For he that feareth the Lord doeth this [i.e. seeketh Wisdom], And he that taketh hold of the Law findeth her [i.e. Wisdom]. The Law and Wisdom are used again as synonymous terms in xxxiv. (xxxi. in the Greek) 8: Without deceit shall the Law be fulfilled. And Wisdom is perfect in a mouth that is faithful. Perhaps the most striking example of the way in which the two are identified with each other is in xxiv. 23, where Ben-Sira speaks of things concerning Wisdom, saying: All these things are the book of the covenant of God Most High, The Law which Moses commanded as an heritage for the assemblies of Jacob. Equally direct are the words in xix. 20: All wisdom is the fear of the Lord, And all wisdom is the fulfilling of the Law. The “fear of the Lord,” as is often said by Ben-Sira, is both the true observance of the Law, and the “beginning,” or zenith, of Wisdom. The constant insistence upon the need of observing the Law is characteristic of this book; the following passage offers a good example out of many: He that seeketh out the Law shall gain her, But the hypocrite shall be snared thereby.... In all thy works guard thyself, For he that so doeth keepeth the commandment. He that observeth the Law guardeth himself, And he that trusteth in Jehovah shall not be brought to shame (xxxii. 15-24). Ben-Sira urges men not to be ashamed of the Law (xlii. 2), and loves to remind his hearers of how their great ancestors observed it and were enlightened by it, and taught it to others (see xliv. 20, xlv. 5, 17, xlvi. 14); and he also teaches that the fulfilling of the precepts of the Law is to be the chief concern in view of the inevitableness of death: Remember thy last end, and cease from enmity; Remember corruption and death, and abide in the commandments (xxviii. 6). Another point of importance in this connection is Ben-Sira’s teaching on the spirit in which the precepts of the Law should be carried out; in xxxiv. 18, 19 (in the Greek xxxi. 21-23) he says: The sacrifice of the unrighteous man is a mocking offering, And unacceptable are the oblations of the godless. The Most High hath no pleasure in the offerings of the ungodly, Neither doth He forgive sins for a multitude of sacrifices. Somewhat different in character, but breathing quite the same spirit, are the following words: He who washeth after contact with a dead body, and toucheth it again, What has he gained by his bathing? So a man fasting for his sins, And again doing the same, Who will listen to his prayer? And what hath he gained by his humiliation (verses 25, 26).