Sirach 25:8

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

5 How attractive is wisdom in the aged, and understanding and counsel in the venerable! 6 Rich experience is the crown of the aged, and their boast is the fear of the Lord. 7 I can think of nine whom I would call blessed, and a tenth my tongue proclaims: a man who can rejoice in his children; a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes. 8 Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife, and the one who does not plow with ox and ass together. Happy is the one who does not sin with the tongue, and the one who has not served an inferior. 9 Happy is the one who finds a friend, and the one who speaks to attentive listeners. 10 How great is the one who finds wisdom! But none is superior to the one who fears the Lord.

Matthew 5:3

New Testament

1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them by saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

 Notes and References

"... The original Hebrew for "Blessed" most likely was [in Sirach] but this section of Sirach has not been recovered in Hebrew. The Greek word, makarios, translated "Blessed", could also be translated "Happy", as in the NRSV, which is similar to my own translation. Some scholars think that "Happy" denotes blessing in the present age, but "Blessed" denotes happiness in the eschaton. This distinction collapses when one recognizes that the Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and Coptic word translated "blessed" can also be translated "happy" and that any distinction between "blessed" and "happy" is what an interpreter wishes to clarify. It is also misleading to claim that HBlessed" is reserved for God, and "happy" for humans. These are distinctions that an exegete might want to make. Note that both 4Q525 and Sirach 25 contain a list of beatitudes. That means we have ample evidence that a list of beatitudes can be dated to the first half of the second century BCE. ... Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, only Sirach 25 contained a list of beatitudes. Now we know that this literary genre was not unique to Jesus, but it was also not a pervasive form ..."

Charlesworth, James H. The Qumran Beatitudes (4Q525) and the New Testament (pp. 13-35) Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses, 2000

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