Sirach
Chapter 36
Prayer for Israel
Have mercy on us, Master, God of all, and look upon us; cause every nation to fear you.
Take action against the pagan nations and let them see your power.
As you have used us to show your holiness to them, so use them to demonstrate your glory to us.
Let them acknowledge, as we have acknowledged, that there is no God but you, Lord.
Provide new signs, perform fresh wonders, extend your hand, and be glorified in your strength.
Ignite your fury and stir your anger, destroy your adversaries, and crush your enemies.
Hurry the day; remember your covenant so we can speak of your wondrous deeds.
Let the survivors be consumed by fiery wrath; let those who oppress be sent to destruction.
Crush the heads of hostile rulers—those who claim to be the only ones that matter.
Gather all the tribes of Jacob, give them back their inheritance, as in the beginning.
Have mercy, Lord, on your people who bear your name, on Israel, whom you called your firstborn.
Show compassion for the Holy City, Jerusalem, where you rest.
Fill Zion with the fame of your wonders, and make your people full of your glory.
Honor the promises made to your people long ago and follow through on the promises made in your name.
Reward those who wait for you and keep the promises of your prophets.
Hear the prayer of your servants, Lord; listen to your priests as they give Aaron’s blessing to your people.
So that everyone on Earth may recognize you as Lord and eternal God.
The stomach digests all kinds of food, but some foods are better than others.
Just as the tongue can distinguish the flavor of meat, so does the alert mind detect lies.
A dishonest heart brings sorrow, but an experienced person knows how to handle it.
A woman will accept any husband, but some daughters are better than others.
A woman’s beauty delights people and exceeds all that could be hoped for.
Choice of Wife
If she is kind and gentle, he is the luckiest of men.
When a man gets married, he gains a fortune: someone who understands him and will help and support him.
Without a hedge, the property will be destroyed; and without a wife, a man is a restless wanderer.
Who would trust a clever thief moving from town to town? Moreover, who would trust a man without a home, who stays wherever night catches him?
Commentaries
Prayer for Israel.
This prayer of supplication to the Lord can be divided into two parts. The first part (1-12) asks God to intervene urgently against Israel’s enemies. The arrogance of the oppressor is expressed in these terms: “there is no one like us” (12), to which the one who prays to the Lord confesses with conviction, “there is no God but You” (5), a phrase that implies believing that, just as God punished Israel, he will also punish other nations to demonstrate His power and glory. The second part (13-22) focuses on the people of Israel, for whom reunification is requested. It should be noted that at the time of the author, discussions already existed about “Jews of the dispersion,” referring to Jewish communities living in various cities outside their borders, scattered across different parts of the Near East, including Mesopotamia and Egypt. The author desires to have all people reunited and gathered around the places most laden with symbolic value: Zion (Jerusalem), the city belonging to God, and the Temple, the specific place of His dwelling.
Choice of Wife.
The ideal of harmony in creation becomes more tangible and real in marriage; it is within this context that the process of growth, love, and mutual help takes on a genuinely human and thus intelligent character. However, Ben Sira’s cultural assumptions do not see this as an ideal but rather as a matter of luck; remember that the parents of young people arranged marriages, leaving no room to get to know each other or to prepare properly for sharing the experience of being a couple as a joint project—she with the right man or he with the right woman. That is why the phrase “the woman accepts any husband” (26) is used; she had to accept him because her father controlled even her feelings. As a result, happiness, understanding, and harmony became not only something accidental but also a financial consideration.