Day 203: Sirach 48 - 51

(ECCLESIASTICUS, OR THE WISDOM OF JESUS, SON OF SIRACH)

Chapter 48

1: Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch.
2: He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
3: By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.
4: How glorious you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours?
5: You raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High.
6: You sent kings down to destruction, and famous men, from their sickbeds.
7: You heard rebuke at Sinai and judgements of vengeance at Horeb.
8: You anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you.
9: You were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire.
10: At the appointed time, it is written, you are destined to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11: Happy are those who saw you and were adorned with your love! For we also shall surely live.
12: When Elijah was enveloped in the whirlwind, Elisha was filled with his spirit. He performed twice as many signs, and marvels with every utterance of his mouth. Never in his lifetime did he tremble before any ruler, nor could anyone intimidate him at all.
13: Nothing was too hard for him, and when he was dead, his body prophesied.
14: In his life he did wonders, and in death his deeds were marvellous.
15: Despite all this the people did not repent, nor did they forsake their sins, until they were carried off as plunder from their land, and were scattered over all the earth. The people were left very few in number, but with a ruler from the house of David.
16: Some of them did what was right, but others sinned more and more.
17: Hezekiah fortified his city, and brought water into its midst; he tunnelled the rock with iron tools, and built cisterns for the water.
18: In his days Sennacherib invaded the country; he sent his commander and departed;
he shook his fist against Zion, and made great boasts in his arrogance.
19: Then their hearts were shaken and their hands trembled, and they were in anguish, like women in labour.
20: But they called upon the Lord who is merciful, spreading out their hands towards him. The Holy One quickly heard them from heaven, and delivered them through Isaiah.
21: The Lord struck down the camp of the Assyrians, and his angel wiped them out.
22: For Hezekiah did what was pleasing to the Lord, and he kept firmly to the ways of his ancestor David, as he was commanded by the prophet Isaiah, who was great and trustworthy in his visions.
23: In Isaiah’s days the sun went backwards, and he prolonged the life of the king.
24: By his dauntless spirit he saw the future, and comforted the mourners in Zion. 

25: He revealed what was to occur to the end of time, and the hidden things before they happened.

Chapter 49

1:The name of Josiah is like blended incense prepared by the skill of the perfumer; his memory is as sweet as honey to every mouth, and like music at a banquet of wine.
2: He did what was right by reforming the people, and removing the wicked abominations.
3: He kept his heart fixed on the Lord; in lawless times he made godliness prevail.
4: Except for David and Hezekiah and Josiah, all of them were great sinners, for they abandoned the law of the Most High; the kings of Judah came to an end.
5: They gave their power to others and their glory to a foreign nation,
6: who set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary, and made its streets desolate, as Jeremiah had foretold.
7: For they had maltreated him, who even in the womb had been consecrated a prophet, to pluck up and ruin and destroy, and likewise to build and to plant.
8: It was Ezekiel who saw the vision of glory, which God showed him above the chariot of the cherubim.
9: For God also mentioned Job, who held fast to all the ways of justice.
10: May the bones of the Twelve Prophets send forth new life from where they lie, for they comforted the people of Jacob and delivered them with confident hope.
11: How shall we magnify Zerubbabel? He was like a signet ring on the right hand,
12: and so was Jeshua son of Jozadak; in their days they built the house
and raised a temple holy to the Lord, destined for everlasting glory.
13: The memory of Nehemiah also is lasting; he raised our fallen walls,
and set up gates and bars, and rebuilt our ruined houses.
14: Few have ever been created on earth like Enoch, for he was taken up from the earth.
15: Nor was anyone ever born like Joseph; even his bones were cared for.
16: Shem and Seth and Enosh were honoured, but above every other created living being was Adam.

 

Chapter 50

1: The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people was the high priest, Simon son of Onias, who in his life repaired the house, and in his time fortified the temple.
2: He laid the foundations for the high double walls, the high retaining walls for the temple enclosure.
3: In his days a water cistern was dug, a reservoir like the sea in circumference.
4: He considered how to save his people from ruin, and fortified the city against siege.
5: How glorious he was, surrounded by the people, as he came out of the house of the curtain.
6: Like the morning star among the clouds, like the full moon at the festal season;
7: like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High, like the rainbow gleaming in splendid clouds;
8: like roses in the days of first fruits, like lilies by a spring of water, like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day;
9: like fire and incense in the censer, like a vessel of hammered gold studded with all kinds of precious stones;
10: like an olive tree laden with fruit, and like a cypress towering in the clouds.
11: When he put on his glorious robe and clothed himself in perfect splendour,
when he went up to the holy altar, he made the court of the sanctuary glorious.
12: When he received the portions from the hands of the priests, as he stood by the hearth of the altar with a garland of brothers around him, he was like a young cedar on Lebanon surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.
13: All the sons of Aaron in their splendour held the Lord’s offering in their hands before the whole congregation of Israel.
14: Finishing the service at the altars, and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty,
15: he held out his hand for the cup and poured a drink-offering of the blood of the grape;
he poured it out at the foot of the altar, a pleasing odour to the Most High, the king of all.
16: Then the sons of Aaron shouted; they blew their trumpets of hammered metal;
they sounded a mighty fanfare as a reminder before the Most High.
17: Then all the people together quickly fell to the ground on their faces to worship their Lord, the Almighty, God Most High.
18: Then the singers praised him with their voices in sweet and full-toned melody.
19: And the people of the Lord Most High offered their prayers before the Merciful One,
until the order of worship of the Lord was ended, and they completed his ritual.
20: Then Simon came down and raised his hands over the whole congregation of Israelites, to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to glory in his name;
21: and they bowed down in worship a second time, to receive the blessing from the Most High.
22: And now bless the God of all, who everywhere works great wonders, who fosters our growth from birth, and deals with us according to his mercy.
23: May he give us gladness of heart, and may there be peace in our days in Israel, as in the days of old.
24: May he entrust to us his mercy, and may he deliver us in our days!
25: Two nations my soul detests, and the third is not even a people:
26: Those who live in Seir, and the Philistines, and the foolish people that live in Shechem.
27: Instruction in understanding and knowledge I have written in this book, Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach of Jerusalem, whose mind poured forth wisdom.
28: Happy are those who concern themselves with these things, and those who lay them to heart will become wise.
29: For if they put them into practice, they will be equal to anything, for the fear of the Lord is their path.

Chapter 51

Prayer of Jesus Son of Sirach
1: I give you thanks, O Lord and King, and praise you, O God my Saviour. I give thanks to your name,
2: for you have been my protector and helper and have delivered me from destruction and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue, from lips that fabricate lies. In the face of my adversaries you have been my helper 3a:nd delivered me, in the greatness of your mercy and of your name, from grinding teeth about to devour me, from the hand of those seeking my life, from the many troubles I endured,
4: from choking fire on every side, and from the midst of fire that I had not kindled,
5: from the deep belly of Hades, from an unclean tongue and lying words –
6: the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king. My soul drew near to death, and my life was on the brink of Hades below.
7: They surrounded me on every side, and there was no one to help me; I looked for human assistance, and there was none.
8: Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord, and your kindness from of old, for you rescue those who wait for you and save them from the hand of their enemies.
9: And I sent up my prayer from the earth, and begged for rescue from death.
10: I cried out, ‘Lord, you are my Father; do not forsake me in the days of trouble, when there is no help against the proud.
11: I will praise your name continually, and will sing hymns of thanksgiving.’ My prayer was heard,
12: for you saved me from destruction and rescued me in time of trouble. For this reason I thank you and praise you, and I bless the name of the Lord.

Hebrew adds:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the God of praises, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the guardian of Israel, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him, who formed all things, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout for the house of David, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him who has chosen the sons of Zadok to be priests, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the shield of Abraham, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the rock of Isaac, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the mighty one of Jacob, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion, for his mercy endures for ever;
Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings, for his mercy endures for ever;
He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his loyal ones.
For the children of Israel, the people close to him. Praise the Lord!
13: While I was still young, before I went on my travels, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
14: Before the temple I asked for her, and I will search for her until the end.
15: From the first blossom to the ripening grape my heart delighted in her; my foot walked on the straight path; from my youth I followed her steps.
16: I inclined my ear a little and received her, and I found for myself much instruction.
17: I made progress in her; to him who gives wisdom I will give glory.
18: For I resolved to live according to wisdom, and I was zealous for the good, and I shall never be disappointed.
19: My soul grappled with wisdom, and in my conduct I was strict; I spread out my hands to the heavens, and lamented my ignorance of her.
20: I directed my soul to her, and in purity I found her. With her I gained understanding from the first; therefore I will never be forsaken.
21: My heart was stirred to seek her; therefore I have gained a prize possession.
22: The Lord gave me my tongue as a reward, and I will praise him with it.
23: Draw near to me, you who are uneducated, and lodge in the house of instruction.
24: Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why do you endure such great thirst?
25: I opened my mouth and said, Acquire wisdom for yourselves without money.
26: Put your neck under her yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by.
27: See with your own eyes that I have laboured but little and found for myself much serenity.
28: Hear but a little of my instruction, and through me you will acquire silver and gold.
29: May your soul rejoice in God’s mercy, and may you never be ashamed to praise him.
30: Do your work in good time, and in his own time God will give you your reward.

Day 201: Sirach 40 - 43

(ECCLESIASTICUS, OR THE WISDOM OF JESUS, SON OF SIRACH)

Chapter 40

1: Hard work was created for everyone, and a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam, from the day they come forth from their mother’s womb until the day they return to the mother of all the living.
2: Perplexities and fear of heart are theirs, and anxious thought of the day of their death.
3: From the one who sits on a splendid throne to the one who grovels in dust and ashes,
4: from the one who wears purple and a crown to the one who is clothed in sackcloth,
5: there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest, and fear of death, and fury and strife. And when one rests upon his bed, his sleep at night confuses his mind.
6: He gets little or no rest; he struggles in his sleep as he did by day. He is troubled by the visions of his mind like one who has escaped from the battlefield.
7: At the moment he reaches safety he wakes up, astonished that his fears were groundless.
8: To all creatures, human and animal, but to sinners seven times more,
9: come death and bloodshed and strife and sword, calamities and famine and ruin and plague.
10: All these were created for the wicked, and on their account the flood came.
11: All that is of earth returns to earth, and what is from above returns above.
12: All bribery and injustice will be blotted out, but good faith will last forever.
13: The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a river, and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a storm.
14: As a generous person has cause to rejoice, so lawbreakers will utterly fail.
15: The children of the ungodly put out few branches; they are unhealthy roots on sheer rock.
16: The reeds by any water or river bank are plucked up before any grass;
17: but kindness is like a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endures forever.
18: Wealth and wages make life sweet, but better than either is finding a treasure.
19: Children and the building of a city establish one’s name, but better than either is one who finds wisdom. Cattle and orchards make one prosperous; but a blameless wife is accounted better than either.
20: Wine and music gladden the heart, but the love of friends is better than either.
21: The flute and the harp make sweet melody, but a pleasant voice is better than either.
22: The eye desires grace and beauty, but the green shoots of grain more than either.
23: A friend or companion is always welcome, but a sensible wife is better than either.
24: Kindred and helpers are for a time of trouble, but almsgiving rescues better than either.
25: Gold and silver make one stand firm, but good counsel is esteemed more than either.
26: Riches and strength build up confidence, but the fear of the Lord is better than either. There is no want in the fear of the Lord, and with it there is no need to seek for help.
27: The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing, and covers a person better than any glory.
28: My child, do not lead the life of a beggar; it is better to die than to beg.
29: When one looks to the table of another, one’s way of life cannot be considered a life. One loses self-respect with another person’s food, but one who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that. 30: In the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet, but it kindles a fire inside him.

Chapter 41

1: O death, how bitter is the thought of you to one at peace among possessions, who has nothing to worry about and is prosperous in everything, and still is vigorous enough to enjoy food! ,
2: O death, how welcome is your sentence to one who is needy and failing in strength,
worn down by age and anxious about everything; to one who is contrary, and has lost all patience!
3: Do not fear death’s decree for you; remember those who went before you and those who will come after.
4: This is the Lord’s decree for all flesh; why then should you reject the will of the Most High? Whether life lasts for ten years or a hundred or a thousand, there are no questions asked in Hades.
5: The children of sinners are abominable children, and they frequent the haunts of the ungodly.
6: The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish, and on their offspring will be a perpetual disgrace.
7: Children will blame an ungodly father, for they suffer disgrace because of him.
8: Woe to you, the ungodly, who have forsaken the law of the Most High God!
9: If you have children, calamity will be theirs; you will beget them only for groaning.
When you stumble, there is lasting joy; and when you die, a curse is your lot.
10: Whatever comes from earth returns to earth; so the ungodly go from curse to destruction.
11: The human body is a fleeting thing, but a virtuous name will never be blotted out.
12: Have regard for your name, since it will outlive you longer than a thousand hoards of gold.
13: The days of a good life are numbered, but a good name lasts forever.
14: My children, be true to your training and be at peace; hidden wisdom and unseen treasure - of what value is either?
15: Better are those who hide their folly than those who hide their wisdom.
16: Therefore show respect for my words; for it is not good to feel shame in every circumstance, nor is every kind of abashment to be approved.
17: Be ashamed of sexual immorality, before your father or mother; and of a lie, before a prince or a ruler;
18: of a crime, before a judge or magistrate; and of a breach of the law, before the congregation and the people; of unjust dealing, before your partner or your friend;
19: and of theft, in the place where you live. Be ashamed of breaking an oath or agreement, and of leaning on your elbow at meals; of surliness in receiving or giving,
20: and of silence, before those who greet you; of looking at a prostitute,
21: and of rejecting the appeal of a relative; of taking away someone’s portion or gift,
and of gazing at another man’s wife;
22: of meddling with his servant-girl - and do not approach her bed; of abusive words, before friends - and do not be insulting after making a gift.

Chapter 42

1: Be ashamed of repeating what you hear, and of betraying secrets. Then you will show proper shame, and will find favour with everyone. Of the following things do not be ashamed, and do not sin to save face:
2: Do not be ashamed of the law of the Most High and his covenant, and of rendering judgement to acquit the ungodly;
3: of keeping accounts with a partner or with travelling-companions, and of dividing the inheritance of friends;
4: of accuracy with scales and weights, and of acquiring much or little;
5: of profit from dealing with merchants, and of frequent disciplining of children, and of drawing blood from the back of a wicked slave.
6: Where there is an untrustworthy wife, a seal is a good thing; and where there are many hands, lock things up.
7: When you make a deposit, be sure it is counted and weighed, and when you give or receive, put it all in writing.
8: Do not be ashamed to correct the stupid or foolish or the aged who are guilty of sexual immorality. Then you will show your sound training, and will be approved by all.
9: A daughter is a secret anxiety to her father, and worry over her robs him of sleep: when she is young, for fear she may not marry, or if married, for fear she may be disliked;
10: while a virgin, for fear she may be seduced and become pregnant in her father’s house; or having a husband, for fear she may go astray, or, though married, for fear she may be barren.
11: Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter, or she may make you a laughing-stock to your enemies, a byword in the city and the assembly of the people, and put you to shame in public gatherings. See that there is no lattice in her room, no spot that overlooks the approaches to the house.
12: Do not let her parade her beauty before any man, or spend her time among married women;
13: for from garments comes the moth, and from a woman comes woman’s wickedness.
14: Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.
15: I will now call to mind the works of the Lord, and will declare what I have seen. By the word of the Lord his works are made; and all his creatures do his will.
16: The sun looks down on everything with its light, and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.
17: The Lord has not empowered even his holy ones to recount all his marvellous works,
which the Lord the Almighty has established so that the universe may stand firm in his glory.
18: He searches out the abyss and the human heart; he understands their innermost secrets. For the Most High knows all that may be known; he sees from of old the things that are to come.
19: He discloses what has been and what is to be, and he reveals the traces of hidden things.
20: No thought escapes him, and nothing is hidden from him.
21: He has set in order the splendours of his wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same. Nothing can be added or taken away, and he needs no one to be his counsellor.
22: How desirable are all his works, and how sparkling they are to see!
23: All these things live and remain forever; each creature is preserved to meet a particular need.
24: All things come in pairs, one opposite to the other, and he has made nothing incomplete.
25: Each supplements the virtues of the other. Who could ever tire of seeing his glory?

Chapter 43

1: The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.
2: The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.
3: At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat?
4: A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapours, and its bright rays blind the eyes.
5: Great is the Lord who made it; at his orders it hurries on its course.
6: It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign.
7: From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course.
8: The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvellous it is in this change,
a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens!
9: The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.
10: On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places; they never relax in their watches.
11: Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.
12: It encircles the sky with its glorious arc; the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.
13: By his command he sends the driving snow and speeds the lightnings of his judgement.
14: Therefore the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds.
15: In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength, and the hailstones are broken in pieces.
17a: The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth;
16: when he appears, the mountains shake. At his will the south wind blows;
17b: so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind. He scatters the snow like birds flying down, and its descent is like locusts alighting.
18: The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed as it falls.
19: He pours frost over the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed thorns.
20: The cold north wind blows, and ice freezes on the water; it settles on every pool of water, and the water puts it on like a breastplate.
21: He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness, and withers the tender grass like fire.
22: A mist quickly heals all things; the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.
23: By his plan he stilled the deep and planted islands in it.
24: Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers, and we marvel at what we hear.
25: In it are strange and marvellous creatures, all kinds of living things, and huge sea -monsters.
26: Because of him each of his messengers succeeds, and by his word all things hold together.
27: We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’
28: Where can we find the strength to praise him? For he is greater than all his works.
29: Awesome is the Lord and very great, and marvellous is his power.
30: Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can, for he surpasses even that. When you exalt him, summon all your strength, and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.
31: Who has seen him and can describe him? Or who can extol him as he is?
32: Many things greater than these lie hidden, for I have seen but few of his works.
33: For the Lord has made all things, and to the godly he has given wisdom.