An Ideal Scribe

ca. 180–132 BCE

About This Entry

In the second century BCE, Ben Sira describes the ideal scribe as pious, sophisticated, and well educated in the knowledge of “the wisdom of all the ancients.”

¹He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients,

and is concerned with prophecies;

²he preserves the sayings of the famous

and penetrates the subtleties of parables;

³he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs

and is at home with the obscurities of parables.

⁴He serves among the great

and appears before rulers;

he travels in foreign lands

and learns what is good and evil in the human lot.

⁵He sets his heart on rising early

to seek the Lord who made him,

and to petition the Most High;

he opens his mouth in prayer

and asks pardon for his sins.

⁶If the great Lord is willing,

he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;

he will pour forth words of wisdom of his own

and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.

⁷The Lord will direct his counsel and knowledge,

as he meditates on his mysteries.

⁸He will show the wisdom of what he has learned,

and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant.

⁹Many will praise his understanding;

it will never be blotted out.

His memory will not disappear,

and his name will live through all generations.

¹⁰Nations will speak of his wisdom,

and the congregation will proclaim his praise.

¹¹If he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand,

and if he goes to rest, it is enough for him.

Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.

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Credits

New Revised Standard Version Bible copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.