1 Such is the one who fears the Lord; whoever embra ces the Law will obtain wis dom.
2 She will come out to meet him like a mother and greet him like a virgin bride;
3 she will feed him with the bread of understanding and give him the water of wisdom to drink.
4 He will rely on her and will not waver; he will lean on her and will not be let down.
5 Wisdom will make him greater than his friends and he will be able to speak in the full assembly.
6 He will be crowned with happiness and joy. He will inherit an everlasting name.
7 The fool will never possess her, and sinners will never set eyes on her.
8 She is far away from pride, and liars will know nothing of her.
9 Praise is not fitting on the lips of sinners since it does not come from the Lord.
10 Praise must come from the wise man; so the Lord himself inspires it.
God made us free and responsible
11 Do not say, “It was God who made me sin.” God does not cause what he hates.
12 Do not say, “He made me do wrong,” for he has nothing to do with a sinner.
13 The Lord hates all evil and those who fear him hate it as well.
14 When he created man in the beginning, he left him free to make his own decisions.
15 If you wish, you can keep the commandments and it is in your power to remain faithful.
16 He has set fire and water before you; you stretch out your hand to whichever you prefer.
17 Life and death are set before man: whichever a man prefers will be given him.
18 How magnificent is the wisdom of the Lord! He is powerful and all-seeing.
19 His eyes are on those who fear him. He knows all the works of man.
20 He has commanded no one to be godless and has given no one permission to sin.
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Comments Sirach, Chapter 15
• 15.11 This poem clearly declares that human beings are free and responsible. In his letter (1:13), James will recall the first sentence of this paragraph. In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Moses already told his people: “Life and death are before you; choose.”
At times the Bible seems to say that God pushes a person to sin in order to punish him later (see Ex 10:27; 2 S 24:1); yet there is no doubt that humans are free. The Israelites were so convinced that nothing is done without God, that they had trouble explaining how someone can sin without this being God’s will. Even though they lacked the words to express it, they always saw human beings as persons responsible for their actions.