Sirach — Chapter 39 — Hebrew–Greek comparison
The Scribe and the Goodness of God’s Works
| Hebrew–English · Literal-Smooth | Greek–English · Literal-Smooth | Classification & Notes |
|---|---|---|
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Different is the one who gives his soul to considering the law of the Most High: he will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients and occupy himself with prophecies. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will preserve the discourse of renowned men and enter into the turns of parables. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and dwell among the riddles of parables. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will serve among dignitaries and appear before rulers. He will pass through the land of foreign nations, for he has experienced good and evil among human beings. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will give his heart to rising early before the Lord his Maker and petition the Most High. He will open his mouth in prayer and petition concerning his sins. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | If the great Lord is willing, he will be filled with a spirit of understanding. He himself will rain down words of his wisdom and give thanks to the Lord in prayer. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. Inherited Greek note39:6 Spirit of understanding is not given an unprinted personal identification; the condition if the Lord is willing is retained. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will direct his counsel and knowledge rightly and consider His hidden things. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. Inherited Greek note39:7 The scribe is provisionally subject of directing and considering; His hidden things refers to the Lord’s mysteries. The pronouns themselves remain compressed. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | He will reveal the instruction of his teaching and boast in the law of the Lord’s covenant. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Many will praise his understanding, and it will not be erased forever. His memory will not depart, and his name will live for generations of generations. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Nations will recount his wisdom, and the assembly will proclaim his praise. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | If he remains, he will leave a name greater than a thousand; if he rests, it suffices for him. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. Inherited Greek note39:11 “It suffices” uses the impersonal sense of ἐκποιεῖ documented in the directly read LSJ entry IV.2. The publisher’s κ differs from Swete, p. 724, whose main text has ἐμποιεῖ, “it produces/creates for him,” with an unexpressed object. This is an edition difference, not evidence that the publisher has been corrected here. The precise sense remains open. [LSJ-EKPOIEO; SWETE-SIR] |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Having reflected further, I will recount more, for I have become full like the moon at midmonth. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. Inherited Greek note39:12 The full-moon image renders διχομηνία. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Listen to me, holy sons, and sprout like a rose growing beside a flowing stream. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
No Hebrew text is available in the selected manuscript coverage for this unit. This is a source gap, not a classified omission. | Give a fragrant scent like frankincense, and blossom like a lily. Spread a scent and offer a song of praise; bless the Lord for all His works. | Not classified. No paired Hebrew reading is supplied. |
Hebrew 39:15 · fragmentary [With] songs of the harp and stringed instruments, speak thus with a joyful shout. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18[בש]ירות נבל וכלי מיני[ם] וכן תאמר בתרועה | Ascribe greatness to His name and give thanks with His praise, with songs of lips and lyres; say this in thanksgiving: | Similar · Hebrew 39:15 — Only the latter part of the Greek verse is preserved here. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:16 · fragmentary All God’s [works] are good, and He supplies every need in its time. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18[מעשי] אל כלם טובים וכל צורך בעתו יספיק | “All the Lord’s works are very good, and every command will come to pass at its time. One cannot say, ‘What is this? What is this for?’ For everything will be sought at its time. | Different · Hebrew 39:16 — Greek has every command fulfilled and adds the question about purpose here. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:17 · fragmentary He arranges […] and the utterance of His mouth is His storehouse. | At His word water stood like a heap, and at the utterance of His mouth came reservoirs of water. | Not classified · Hebrew 39:17 — Damaged Hebrew; the Greek specifically mentions water gathered in reservoirs. No five-category semantic verdict is assigned to this fragment. |
Hebrew 39:18 · fragmentary And […] His will succeeds; nothing restrains His salvation. | In His command is all His good pleasure, and no one can diminish His salvation. | Similar · Hebrew 39:18 — Opening damaged; the surviving clauses closely parallel Greek. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:19 · translated The deeds of all flesh are before Him, and nothing is hidden from His eyes. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18מעשה כל בשר נגדו ואין נסתר מנגד עיניו | The works of all flesh are before Him, and nothing can be hidden from His eyes. | Similar · Hebrew 39:19 — Shared assertion of divine knowledge. |
Hebrew 39:20 · fragmentary From age to age He looks; […] number for His salvation. Nothing is small or little with Him, and nothing is too wondrous or strong for Him. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18מעולם ועד עולם יביט […] מספר לתשועתו אין קטן ומעט עמו ואין נפלא וחזק ממנו | From age to age He has looked upon everything, and nothing is astonishing before Him. | Different · Hebrew 39:20 — Hebrew contains additional smallness/strength language and a damaged line. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:21 · translated Do not say, “This—why is this?” for everything is chosen for its purpose. Do not say, “This is worse than that,” for everything prevails in its time. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18אין לאמר זה למה זה כי הכל לצרכו נבחר אין לאמר זה רע מזה כי הכל בעתו יגבר | One cannot say, ‘What is this? What is this for?’ For all things have been created for their uses. | Similar · Hebrew 39:21 — Hebrew adds here the maxim also found at Greek 39:34. |
Hebrew 39:22 · translated Blessings overflow like the Nile and drench the world like a river. | His blessing covered like a river and drenched dry land like a flood. | Similar · Hebrew 39:22 — Hebrew names the Nile through יאר. |
Hebrew 39:23 · fragmentary […] His wrath dispossesses nations and turns watered land into salt. | So nations will inherit His wrath, as when He turned waters into brine. | Different · Hebrew 39:23 — Hebrew dispossessing nations differs from Greek nations inheriting wrath. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:24 · fragmentary […] the blameless are made straight; so for strangers they [rise as obstacles]. | His ways are straight for the holy, but likewise stumbling blocks for the lawless. | Not classified · Hebrew 39:24 — The damaged Hebrew main line cannot sustain a secure complete reading; margin reads “His paths … straight.” No five-category semantic verdict is assigned to this fragment. |
Hebrew 39:25 · fragmentary […] He allotted from the beginning [for the go]od; so for the wicked, good and evil. | Good things were created for the good from the beginning, and likewise evil things for sinners. | Different · Hebrew 39:25 — The main Hebrew closes “good and evil”; a marginal correction has “for evil,” closer to Greek. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:26 · fragmentary […] for human [li]fe: water, fire, iron, salt, […] [mi]lk, honey, grape-blood, oil, and clothing. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18[…] ל[חי]י אדם מים ואש וברזל ומלח […] [ח]לב ודבש דם ענב יצהר ובגד | The first necessities for human life are water, fire, iron, salt, fine wheat flour, milk, honey, the blood of the grape, oil, and clothing. | Similar · Hebrew 39:26 — The gap where Greek has fine wheat flour is retained, not filled from Greek. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. Inherited Greek note39:26 All ten items are retained; blood of the grape preserves the image for wine. |
Hebrew 39:27 · fragmentary All […] benefit the [go]od; so for the wicked they turn to evil. Hebrew witness B · IX recto, lines 1–18כל […] ל[ט]ובים ייטיבו כן לרעים לרעה נהפכו | All these are good for the godly, but likewise will turn into evils for sinners. | Similar · Hebrew 39:27 — Preserved contrast agrees; damaged words remain unfilled. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
Hebrew 39:28 · fragmentary […] they remove […] | There are spirits created for retribution; in His anger He made their scourges firm. At the time of completion they will pour out strength and assuage their Maker’s anger. | Not classified · Hebrew 39:28 — Only scattered words survive in B; the Masada I witness is also fragmentary. No continuous Hebrew text is supplied from Greek. Inherited Greek note39:28 Spirits can also evoke winds in the following natural forces; no specific named spirits are inserted. |
Hebrew 39:29 · fragmentary Fire, hail, evil, and plague—these too were cre[ated] for judgment. | Fire, hail, famine, and death—all these were created for retribution; | Different · Hebrew 39:29 — Main רע “evil” differs from Greek famine; plague corresponds broadly to Greek death. Classification assesses only the surviving/readable wording, not lost portions. |
This Hebrew unit spans Greek 39:30, 39:31; repeated here for alignment. Its classification applies to the combined passage. Hebrew 39:30 · translated A toothed beast, scorpion, viper, and sword of vengeance to destroy: all these were created for their purpose; they are in store, and at the proper time they are summoned. Hebrew witness B · IX verso, lines 1–18חית שן עקרב ופתן וחרב נקמות להחרים כל אלה לצורכם נבראו והמה באוצר ולעת יפקדו | the teeth of beasts, scorpions, vipers, and a sword exacting retribution upon the ungodly to their destruction. | Similar · Hebrew 39:30 — The Hebrew storehouse/summons clause extends into the content of Greek 39:31. The comparison applies to the combined Greek units 39:30–31, whose boundaries differ from this Hebrew unit. |
This Hebrew unit spans Greek 39:30, 39:31; repeated here for alignment. Its classification applies to the combined passage. Hebrew 39:30 · translated A toothed beast, scorpion, viper, and sword of vengeance to destroy: all these were created for their purpose; they are in store, and at the proper time they are summoned. Hebrew witness B · IX verso, lines 1–18חית שן עקרב ופתן וחרב נקמות להחרים כל אלה לצורכם נבראו והמה באוצר ולעת יפקדו Hebrew 39:31 · translated At His command they rejoice, and in their appointed rule they do not defy His word. | They will rejoice in His command and be prepared upon the earth for their uses; at their times they will not transgress His word.” | Similar · Hebrew 39:30 — The Hebrew storehouse/summons clause extends into the content of Greek 39:31. The comparison applies to the combined Greek units 39:30–31, whose boundaries differ from this Hebrew unit. Similar · Hebrew 39:31 — Shared obedience of the agents of judgment. Inherited Greek note39:31 The praise sequence ends here by editorial punctuation. |
Hebrew 39:32 · translated Therefore I took my stand from the beginning, reflected, and set it down in writing. Hebrew witness B · IX verso, lines 1–18על כן מראש התיצבתי והתבוננתי ובכתב הנחתי | Therefore from the beginning I stood firm, reflected, and left this in writing: | Similar · Hebrew 39:32 — Shared first-person declaration. |
Hebrew 39:33 · translated All God’s works are good; for every need He provides in its time. | “All the Lord’s works are good, and He will supply every need at its proper hour. | Similar · Hebrew 39:33 — Same affirmation and provision. |
Hebrew 39:34 · translated Do not say, “This is worse than that,” for everything proves strong in its time. Hebrew witness B · IX verso, lines 1–18אל לאמר זה רע מה זה כי הכל בעתו יגביר | One cannot say, ‘This is worse than that,’ for everything will prove good at its time.” | Similar · Hebrew 39:34 — Greek “will prove good”; Hebrew literally prevails. |
Hebrew 39:35 · translated Now sing aloud with all your heart, and bless the holy name. | And now sing hymns with all your heart and mouth, and bless the Lord’s name. | Similar · Hebrew 39:35 — Margin adds “lip”; Greek expressly has heart and mouth. |
Source and numbering
Hebrew English is newly translated from the manuscript-specific transcriptions in The Book of Ben Sira portal. Each translated unit identifies its selected witness and folio. This is a selected-witness working edition, not an exhaustive collation of every manuscript or a reconstruction of lost Hebrew. Brackets and fragmentary status identify uncertainty; no Greek text has been back-translated to fill Hebrew gaps.
The Greek-source English and its notes are inherited from the existing Sirach edition. The comparison categories are provisional editorial assessments against that English; this update is not a fresh verification of every Greek reading or its apparatus.
Working translation preserved from the recovered manuscript of 8 September 2026. Declared source: Septuaginta, Rahlfs–Hanhart, 2006, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, publisher’s Greek main text. Independent linguistic and critical-apparatus review remains outstanding. Source-access and reception claims in the inherited notes have not been freshly revalidated. Chapter and section headings are editorial.
The translator’s prologue is separate from the 51 chapters. Its eight source units map to publisher labels 1, 1a–1g; main-text 1:1 maps to 1h. Source 5:15 includes material often numbered 6:1, so chapter 6 begins at 6:2. Source label gaps are preserved; no text is invented.