Sirach 38:26-28

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²⁶ He sets his heart on plowing furrows,
    and he loses sleep over fodder for the heifers.
²⁷ So it is with every artisan and master artisan
    who labors by night as well as by day;
those who carve the signets of seals—
    each is diligent in making a great variety;
they set their heart on painting a lifelike image,
    and they lose sleep in order to finish their work.^(A)
28 So it is with the smith sitting by the anvil,
    intent on his ironwork;
the breath of the fire melts his flesh,
    and he struggles with the heat of the furnace;
the sound of the hammer deafens his ears,^[a]
    and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.
He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,
    and he loses sleep to complete its decoration.^(B)