
Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife. A silent wife is a gift
from the Lord, and nothing is so precious as her self-discipline (25:8,
26:14)
Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek as she cries
out against the one who causes them to fall? (35:18,19)
[The wise
person] sets his heart to rise early to seek the Lord who made him, and
to petition the Most High; he opens his mouth in prayer and asks pardon
for his sins (39:5)

Special wisdom for Catholics/Anglicans :-):

Do not babble in the assembly of the elders, and do not repeat
yourself when you pray (7:14)

Special wisdom for laity 🙂 :

With all your soul fear the Lord, and revere his priests (7:29)
With every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with
gladness (35:11)

And for miracle-healers 🙂 :

The Lord created medicines out of the earth, and the sensible will
not despise them… My child, when you are ill, do not delay, but pray
to the Lord, and he will heal you… Then give the physician his place,
for the Lord created him; do not let him leave you, for you need him
(38:4, 9, 12)

Something for inerrantists to ponder:

A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as
hot is the sun scorching the mountains (43:4)

Wisdom for parents:

To die childless is better than to have ungodly children (16:3)

Sayings about God:

Equal to his majesty is his mercy (2:18)
Do not say “His mercy
is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,” for both mercy and
wrath are with him, and his anger will rest on sinners (5:6)

Advice for newsgroupers 🙂 :

If you know what to say, answer your neighbor; but if not put your
hand over your mouth (5:12)
Pleasant speech multiplies friends, and
a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies (6:5)
Do not argue with the
loud of mouth, and do not heap wood on their fire (8:3)
Do not pick
a fight with the quick-tempered, and do not journey with them through
lonely country (!) (8:16)
Do not lift a weight too heavy for you…
(13:2)
Take care not to be led astray and humiliated when you are
enjoying yourself (13:8)
[God] has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose (15:16)
Some people
keep silent because they have nothing to say, while others keep silent
because they know when to speak. The wise remain silent until the right
moment, but a boasting fool misses the right moment. Whoever talks too
much is detested, and whoever pretends to authority is hated (20:6-8)

Put these under the heading ‘Profundity of the week’:

Do not disdain one who is old, for some of us are growing old
(8:6)
Whoever throws a stone straight up throws it on his own head
(27:25)
If you blow on a spark, it will glow; if you spit on it, it
will be put out; yet both come out of your mouth (28:12)
If you are
overstuffed with food get up and vomit, and you will have relief
(31:21)
A mocking friend is like a stallion that neighs no matter
who the rider is (33:6)
The stomach will take any food, yet one food
is better than another (36:23)
For not everything is good for
everyone, and no one enjoys everything (37:28)

And put this one in your ‘Good Questions’ file:

Why is one day more important than another, when all the daylight in
the year is from the sun? (33:7)

And finally…

But above all bless your Maker, who fills you with his good gifts
(32:13)
We could say more but could never say enough; let the final
word be: “He is the all” (43:27)

[From memory, HarperCollins are very generous with their invitation
to quote without seeking special permission. I believe this is well
within the permissible limits. Rowland Croucher]