Sirach 37:12-39:11
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
12 But stay constantly with a godly man
whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments,
whose soul is in accord with your soul,
and who will sorrow with you if you fail.
13 And establish the counsel of your own heart,
for no one is more faithful to you than it is.
14 For a man’s soul sometimes keeps him better informed
than seven watchmen sitting high on a watchtower.
15 And besides all this pray to the Most High
that he may direct your way in truth.
True and False Wisdom
16 Reason is the beginning of every work,
and counsel precedes every undertaking.
17 As a clue to changes of heart
18 four turns of fortune appear,
good and evil, life and death;
and it is the tongue that continually rules them.
19 A man may be shrewd and the teacher of many,
and yet be unprofitable to himself.
20 A man skilled in words may be hated;
he will be destitute of all food,
21 for grace was not given him by the Lord,
since he is lacking in all wisdom.
22 A man may be wise to his own advantage,
and the fruits of his understanding may be trustworthy on his lips.
23 A wise man will instruct his own people,
and the fruits of his understanding will be trustworthy.
24 A wise man will have praise heaped upon him,
and all who see him will call him happy.
25 The life of a man is numbered by days,
but the days of Israel are without number.
26 He who is wise among his people will inherit confidence,[a]
and his name will live for ever.
Concerning Moderation
27 My son, test your soul while you live;
see what is bad for it and do not give it that.
28 For not everything is good for every one,
and not every person enjoys everything.
29 Do not have an insatiable appetite for any luxury,
and do not give yourself up to food;
30 for overeating brings sickness,
and gluttony leads to nausea.
31 Many have died of gluttony,
but he who is careful to avoid it prolongs his life.
Concerning Physicians and Health
38 Honor the physician with the honor due him,[b] according to your need of him,
for the Lord created him;
2 for healing comes from the Most High,
and he will receive a gift from the king.
3 The skill of the physician lifts up his head,
and in the presence of great men he is admired.
4 The Lord created medicines from the earth,
and a sensible man will not despise them.
5 Was not water made sweet with a tree
in order that his[c] power might be known?
6 And he gave skill to men
that he[d] might be glorified in his marvelous works.
7 By them he heals and takes away pain;
8 the pharmacist makes of them a compound.
His works will never be finished;
and from him health[e] is upon the face of the earth.
9 My son, when you are sick do not be negligent,
but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.
10 Give up your faults and direct your hands aright,
and cleanse your heart from all sin.
11 Offer a sweet-smelling sacrifice, and a memorial portion of fine flour,
and pour oil on your offering, as much as you can afford.[f]
12 And give the physician his place, for the Lord created him;
let him not leave you, for there is need of him.
13 There is a time when success lies in the hands of physicians,[g]
14 for they too will pray to the Lord
that he should grant them success in diagnosis[h]
and in healing, for the sake of preserving life.
15 He who sins before his Maker,
may he fall into the care[i] of a physician.
On Mourning for the Dead
16 My son, let your tears fall for the dead,
and as one who is suffering grievously begin the lament.
Lay out his body with the honor due him,
and do not neglect his burial.
17 Let your weeping be bitter and your wailing fervent;
observe the mourning according to his merit,
for one day, or two, to avoid criticism;
then be comforted for your sorrow.
18 For sorrow results in death,
and sorrow of heart saps one’s strength.
19 In calamity sorrow continues,
and the life of the poor man weighs down his heart.
20 Do not give your heart to sorrow;
drive it away, remembering the end of life.
21 Do not forget, there is no coming back;
you do the dead[j] no good, and you injure yourself.
22 “Remember my doom, for yours is like it:
yesterday it was mine, and today it is yours.”
23 When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance cease,
and be comforted for him when his spirit has departed.
Trades and Crafts
24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure;
and he who has little business may become wise.
25 How can he become wise who handles the plow,
and who glories in the shaft of a goad,
who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,
and whose talk is about[k] bulls?
26 He sets his heart on plowing furrows,
and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.
27 So too is every craftsman and master workman
who labors by night as well as by day;
those who cut the signets of seals,
each is diligent in making a great variety;
he sets his heart on painting a lifelike image,
and he is careful to finish his work.
28 So too is the smith sitting by the anvil,
intent upon his handiwork in iron;
the breath of the fire melts his flesh,
and he wastes away in[l] the heat of the furnace;
he inclines his ear to the sound of the hammer,[m]
and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.
He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,
and he is careful to complete its decoration.
29 So too is the potter sitting at his work
and turning the wheel with his feet;
he is always deeply concerned over his work,
and all his output is by number.
30 He moulds the clay with his arm
and makes it pliable with his feet;
he sets his heart to finish the glazing,
and he is careful to clean the furnace.
31 All these rely upon their hands,
and each is skilful in his own work.
32 Without them a city cannot be established,
and men can neither sojourn nor live there.
33 Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,
nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly.
They do not sit in the judge’s seat,
nor do they understand the sentence of judgment;
they cannot expound discipline or judgment,
and they are not found using proverbs.
34 But they keep stable the fabric of the world,
and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.
The Activity of the Scribe
39 On the other hand he who devotes himself
to the study of the law of the Most High
will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients,
and will be concerned with prophecies;
2 he will preserve the discourse of notable men
and penetrate the subtleties of parables;
3 he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
and be at home with the obscurities of parables.
4 He will serve among great men
and appear before rulers;
he will travel through the lands of foreign nations,
for he tests the good and the evil among men.
5 He will set his heart to rise early
to seek the Lord who made him,
and will make supplication before the Most High;
he will open his mouth in prayer
and make supplication for his sins.
6 If the great Lord is willing,
he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
he will pour forth words[n] of wisdom
and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.
7 He will direct his counsel and knowledge aright,
and meditate on his secrets.
8 He will reveal instruction in his teaching,
and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant.
9 Many will praise his understanding,
and it will never be blotted out;
his memory will not disappear,
and his name will live through all generations.
10 Nations will declare his wisdom,
and the congregation will proclaim his praise;
11 if he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand,
and if he goes to rest, it is enough[o] for him.
Footnotes
- Sirach 37:26 Other authorities read honor
- Sirach 38:1 Other authorities omit with the honor due him
- Sirach 38:5 Or its
- Sirach 38:6 Or they
- Sirach 38:8 Or peace
- Sirach 38:11 Heb: Vulgate omits as much as you can afford; Greek is obscure
- Sirach 38:13 Gk in their hands
- Sirach 38:14 Heb: Gk rest
- Sirach 38:15 Gk hands
- Sirach 38:21 Gk him
- Sirach 38:25 Or among
- Sirach 38:28 Cn Compare Syr: Gk contends with
- Sirach 38:28 Cn: Gk the sound of the hammer renews his ear
- Sirach 39:6 Other authorities read his words
- Sirach 39:11 Cn: the meaning of the Greek is uncertain
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 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.
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