Book of Ben Sira

The Book of Ben Sira, also known as Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, is a Jewish wisdom text written in Hebrew by Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira, a scholar in Jerusalem during the early 2nd century before the common count.

Its teachings emphasize wisdom, ethical conduct, family relationships, religious devotion, and observance of the Torah. The book also celebrates Israel's ancestors, prophets, and priests, preserving valuable insights into Jewish religious life before the Maccabean Revolt.

Translated into Greek by the author's grandson around −132, it was excluded from the Tanakh but remained influential in Jewish tradition. Hebrew manuscripts have survived through the Cairo Geniza and discoveries at Masada and Qumran.