16 Some of them did that which was right,
but some multiplied sins.
17 Hezekiah fortified his city,
and brought water into its midst.
He tunneled through rock with iron,
and built cisterns for water.
18 In his days Sennacherib invaded,
and sent Rabshakeh, and departed.
He lifted up his hand against Zion,
and boasted great things in his arrogance.
19 Then their hearts and their hands were shaken,
and they were in pain, as women in labour.
20 But they called upon the Lord who is merciful,
spreading out their hands to him.
The Holy One quickly heard them out of Heaven,
and delivered them by the hand of Isaiah.
21 He struck the camp of the Assyrians,
and his angel utterly destroyed them.
22 For Hezekiah did that which was pleasing to the Lord,
and was strong in the ways of his ancestor David,
which Isaiah the prophet commanded,
who was great and faithful in his vision.
23 In his days the sun went backward.
He prolonged the life of the king.
24 He saw by an excellent spirit what would come to pass in the future;
and he comforted those who mourned in Zion.
25 He showed the things that would happen through the end of time,
and the hidden things before they came.
49
1 The memory of Josiah is like the composition of incense
prepared by the work of the perfumer.
It will be sweet as honey in every mouth,
and like music at a banquet of wine.
2 He did what was right in the reforming of the people,
and took away the abominations of iniquity.
3 He set his heart right towards the Lord.
In lawless days, he made godliness prevail.
4 Except David, Hezekiah, and Josiah,
all were wicked,
because 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 They set the chosen city of the sanctuary on fire
and made her streets desolate, as it was written by the hand of Jeremiah.
7 For they mistreated him;
yet he was sanctified in the womb to be a prophet,
to root out, to afflict, to destroy
and likewise to build and to plant.
8 Ezekiel saw the vision of glory,
which God showed him on the chariot of the cherubim.
9 For truly he remembered the enemies in rainstorm,
and to do good to those who directed their ways aright.
10 Also of the twelve prophets,†
may their bones flourish again out of their place.
He comforted the people of Jacob,
and delivered them by confident hope.
11 How shall we magnify Zerubbabel?
He was like a signet ring on the right hand.
12 So was Jesus the son of Josedek,
who in their days built the house,
and exalted a‡ people holy to the Lord,
prepared for everlasting glory.
13 Also of Nehemiah the memory is great.
He raised up for us fallen walls,
set up the gates and bars,
and rebuilt our houses.
14 No man was created upon the earth like Enoch,
for he was taken up from the earth.
15 Nor was there a man born like Joseph,
a leader of his kindred, a supporter of the people.
Even his bones were cared for.
16 Shem and Seth were honoured amongst men,
but above every living thing in the creation was Adam.
50
1 It was Simon, the son of Onias, the high priest,
who in his life repaired the house,
and in his days strengthened the temple.
2 The foundation was built by him to the height of the double walls,
the lofty retaining walls of the temple enclosure.
3 In his days, a water cistern was dug,
the brazen vessel like the sea in circumference.
4 He planned to save his people from ruin,
and fortified the city against siege.
5 How glorious he was when the people gathered around him
as he came out of the house of the veil!
6 He was like the morning star amongst clouds,
like the full moon,
7 like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High,
like the rainbow shining in clouds of glory,
8 like roses in the days of first fruits,
like lilies by a water spring,
like the shoot of the frankincense tree in summer time,
9 like fire and incense in the censer,
like a vessel of beaten gold adorned with all kinds of precious stones,
10 like an olive tree loaded with fruit,
and like a cypress growing high amongst the clouds.
11 When he put on his glorious robe,
and clothed himself in perfect splendour,
ascending to the holy altar,
he made the court of the sanctuary glorious.
12 When he received the portions out of the priests’ hands,
as he stood by the hearth of the altar,
with his kindred like a garland around him,
he was like a young cedar in Lebanon
surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.
13 All the sons of Aaron in their glory,
held the Lord’s offering in their hands before all the congregation of Israel.
14 Finishing the service at the altars,
that he might arrange the offering of the Most High, the Almighty,
15 he stretched out his hand to the cup of libation,
and poured out the cup of the grape.
He poured it out at the foot of the altar,
a sweet smelling fragrance to the Most High, the King of all.
16 Then the sons of Aaron shouted.
They sounded the trumpets of beaten work.
They made a great fanfare to be heard,
for a reminder before the Most High.
17 Then all the people together hurried,
and fell down to the ground on their faces
to worship their Lord, the Almighty, God Most High.
18 The singers also praised him with their voices.
There was a sweet melody in the whole house.
19 And the people implored the Lord Most High,
in prayer before him who is merciful,
until the worship of the Lord was finished,
and so they accomplished his service.
20 Then he went down, and lifted up his hands
over the whole congregation of the children of Israel,
to give blessing to the Lord with his lips,
and to glory in his name.
21 He bowed himself down in worship the second time,
to declare the blessing from the Most High.
22 Now bless the God of all,
who everywhere does great things,
who exalts our days from the womb,
and deals with us according to his mercy.
23 May he grant us joyfulness of heart,
and that peace may be in our days in Israel for the days of eternity,
24 to entrust his mercy with us,
and let him deliver us in his time!
25 With two nations my soul is vexed,
and the third is no nation:
26 Those who sit on the mountain of† Samaria, the Philistines,
and the foolish people who live in Shechem.
27 I have written in this book the instruction of understanding and knowledge,
I Jesus, the son of Sirach Eleazar, of Jerusalem,
who out of his heart poured forth wisdom.
28 Blessed is he who will exercise these things.
He who lays them up in his heart will become wise.
29 For if he does them, he will be strong in all things,
for the light of the Lord is his guide.‡
51
A Prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach.
1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, O King,
and will praise you, O God my Saviour.
I give thanks to your name,
2 for you have been my protector and helper,
and delivered my body out of destruction,
and out of the snare of a slanderous tongue,
from lips that fabricate lies.
You were my helper before those who stood by,
3 and delivered me, according to the abundance of your mercy and of your name,
from the gnashings of teeth ready to devour,
out of the hand of those seeking my life,
out of the many afflictions I endured,
4 from the choking of a fire on every side,
and out of the midst of fire that I hadn’t kindled,
5 out of the depth of the belly of Hades,
from an unclean tongue,
and from lying words—
6 the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king.
My soul drew near to death.
My life was near to Hades.
7 They surrounded me on every side.
There was no one to help me.
I was looking for human help,
and there was none.
8 Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord,
and your working which has been from everlasting,
how you deliver those who wait for you,
and save them out of the hand of their enemies.
9 I lifted up my prayer from the earth,
and prayed for deliverance from death.
10 I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord,
that he would not forsake me in the days of affliction,
in the time when there was no help against the proud.
11 I will praise your name continually.
I will sing praise with thanksgiving.
My prayer was heard.
12 You saved me from destruction
and delivered me from the evil time.
Therefore I will give thanks and praise to you,
and bless the name of the Lord.
13 When I was yet young,
before I went abroad,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
14 Before the temple I asked for her.
I will seek her out even to the end.
15 From the first flower to the ripening grape my heart delighted in her.
My foot walked in uprightness.
From my youth I followed her steps.
16 I inclined my ear a little, and received her,
and found for myself much instruction.
17 I profited in her.
I will give glory to him who gives me wisdom.
18 For I determined to practise her.
I was zealous for that which is good.
I will never be put to shame.
19 My soul has wrestled with her.
In my conduct I was exact.
I spread out my hands to the heaven above,
and bewailed my ignorances of her.
20 I directed my soul to her.
In purity I found her.
I got myself a heart joined with her from the beginning.
Therefore I won’t be forsaken.
21 My belly also was troubled to seek her.
Therefore I have gained a good possession.
22 The Lord gave me a tongue for my reward.
I will praise him with it.
23 Draw near to me, all you who are uneducated,
and live in the house of instruction.
24 Why therefore are you all lacking in these things,
and your souls are very thirsty?
25 I opened my mouth and spoke,
“Get her for yourselves without money.”
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