Sirach Chapter 34

Other Translations

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

1 Vana spes, et mendacium viro insensato: et somnia extollunt imprudentes.

2 Quasi qui apprehendit umbram, et persequitur ventum: sic et qui attendit ad visa mendacia.

3 hoc secundum hoc visio somniorum: ante faciem hominis similitudo hominis.

4 Ab immundo quid mundabitur? et a mendace quid verum dicetur?

5 Divinatio erroris, et auguria mendacia, et somnia malefacientium, vanitas est.

6 Et sicut parturientis, cor tuum phantasias patitur. nisi ab Altissimo fuerit emissa visitatio, ne dederis in illis cor tuum:

7 multos enim errare fecerunt somnia, et exciderunt sperantes in illis.

8 Sine mendacio consummabitur verbum legis, et sapientia in ore fidelis complanabitur.

9 Qui non est tentatus, quid scit? Vir in multis expertus, cogitabit multa: et qui multa didicit, enarrabit intellectum.

10 Qui non est expertus, pauca recognoscit: qui autem in multis factus est, multiplicat malitiam.

11 Qui tentatus non est, qualia scit? qui implanatus est, abundabit nequitia.

12 Multa vidi errando, et plurimas verborum consuetudines.

13 Aliquoties usque ad mortem periclitatus sum horum causa, et liberatus sum gratia Dei.

14 Spiritus timentium Deum quæritur, et in respectu illius benedicetur.

15 Spes enim illorum in salvantem illos, et oculi Dei in diligentes se.

16 Qui timet Dominum nihil trepidabit, et non pavebit: quoniam ipse est spes eius.

17 Timentis Dominum beata est anima eius.

18 Ad quem respicit, et quis est fortitudo eius?

19 Oculi Domini super timentes eum, protector potentiæ, firmamentum virtutis, tegimen ardoris, et umbraculum meridiani,

20 deprecatio offensionis, et adiutorium casus, exaltans animam, et illuminans oculos, dans sanitatem, et vitam et benedictionem.

21 Immolantis ex iniquo oblatio est maculata, et non sunt beneplacitæ subsannationes iniustorum.

22 Dominus solus sustinentibus se in via veritatis et iustitiæ.

23 Dona iniquorum non probat Altissimus, nec respicit in oblationes iniquorum: nec in multitudine sacrificiorum eorum propitiabitur peccatis.

24 Qui offert sacrificium ex substantia pauperum, quasi qui victimat filium in conspectu patris sui.

25 Panis egentium vita pauperum est: qui defraudat illum, homo sanguinis est.

26 Qui aufert in sudore panem, quasi qui occidit proximum suum.

27 Qui effundit sanguinem, et qui fraudem facit mercenario, fratres sunt.

28 Unus ædificans, et unus destruens: quid prodest illis nisi labor?

29 Unus orans, et unus maledicens: cuius vocem exaudiet Deus?

30 Qui baptizatur a mortuo, et iterum tangit eum, quid proficit lavatio illius?

31 sic homo qui ieiunat in peccatis suis: et iterum eadem faciens, quid proficit humiliando se? orationem illius quis exaudiet?

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).