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Wisdom of Ben Sira 1:11-13
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 1:11-13
New Catholic Bible
The Beginning of Wisdom Is Fear of the Lord[a]
11 The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation,
happiness and a crown of joy.
12 The fear of the Lord gladdens the heart,
bestowing happiness and joy and a long life.
[b][The fear of the Lord is a gift from the Lord;
also for love he makes firm paths.]
13 The one who fears the Lord will experience a happy end;
he will be blessed on the day of his death.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 1:11 The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. But this fear is no longer the terror in the face of Yahweh’s terrifying power that appears in the Historical Books. It is close to love, reverence, admiration, and the freedom of children who entrust themselves to their father and are showered with wondrous gifts. In short, it is the true religious sense, the happiness of believing. Indeed, fear of the Lord is an important ingredient of faith (see Deut 4:9f; 8:5f; 10:12; 2 Chr 19:7; 26:5; Job 28:28; Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7; 9:10). And the expression, or its equivalent, occurs twelve times in this Book, since twelve was a sacred number for the ancients (e.g., twelve tribes of Israel, twelve months of the year).
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 1:12 Added by some early MSS.
