Sirach 39
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
39 They seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
and are concerned with prophecies;(A)
2 they preserve the sayings of the famous
and penetrate the subtleties of parables;
3 they seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
and are at home with the obscurities of parables.(B)
4 They serve among the great
and appear before rulers;
they travel in foreign nations
and learn what is good and evil in the human lot.(C)
5 They set their hearts to rise early
to seek the Lord who made them
and to petition the Most High;
they open their mouths in prayer
and ask pardon for their sins.(D)
6 If the great Lord is willing,
they will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
they will pour forth words of wisdom of their own
and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.(E)
7 The Lord[a] will direct their counsel and knowledge
as they meditate on his mysteries.(F)
8 They will show the discipline of their training
and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant.
9 Many will praise their understanding;
it will never be blotted out.
Their memory will not disappear,
and their names will live through all generations.(G)
10 Nations will speak of their wisdom,
and the congregation will proclaim their praise.(H)
11 If they live long, they will leave a name greater than a thousand,
and if they go to rest, it is enough for them.
A Hymn of Praise to God
12 I have more on my mind to express;
I am full like the full moon.
13 Listen to me, my faithful children, and blossom
like a rose growing by a stream of water.(I)
14 Send out fragrance like incense
and put forth blossoms like a lily.
Raise your voice[b] and sing a hymn of praise;
bless the Lord for all his works.(J)
15 Ascribe majesty to his name
and give thanks to him with praise,
with songs on your lips and with harps;
this is what you shall say in thanksgiving:(K)
16 “All the works of the Lord are very good,
and whatever he commands will be done at the appointed time.(L)
17 No one can say, ‘What is this?’ or ‘Why is that?’—
for at the appointed time everything will be made known.
At his word the waters stood in a heap
and the reservoirs of water at the word of his mouth.(M)
18 At his command, his purpose is fulfilled,
and none can limit his saving power.(N)
19 The works of all are before him,
and nothing can be hidden from his eyes.(O)
20 From age to age he observes all,
and nothing is too marvelous for him.
21 No one can say, ‘What is this?’ or ‘Why is that?’—
for everything has been created for its own purpose.(P)
22 “His blessing covers the dry land like a river
and drenches it like a flood.
23 The nations will inherit his wrath,
as when he turned a watered land into salt.
24 To the faithful his ways are straight
but full of pitfalls for the lawless.(Q)
25 From the beginning good things were created for the good
but for sinners good things and bad.[c](R)
26 The basic necessities of human life
are water and fire and iron and salt
and wheat flour and milk and honey,
the blood of the grape and oil and clothing.(S)
27 All these are good for the godly,
but for sinners they turn into evils.(T)
28 “There are winds created for vengeance,
and in their anger they can dislodge mountains;[d]
on the day of reckoning they will pour out their strength
and calm the anger of their Maker.(U)
29 Fire and hail and famine and pestilence—
all these have been created for vengeance;(V)
30 the fangs of wild animals and scorpions and vipers
and the sword that punishes the ungodly with destruction.(W)
31 They take delight in doing his bidding,
always ready for his service on earth,
and when their time comes they never disobey his command.”(X)
32 So from the beginning I have been steadfast
and have thought it out and left it in writing:
33 All the works of the Lord are good,
and he will supply every need in its time.(Y)
34 No one can say, “This is not as good as that,”
for everything proves good in its appointed time.(Z)
35 So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
and bless the name of the Lord.
Ben Sira 39
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 39
How different the person who devotes himself
to the study of the law of the Most High!
1 He explores the wisdom of all the ancients
and is occupied with the prophecies;
2 He preserves the discourses of the famous,
and goes to the heart of involved sayings;
3 He seeks out the hidden meaning of proverbs,
and is busied with the enigmas found in parables.
4 He is in attendance on the great,
and appears before rulers.
He travels among the peoples of foreign lands
to test what is good and evil among people.
5 His care is to rise early
to seek the Lord his Maker,
to petition the Most High,
To open his mouth in prayer,
to ask pardon for his sins.
6 If it pleases the Lord Almighty,
he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
He will pour forth his words of wisdom
and in prayer give praise to the Lord.
7 He will direct his knowledge and his counsel,
as he meditates upon God’s mysteries.
8 He will show the wisdom of what he has learned
and glory in the Law of the Lord’s covenant.
9 Many will praise his understanding;
his name can never be blotted out;
Unfading will be his memory,
through all generations his name will live;(A)
10 Peoples will speak of his wisdom,
and the assembly will declare his praise.
11 While he lives he is one out of a thousand,
and when he dies he leaves a good name.
Praise of God the Creator[a]
12 Once more I will set forth my theme
to shine like the moon in its fullness!
13 Listen to me, my faithful children: open up your petals,
like roses planted near running waters;
14 Send up the sweet odor of incense,
break forth in blossoms like the lily.
Raise your voices in a chorus of praise;
bless the Lord for all his works!
15 Proclaim the greatness of his name,
loudly sing his praises,
With music on the harp and all stringed instruments;
sing out with joy as you proclaim:
16 The works of God are all of them good;
he supplies for every need in its own time.(B)
17 At his word the waters become still as in a flask;
he had but to speak and the reservoirs were made.(C)
18 He has but to command and his will is done;
nothing can limit his saving action.
19 The works of all humankind are present to him;
nothing is hidden from his eyes.(D)
20 His gaze spans all the ages:
is there any limit to his saving action?
To him, nothing is small or insignificant,
and nothing too wonderful or hard for him.
21 No cause then to say: “What is the purpose of this?”
Everything is chosen to satisfy a need.
22 His blessing overflows like the Nile;
like the Euphrates it enriches the surface of the earth.
23 Even so, his wrath dispossesses the nations
and turns fertile land into a salt marsh.(E)
24 For the virtuous his paths are level,
to the haughty they are clogged with stones.
25 Good things for the good he provided from the beginning,
but for the wicked good things and bad.
26 Chief of all needs for human life
are water and fire, iron and salt,
The heart of the wheat, milk and honey,
the blood of the grape, and oil, and clothing.(F)
27 For the good all these are good,
but for the wicked they turn out evil.
28 There are stormwinds created to punish;
in their fury they can dislodge mountains.
In a time of destruction they hurl their force
and calm the anger of their Maker.
29 Fire and hail, famine and disease:
these too were created for punishment.
30 Ravenous beasts, scorpions, vipers,
and the avenging sword to exterminate the wicked:
All these were created to meet a need,
and are kept in his storehouse for the proper time.
31 When he commands them, they rejoice,
in their assigned tasks they do not disobey his command.
32 That is why from the first I took my stand,
and wrote down as my theme:
33 The works of God are all of them good;
he supplies for every need in its own time.(G)
34 There is no cause then to say: “This is not as good as that”;
for each shows its worth at the proper time.
35 So now with full heart and voice proclaim
and bless his name!
Footnotes
- 39:12–35 Ben Sira invites his disciples to join him in joyfully proclaiming his favorite theme: The works of God are all good; God supplies for every need in its own time (vv. 12–16, 32–35). The sage describes God’s omniscience, supreme power and wisdom, whereby all created things, good in themselves, are ever present to him, obey him, and fulfill their intended purpose (vv. 17–21), bringing blessing to the virtuous, but evil and punishment to the wicked who misuse them (vv. 22–31). Cf. similar hymns of praise, 36:1–22; 42:15–43:33.
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