Book of Sirach 21-51, Book of Isaiah 1-5

Sirach 25: "I would rather dwell with a lion and a dragon than dwell with an evil wife."  As much as I would love to spin this around the thoughts on dragons at the time, I'll soon be talking about Sirach and women again..."From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die," for instance.

At some point, and perhaps it's owing to material that wasn't part of the original composition but not the fault of the original translator, Sirach's material really slips into the usual wisdom literature perspective and quality, losing its original spark, perhaps owing to someone expanding it to its current status as one of the longer Old Testament works.

31 and 32 speak better of wine than elsewhere is spoken of women.  At this point, it's just clear that Old Testament folk were deep in the heart of the kind of marriage practice that was more about arrangements than love.  The latter is said to be a relatively new invention.  The former produced so much grief that I'd say it colored man's whole interpretation of woman.  When you were marrying someone you didn't choose, there were no doubt going to be a lot (a lot) of bad matches.  I don't suppose either party would be happy about it, but it would probably be the girl being sold, essentially, by her father who would be more resentful of the arrangement.  And her unhappiness, or according to the bias of the man, unwillingness to just shut up and be happy, would paint her in a uniformly unflattering light.  And thus, all women are bad.  They are the "other."  And must be warned about and considered the source, well, of all evil.  Like Eve.  And the reason a great man like Solomon was brought down.  And such.

36: "...that there is no God but thee..."  Apparently Sirach is not familiar with the oodles of biblical material that clearly states God is preeminent among...other gods.  This may be the start of that particular whitewash...Although again, it's not like anyone attempted to delete the previous references.  It just seems to be assumed, perhaps, that they refer to false idols of pagan neighbors.

38 and 39 go out of their way to explain why different classes should remain separate, because they will just never be able to understand each other.

43 is a summary of God, and includes the phrase, "He is the all."  A sort of variation on "I Am Who Am," or omnipotence in so many words.

44 begins a litany of great biblical men, with some interesting selections:

• Enoch ("example of repentance," otherwise not especially biblicly important)
• Noah ("taken in exchange," which certainly seems to make that story different)
• Abraham ("kept the law," which is also interesting, considering "the law" didn't really exist for another few generations, under Moses)
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Moses ("a man of mercy," except when he was smiting people even after God decided not to!)
• Aaron (gets an incredibly lengthy write-up, almost as if he's far more important than anyone else)
• Phinehas ("zealot in the fear of God")
• Joshua ("mighty in war")
• Samuel
• David
• Solomon
• Elijah
• Josiah

And a few other names referenced, although it's not always clear to what extent Sirach is actually endorsing them to the level comparable with the above list, Hezekiah for example.  "No one like Enoch has been created on earth, for he was taken up from the earth.  And no man like Joseph has been born, and his bones are cared for.  Shem and Seth were honored among men, and Adam above every living being in the creation."

50 adds Simon to the list, perhaps on the same basis as Enoch.

Anyway, Sirach really seems to be a final summation of orthodox Jewish thought, perhaps the basis for its modern practice (you know, besides Moses) after a few notable deviations such as Book of Job and Ecclesiastes.

In the same way, Book of Isaiah might arguably called the beginning of a marked transition between the Old and New Testaments.  I know, his prophecies are important to the times he lived in, but he also serves as one of the classic biblical voices pointing, according to Christian thought, toward Jesus.  He seems to be saying in the early going that not only are the people corrupted, but God is actually tired of the old ways, which is to say preparing something new (which, by the way, even Christians don't understand).  The fifth chapter even features a parable that reads very similar to the ones Jesus would later give, concerning a vineyard as a metaphor.