What does Ecclesiasticus Chapter 33 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Divine protection, prepared answer and ordered days are chapter assertions. Gleaning and inheritance counsel retain their particular sequence and annotations. Slave punishments, explicit limits and faithful-servant brotherhood remain fully represented.

Chapter breakdown

Ecclesiasticus 33 asserts no evil to the God-fearing and protection and deliverance in temptation. Wisdom does not hate commandments and justices and avoids storm-ship destruction; understanding is faithful to divine law reciprocally. Prepare an answer to a question, pray to be heard, keep discipline and then answer. Fool's heart resembles cart-wheel and thoughts rolling axle, mocking friend stallion neighing under each rider.

Why do day, light and year differ when coming from sun? Divine knowledge distinguishes them, sun keeping commandment, seasons and festival hours ordered, some days great and some ordinary. All humans come from ground like Adam; God's knowledge diversifies ways, blesses and exalts some, sanctifies nearby, curses and lowers others from station. Potter-clay fashioning parallels humanity in maker's hand receiving judgment. Good opposes evil, life death, sinner just, works two by two. These attributed oppositions are not replaced with a doctrine of complementary moral necessity.

The speaker awakened last, gleaning after grape-gatherers, hoped in blessing and filled winepress, laboring for all discipline-seekers. Great people, all people and church rulers must hear. Give no son, wife, brother or friend power while alive or estate to another lest regretting and asking it again. While breath remains none should change one; the separate note means gaining power over one. Children's requests are better than seeking their hands. Retain preeminence; the separate note explains household mastery. Keep glory unstained and distribute inheritance at end of days and death.

The text assigns ass fodder, wand and burden, slave bread, correction and work; corrected labor seeks rest, idle hands liberty, yoke and thong stiff-neck bending, constant work bowing slave. It explicitly assigns torture and fetters to a malicious slave and work to avoid idleness's evils; disobedience meets fetters. It equally explicitly forbids excess toward anyone or grievous action without judgment. Faithful servant is like one's soul and brother, obtained in soul's blood; unjust hurt causes flight, leaving unknown whom to ask or where to seek. These ancient severe instructions and limits are represented without sanitizing as equitable humanity or inventing an irreversible loss.

The story inside

Opening: Divine protection, prepared answer and ordered days are chapter assertions. Development: Gleaning and inheritance counsel retain their particular sequence and annotations. Conclusion: Slave punishments, explicit limits and faithful-servant brotherhood remain fully represented.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Divine protection, prepared answer and ordered days are chapter assertions.
2
Gleaning and inheritance counsel retain their particular sequence and annotations.
3
Slave punishments, explicit limits and faithful-servant brotherhood remain fully represented.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 76570–76574
33:1. No evils shall happen to him that feareth the Lord, but in temptation God will keep him and deliver him from evils. 33:2. A wise man hateth not the commandments and justices, and he shall not be dashed in pieces as a ship in a storm.
Lines 76609–76617
33:13. As the potter’s clay is in his hand, to fashion and order it: 33:14. All his ways are according to his ordering: so man is in the hand of him that made him, and he will render to him according to his judgment. 33:15. Good is set against evil, and life against death: so also is the sinner against a just man. And so look upon all the works of the most High. Two and two, and one against another.
Lines 76631–76646
33:20. Give not to son or wife, brother or friend, power over thee while thou livest; and give not thy estate to another, lest thou repent, and thou entreat for the same. 33:21. As long as thou livest, and hast breath in thee, let no man change thee. Change thee.... That is, so as to have this power over thee. 33:22. For it is better that thy children should ask of thee, than that thou look toward the hands of thy children. 33:23. In all thy works keep the pre-eminence. The pre-eminence.... That is, be master in thy own house, and part not with thy authority.