Sirach 2:1

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

1 My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing. 2 Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of calamity. 3 Cling to him and do not depart, so that your last days may be prosperous. 4 Accept whatever befalls you, and in times of humiliation be patient. 5 For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation. 6 Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him. 7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not stray, or else you may fall.

James 1:2

New Testament

1 From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! 2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. 5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.

 Notes and References

"... The Letter of James is undoubtedly the New Testament writing that comes closest to the Book of Ben Sira. Although it would be an exaggeration to speak of literary dependence, there are numerous points of contact that merit closer study. Prominent among these is the literary, thematic and contextual affinity between Sirach 2:1-18 and James 1:2-12. Both are exhortations belonging to the same biblical tradition, as Frankemölle has demonstrated. In both texts, various trials (sent by the Lord) may serve, even for a faithful and law-abiding person, as a means of interior purification, further growth in faith, and a cause for deep joy (compare Genesis 22:1; Exodus 15:25; Deuteronomy 8:2; Job 1–2; Tobit 12:14; Wisdom of Solomon 3:5; Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4) ..."

Calduch-Benages, Núria "Amid Trials: Ben Sira 2:1 and James 1:2" in Corley, Jeremy and Vincent Skemp (eds.) Intertextual Studies in Ben Sira and Tobit: Essays in Honor of Alexander A. Di Lella (pp. 255-263) Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2005

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