Sirach Chapter 28

Other Translations

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Qui vindicari vult, a Domino inveniet vindictam, et peccata illius servans servabit.

2 Relinque proximo tuo nocenti te: et tunc deprecanti tibi peccata solventur.

3 Homo homini reservat iram, et a Deo quærit medelam?

4 In hominem similem sibi non habet misericordiam, et de peccatis suis deprecatur?

5 Ipse cum caro sit, reservat iram, et propitiationem petit a Deo? quis exorabit pro delictis illius?

6 Memento novissimorum, et desine inimicari:

7 tabitudo enim et mors imminent in mandatis eius.

8 Memorare timorem Dei, et non irascaris proximo.

9 Memorare testamentum Altissimi, et despice ignorantiam proximi.

10 Abstine te a lite, et minues peccata:

11 homo enim iracundus incendit litem, et vir peccator turbabit amicos, et in medio pacem habentium immittet inimicitiam.

12 Secundum enim ligna silvæ sic ignis exardescit: et secundum virtutem hominis, sic iracundia illius erit, et secundum substantiam suam exaltabit iram suam.

13 Certamen festinatum incendit ignem: et lis festinans effundit sanguinem: et lingua testificans adducit mortem.

14 Si sufflaveris in scintillam, quasi ignis exardebit: et si expueris super illam, extinguetur: utraque ex ore proficiscuntur.

15 Susurro et bilinguis maledictus: multos enim turbabit pacem habentes.

16 Lingua tertia multos commovit, et dispersit illos de gente in gentem.

17 civitates muratas divitum destruxit, et domus magnatorum effodit.

18 Virtutes populorum concidit, et gentes fortes dissolvit.

19 Lingua tertia mulieres viratas eiecit, et privavit illas laboribus suis.

20 qui respicit illam, non habebit requiem, nec habebit amicum, in quo requiescat.

21 Flagelli plaga livorem facit: plaga autem linguæ comminuet ossa.

22 Multi ceciderunt in ore gladii, sed non sic quasi qui interierunt per linguam suam.

23 Beatus qui tectus est a lingua nequam, qui in iracundiam illius non transivit, et qui non attraxit iugum illius, et in vinculis eius non est ligatus:

24 iugum enim illius, iugum ferreum est: et vinculum illius, vinculum æreum est.

25 Mors illius, mors nequissima: et utilis potius infernus quam illa.

26 Perseverantia illius non permanebit, sed obtinebit vias iniustorum: et in flamma sua non comburet iustos.

27 Qui relinquunt Deum, incident in illam, et exardebit in illis, et non extinguetur, et immittetur in illos quasi leo, et quasi pardus lædet illos.

28 Sepi aures tuas spinis, linguam nequam noli audire, et ori tuo facito ostia, et seras.

29 Aurum tuum et argentum tuum confla, et verbis tuis facito stateram, et frenos ori tuo rectos:

30 et attende ne forte labaris in lingua, et cadas in conspectu inimicorum insidiantium tibi, et sit casus tuus insanabilis in mortem.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).