3 h 32 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 122 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 122 pagesAbout this book
How do you choose a friend, hold your tongue, and live with honor in a changing world?
Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus, gathers the teachings of a Jerusalem scribe and teacher. Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sira, addresses friendship, family, money, work, and prayer. His concern is practical: how to live well among other people, with loyalty, self-control, and care for the poor.
The collection moves from advice on speech and temper to a poem in which Wisdom speaks, then to praise of creation and Israel’s ancestors. According to Sirach, wisdom begins with fearing the Lord and is rooted in the Law of Moses. Early Christians also read the book in worship and teaching.
What you’ll discover
- Friendship worth testing Explore Sirach’s warm but wary counsel on choosing companions and deciding whom to trust.
- Words that carry weight Consider how speech can bring honor or shame, and why restraint matters.
- Daily duties and difficult choices Meet teachings on parents, poverty, money, and work that connect character with everyday responsibilities.
- Wisdom speaks for herself Encounter the central poem where Wisdom speaks and is identified with the Law of Moses.
- Creation and remembered lives Follow hymns of praise through sun, stars, sea creatures, and the great figures of Israel’s past.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love proverbs, quiet moral reflection and ancient voices that speak plainly about friendship, money, speech and family.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Jerusalem scribe answers the Greek world
- The fear of the Lord begins all wisdom
- Wisdom is a woman who seeks a home
- Honour your parents and keep your pride low
- Test your friends before you trust them
- Guard your tongue because words wound deeply
- Hold wealth loosely and give to the poor
- A good name and a grateful memory outlast us
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 122 pages: 6,95 USD when you start free, 6,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 122 pages: 15,95 USD when you start free, 15,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 184 pages: 8,95 USD when you start free, 8,95 USD on its own.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in, 184 pages: 17,95 USD when you start free, 17,95 USD on its own.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach
by Attributed to Joshua ben Sira
A Jerusalem scribe teaches how to test a friend, guard the tongue and give to the poor.
Medium level2–5 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a teacher in Jerusalem more than two thousand years ago, seated with young men in a house of instruction. He tells them how to test a friend before trusting him, how to set a guard on the mouth, and why a good name outlasts gold.
Keep listening. The whole audiobook, 3 h 32 min, and 200,000+ more, free to start. Renews every year; cancel anytime.
Listen freeOr hold it in print: paperback, hardcover or large print, at costFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Jerusalem scribe answers the Greek world
The book comes from a particular man in a particular hour. Jesus ben Sirach lived in Jerusalem in the early second century BCE, when Greek rulers and Greek ideas pressed on Jewish life. Some of his neighbours were drifting from the ways of their ancestors in search of status and polish. Ben Sirach answers them with teaching rather than anger.
He runs what he calls a house of instruction, where he trains young men in the art of living well. He does not copy the Greek philosophers, and he does not shut them out. He argues that the wisdom of Israel is itself a philosophy, rooted in the Torah, the Law of Moses. To hold to it is not narrowness but insight into how the world is made.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- Audiobook
- For the walk, the drive and the evening. Read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
- Paperback
- Light and easy to carry. A real book for the bedside table and the beach.
- Hardcover
- Made to last. For the shelf, and for giving.
- Large print paperback
- Bigger, clearer type. Easy on the eyes for long evenings and for reading aloud.
- Large print hardcover
- Bigger, clearer type. Easy on the eyes for long evenings and for reading aloud.
See the type size
Pick a size and read a line at that size. Hold your phone at reading distance.
A Jerusalem scribe teaches how to test a friend, guard the tongue and give to the poor.
Shown close to the printed size on most screens.
Details
- Language
- Italiano
- Listening time
- 3 h 32 min
- Level
- Medium level
- Paperback
- 122 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 122 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 184 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 184 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives to to Stati Uniti, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by
Cite this edition
Joshua ben Sira. Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-wisdom-of-jesus-ben-sirach.
Joshua ben Sira. (2026). Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-wisdom-of-jesus-ben-sirach (Original work published ca. 180 B.C.E.)
Joshua ben Sira. Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-wisdom-of-jesus-ben-sirach.
@book{joshuabensira2026wisdom,
author = {Joshua ben Sira},
title = {Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-wisdom-of-jesus-ben-sirach},
note = {First published ca. 180 BCE}
}
Rendilo personale
Il tuo messaggio stampato su una pagina dedicata all'inizio del libro. Gratis con ogni copia stampata.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 6,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 6,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach about?
It is a collection of poems, sayings and prayers on how to live well. Topics include friendship, speech, money, family, pride, health, death and the fear of the Lord, with a closing hymn praising Israel's heroes.
Why is Ecclesiasticus not in most Protestant Bibles?
Protestant churches follow the Hebrew canon, which leaves it out, so they place it among the apocrypha. Catholic and Orthodox churches count it as deuterocanonical and keep it in the Old Testament.
Who wrote Ecclesiasticus and when?
Jesus ben Sirach, a Jerusalem scribe, wrote it in Hebrew most likely between 200 and 175 BCE. His grandson rendered it into Greek in Egypt around 132 BCE.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
