Sirach 2
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
Duties towards God
2 My child, when you come to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for testing.[a]
2 Set your heart right and be steadfast,
and do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
3 Cling to him and do not depart,
so that your last days may be prosperous.
4 Accept whatever befalls you,
and in times of humiliation be patient.
5 For gold is tested in the fire,
and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.[b]
6 Trust in him, and he will help you;
make your ways straight, and hope in him.
7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not stray, or else you may fall.
8 You who fear the Lord, trust in him,
and your reward will not be lost.
9 You who fear the Lord, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.[c]
10 Consider the generations of old and see:
has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?
Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord[d] and been forsaken?
Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected?
11 For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.
12 Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands,
and to the sinner who walks a double path!
13 Woe to the faint-hearted who have no trust!
Therefore they will have no shelter.
14 Woe to you who have lost your nerve!
What will you do when the Lord’s reckoning comes?
15 Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his words,
and those who love him keep his ways.
16 Those who fear the Lord seek to please him,
and those who love him are filled with his law.
17 Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts,
and humble themselves before him.
18 Let us fall into the hands of the Lord,
but not into the hands of mortals;
for equal to his majesty is his mercy,
and equal to his name are his works.[e]
Footnotes
- Sirach 2:1 Or trials
- Sirach 2:5 Other ancient authorities add in sickness and poverty put your trust in him
- Sirach 2:9 Other ancient authorities add For his reward is an everlasting gift with joy.
- Sirach 2:10 Gk of him
- Sirach 2:18 Syr: Gk lacks this line
Sirach 2
Common English Bible
Trusting in God
2 My child, if you come to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for testing.
2 Set your heart straight, be steadfast,
and don’t act hastily in a time of distress.
3 Hold fast to God
and don’t keep your distance from him,
so that you may find strength
at your end.
4 Accept whatever happens to you,
and be patient
when you suffer humiliation,
5 because gold is tested with fire,
and acceptable people are tested
in the furnace of humiliation.[a]
6 Trust him, and he will help you;
make your ways straight,
and hope in him.
7 You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy,
and don’t turn aside
or else you might fall.
8 You who fear the Lord, trust him,
and you won’t lose your reward.
9 You who fear the Lord,
hope for good things,
for unending joy and mercy.[b]
10 Look at the people
from long ago and see:
Who trusted in the Lord
and was put to shame?
Or who remained firm in godly fear
and was left behind?
Or who called upon the Lord, and the Lord
overlooked him?
11 After all, the Lord is compassionate
and merciful;
he forgives sins and rescues people
in a time of hardship.
12 How terrible it will be
for cowardly hearts and idle hands
and for a sinner who sets foot
upon two paths.
13 How terrible it will be for the timid heart.
Because it doesn’t trust,
therefore it won’t be protected.
14 How terrible it will be for you
who have lost your stamina.
What will you do when the Lord comes for his inspection?
15 Those who fear the Lord
won’t disobey his words,
and those who love him
will keep his ways.
16 Those who fear the Lord
will try to please him,
and those who love him will be fully occupied with observing the Law.
17 Those who fear the Lord
will prepare their hearts,
and they will humble themselves before him.
18 May we fall into the hands of the Lord
and not into the hands of human beings,
because his mercy
is equal to his greatness.
Footnotes
- Sirach 2:5 b adds to 2:5 In sickness and in poverty trust in him.
- Sirach 2:9 LXXb adds to 2:9 God repays with a gift of unending joy.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
