Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

About this text

A large collection of practical wisdom, ethical instruction, and theological reflection by Jesus ben Sirach. Similar to Proverbs but more expansive.

Significance

Widely quoted by church fathers. Contains the famous "Let us now praise famous men" passage.

How to Read This Historical Text

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) is included here as a historical and educational resource, not as Scripture and not as a replacement for the biblical canon. Readers may find it useful for understanding the ideas, debates, devotional language, and literary settings that surrounded Jewish and Christian communities in different periods.

Read this text with context in mind. Notice its era, category, and relationship to canonical passages, then compare its themes with the Bible itself. Some library works preserve valuable historical background, while others represent viewpoints that many Christian traditions rejected. Inclusion in this library does not mean endorsement of every claim or doctrine in the text.

For more about how The Bible Companion handles public-domain writings, Bible translations, attribution, and devotional material, see the Sources & Editorial Policy.

Key excerpts

"Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us."

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure."

"Do not say, I sinned, and what happened to me? For the Lord is slow to anger."

Scripture cross-references

• Proverbs 17:17 — "A friend loves at all times" — same wisdom tradition
• Hebrews 11 — The "Hall of Faith" — structured like Sirach's "praise of famous men"

Continue exploring

This text is one of 10 in the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books category, and one of 62 across the entire library.