The Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims — Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

Annotated History & Bibliography

Read Sirach 1:1

Overview

Sirach (Ben Sira; DRB: Ecclesiasticus) gathers finely crafted wisdom for life with God, community, family, and worship—Israel’s practical instruction for everyday virtue [1].

Canon & Translation Notes

Received in the Catholic canon [3]; in English Catholic Bibles, the NABRE translates Ben Sira from the preserved Hebrew where possible, otherwise following the Septuagint Greek [2].

Key Themes

“Fear of the Lord” as the source of wisdom; friendship and speech; wealth, mercy, and right worship [1] [4].

Annotated Bibliography

  1. USCCB, “Sirach (The Wisdom of Ben Sira).” Intro (author, aims, themes). bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/0 ↩︎ ↩︎
  2. NABRE Preface (Old Testament). Translation basis for Ben Sira (Hebrew where preserved; otherwise Septuagint Greek). bible.usccb.org/bible/preface/0 ↩︎
  3. Council of Trent, “Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures.” Formal canon list including Ecclesiasticus. papalencyclicals.net ↩︎
  4. USCCB, Sirach 1 Notes. “The Lord is the source… fear of the Lord” as programmatic theme. bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/1 ↩︎