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Hymn to the ancestors

44 Now allow us to praise
famous people and our ancestors,
generation by generation.[a]
The Lord created[b] great glory,
    his majesty from eternity.
They ruled in their kingdoms,
    and made a name with their power,
    some giving counsel
    by their intelligence;
    some making pronouncements
    in prophecies;
    some leading the people
    by their deliberations,
    and by their understanding
    of the people’s learning,
    giving wise words in their instruction;
    others devising musical melodies,
    and composing poems;
    rich people endowed with strength,
    living in peace in their dwellings—
all of these were honored
in their generation,
    a source of pride in their time.
Some of them left behind a name
    so that their praises might be told.
For some there is no memory,
    and they perished as though
    they hadn’t existed.
    These have become as though
    they hadn’t been born,
        they and even their children after them.
10 But these were compassionate people
    whose righteous deeds
    haven’t been forgotten.
11 This will persist with their children;
    their descendants
    will be a good legacy.[c]
12 Their descendants stand
by the covenants,
    and their children also, for their sake.
13 Their descendants will last forever,
    and their glory will never be erased.
14 Their bodies were buried in peace,
    but their name lives for generations.
15 The people will tell of their wisdom,
    and the congregation
    will proclaim their praise.

Enoch

16 Enoch pleased the Lord
and was transferred,[d]
    an example of a changed heart
    and mind for generations.

Noah

17 Noah was found perfect and righteous;
    in a time of anger,
    he was selected in exchange
    for the ungodly.[e]
    Because of him,
    a few survivors remained on the earth
        when the flood happened.
18 Eternal covenants were made with him
    so that all living things would not be wiped out by a flood again.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

19 Abraham was the great father
of a multitude of nations,
    and there was no smudge on his glory.[f]
20 He kept the laws of the Most High,
    and he entered into a covenant with him.
        He established a covenant in his flesh,
        and when he was tested,
        he proved faithful.
21 Therefore, the Lord certified for Abraham
with a solemn pledge
    that he would bless nations
    through his descendants,
    that he would make him increase
    like the dust of the earth,
    exalt his descendants like the stars,
    and give them an inheritance
    from sea to sea
    and from the river to the end
    of the earth.

22 He made the same commitment to Isaac
because of Abraham his father.
He made a blessing for all humanity
and a covenant
23     to rest on Jacob’s head.
The Lord acknowledged him
with his blessings;
    he gave him an inheritance,
    divided his shares,
    and allotted them
    among the twelve tribes.

Moses

    The Lord brought forward out of Jacob[g]
    a man of mercy,
        who found favor with all living beings,

45 dearly loved by God
and human beings—
    Moses, who is remembered
    with blessing.
The Lord made Moses’ glory
equal to that of the holy ones,
    and he made Moses great
    so that Moses’ enemies would fear him.
By Moses’ words,
he brought signs to a halt;[h]
    the Lord glorified Moses
    in the presence of kings.
    The Lord gave Moses commandments
    for his people,
        and he showed Moses his glory.
The Lord ordained Moses
because of his faithfulness
and gentleness;
    he chose him out of all human beings.
The Lord let Moses hear his voice;
    he led him into the deep darkness,
    and he gave Moses commandments
    face-to-face,
        an instruction for life,
        and knowledge to teach the covenant
        to Jacob and his laws to Israel.

Aaron

The Lord exalted Aaron,
a holy person like Moses,
    his brother from the tribe of Levi.
The Lord established
an eternal covenant with him
    and gave him the priesthood
    of the people.
    He blessed Aaron with dignity,
    and wrapped him in a glorious cloak.
The Lord clothed him
with unrivaled praise,[i]
    and honored him
    with objects of power—
    leggings, a full-length robe,
    and the priestly vest.
He encircled Aaron with pomegranates,
    with a great number of gold bells
    all around,
    in order to create a sound
    when he stepped,
    to make a sound that would be heard
    in the temple,
    as a reminder for the children
    of the Lord’s people.
10 He clothed Aaron with the priestly vest,
with gold, blue, and purple,
the work of an embroiderer,
    with the oracle of judgment
    for making the truth known;
11     with braided scarlet,
    the work of a craftsperson;
    with the precious stones
    of an engraved seal
    in a gold setting,
    the work of a jeweler,
        as a memorial in engraved writing
        according to the number
        of the tribes of Israel.
12     He set a gold crown
    upon his turban,
        carved with a sacred seal,
        an item worthy of praise,[j]
        a work of strength,
    desirable objects to look at,
    richly adorned.
13 Before Aaron, such beautiful things
had not existed.
    No stranger will ever wear them,
        but only his sons and his descendants
        for all time.
14 His sacrifices will be entirely burned up
    twice daily, for all time.
15 Moses ordained Aaron
    and anointed him with holy oil;
        it became an everlasting covenant
        for him
            and for his descendants
            for as long as heaven lasts,
        to minister to God,
        to be a priest at the same time,
            and to bless his people in his name.
16 Moses chose him
out of all who were alive
    to offer fruitful sacrifices to the Lord,
        incense and a pleasing aroma
        as a remembrance,
        to secure reconciliation for the people.
17 By his commandments,
the Lord gave him authority
over covenants for judgment,
    to teach Jacob the testimonies,
    and to enlighten Israel with his Law.
18 Strangers conspired against Aaron,
    and they were jealous of him
    in the wilderness;
        those who were with
        Dathan and Abiram
        and the company of Korah
        assembled in anger and fury.
19 The Lord saw it and wasn’t pleased,
    and they were destroyed
    in his furious anger;
        he performed wonders among them,
        consuming them in a blazing fire.
20 He added to Aaron’s glory
    and gave him an inheritance;
    he gave him as his share
    the initial portion of the early produce;
    he prepared in abundance
    bread from the early produce.
21 They also will eat the sacrifices
of the Lord,
    which he gave to him
    and to his descendants.
22 But he has no inheritance
in the land of the people,
    and he has no portion among the people;
    for the Lord is your portion
    and inheritance.

Phinehas

23 Phinehas, Eleazar’s son,
comes third in glory,
    since he was on fire
    with the fear of the Lord,
        and since he stood firm
        when the people turned away,
        in the goodness and readiness
        of his spirit;
    thus he secured reconciliation for Israel.
24 Therefore, a covenant of peace
was established with Phinehas,
    that he should preside
    over the holy places
    and over his people,
        so that he and his descendants
        might have the splendor
        of the priesthood forever.
25 The Lord also made a covenant
with David,
    Jesse’s son, from the tribe of Judah;
        the king’s inheritance
        that passes from son to son only;
        Aaron’s inheritance
        is also for his descendants.

26 May the Lord grant you peace
in your heart,[k]
    to judge his people justly,
    so that the good things they have
    might not vanish
    and so that their glory might extend
    to generations to come.

Joshua and Caleb

46 Joshua, Nun’s son,
was powerful in battle,
        and he was Moses’ successor
        in prophecy.
    As his name suggests,
    he was mighty
    to deliver the Lord’s chosen ones,
        and to take revenge on enemies
        when they rose against them,
        so that he might give Israel
        an inheritance.
How glorious he was
when he raised his hands
    and when he extended his sword
    against cities!
Who among those who came before
stood as he did?
    Indeed, he fought the Lord’s wars.
Wasn’t the sun restrained by his hand,
    and one day lasted for two?
He called upon the Most High,
the mighty one,
    when his enemies pressed in on him
    from every side,
        and the great Lord responded to him
        with hailstones of mighty power.
He rushed headlong against a nation
in battle,
    and on a hill he destroyed those
    who opposed him,
        so that the nations might know
        how well-equipped he was,
    because his war was fought
    in the Lord’s presence.
    Indeed, he was a follower
    of the mighty one.
In the days of Moses
he performed acts of mercy,
    he and Caleb, Jephunneh’s son.
They opposed the congregation,
    restrained the people from sin,
    and put an end
    to their wicked grumbling.
So out of six hundred thousand soldiers,
        the two were spared to lead the people into their inheritance,
            into a land full of milk and honey.
The Lord gave Caleb strength,
    and it remained with him
    until he was old,
    so that he went up to the highlands,
    and his descendants had it
    as an inheritance.
10 In this way, all the Israelites
    could see that it is a good thing
    to follow the Lord.

Judges

11 May the memories of the judges
bring blessings,
    each with their own name,
    whose hearts remained faithful
        and who didn’t turn away from the Lord.
12 May their bones send forth new shoots of life from their burial places,
    and their names,
    honored by all humanity,
    continue in their descendants.[l]

Samuel

13 Samuel was dearly loved by his Lord.
    As a prophet from the Lord,
    he established a kingdom
    and anointed rulers over his people.
14 He judged the congregation
by the Lord’s law,
    and the Lord watched over Jacob.
15 He proved to be a reliable prophet
because of his faithfulness,
    and through his words
    he became known as a trustworthy seer.
16 He called upon the Lord, the mighty one,
    with an offering of a nursing lamb
    when his enemies pressed on him
    from every side.
17 The Lord thundered from heaven,
    and he made his voice loudly heard.
18 He destroyed the leaders
of the people of Tyre[m]
    and all the rulers of the Philistines.
19 Before the time of his eternal sleep,
Samuel testified
    before the Lord and his anointed one,
    “No property, not even a pair of sandals,
    have I taken from anyone!
        And not one person accused him.
20 Samuel prophesied
after he had fallen asleep,[n]
    and he showed the king
    what his end would be.
He made his voice heard from the ground
        in prophecy to wipe out
        the people’s lawless behavior.

Nathan

47 After him, Nathan rose up
    to prophesy at the time of David.

David

Just as the fat is separated
from the offering of well-being,
    so David was set apart
    from the Israelites.
He played with lions
as if they were young goats,
    and with bears
    as if they were lambs from the flock.
Didn’t he kill a giant in his youth
        and take away disgrace from the people,
    when he raised his hand with a stone shot from a sling
        and struck down
        the arrogant Goliath?
David called upon the Lord Most High,
    and the Lord gave strength
    to his strong arm
        to do away with a mighty warrior,
        to assert the power[o] of his people.
For this, they glorified him
in throngs of thousands.
    They praised him,
    calling down the Lord’s blessings,
    when they brought him
    a glorious crown.
David destroyed his enemies
on every side,
    and he despised the Philistines,
    his adversaries;
    he shattered their power,
    which has never recovered.[p]
In everything he did, he gave thanks
to the holy one, the Most High,
with glorious words.
    He sang hymns with all his heart,
    and he loved his maker.
He appointed singers with harps
before the altar
    to make sweet melody with their sounds.[q]
10 He brought dignity to the festivals,
    and he adorned the whole cycle
    of sacred seasons,[r]
    as they were praising God’s holy name,
        and from early morning
        the sanctuary resounded.
11 The Lord took away David’s sins,
    and he exalted his power[s] forever.
He established his kingdom by agreement;
    and a glorious throne in Israel.

Solomon

12 After David a well-instructed son arose,
    and because of David,
    he enjoyed a large kingdom.[t]
13 Solomon reigned at a time of peace.
    God gave him tranquillity on every side,
        so that he might build a house
        for God’s name
        and prepare a sanctuary
        that would last forever.
14 How wise you were in your youth!
    You were filled
    like a river with understanding.
15 Your spirit filled the earth,
    and you were full of puzzling proverbs.
16 Your name reached faraway islands,
    and you were dearly loved because of your peaceful rule.
17 Countries marveled at you
    on account of your songs, parables, proverbs, and teachings.
18 In the Lord God’s name,
    who is called God over Israel,
        you collected gold like tin,
        and you amassed silver like lead.
19 You gave yourself to women,[u]
    and you were subdued
    by your own body.
20 You brought disgrace on your honor,
    and you polluted your offspring,
        so that you brought punishment
        upon your children
        and caused pain
        because of your foolishness.
21         Your empire became divided,
        and a rival kingdom sprang up
        out of Ephraim.
22 But the Lord will never
abandon his mercy,
    and none of his words will perish.
        He will never wipe out
        the descendants of his chosen one,
        and never take away the descendants
        of the one who loved him.
    Therefore, he gave a remnant to Jacob
        and a root to David from his family.

Establishment of the northern kingdom

23 Solomon rested with his ancestors,
    and he left behind one of his offspring—
    Rehoboam, a foolish man among the people,[v] one lacking understanding.
    He caused the people to rebel
    because of his policy,
        led by Jeroboam, Nebat’s son,
        who made Israel sin
        and set Ephraim on its sinful path.
24 Their sins increased greatly
    until they were removed from their land.
25 They explored every kind of wickedness
    until vengeance overtook them.

Elijah

48 Then Elijah the prophet
rose up like fire,
    and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them,
    and he reduced their number by his zeal.
By the Lord’s word he shut up the sky,
    and in the same way
    he brought down fire three times.
How glorious you were, Elijah,
in your amazing deeds!
    Who will boast like you can?
    You raised a corpse from death,
        from the grave[w] by a word
        of the Most High.
    You brought kings down to destruction
        and dragged the famous
        from their beds.
    You heard a rebuke at Sinai
        and decrees of punishment at Horeb.
    You anointed kings to bring retribution
        and prophets to succeed you.
    You were taken up in a whirlwind of fire
        and in a chariot of fiery horses.
10     It is recorded that you are ready
    for the designated times,
        to calm anger before it turns to wrath,
        to turn the heart of a father to his son,
        and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11 Happy are those who saw you
    and who have fallen asleep[x]
    in your love,
    for we will surely live as well.

Elisha

12 Elijah was covered by the whirlwind,
    and Elisha was filled with his spirit.[y]
In his time, he didn’t tremble
before any ruler,
    and no one oppressed him.
13 Nothing was too great for him,
    and in death his body prophesied.[z]
14 During his life,
he performed wonders,
    and in death his accomplishments
    were marvelous.

15 In spite of these things,
the people didn’t change
their hearts and lives,
    and they didn’t turn from their sins
    until they were torn away
    from their land and scattered over the whole earth.
    The people who remained
    were few in number,
    but they had a ruler
    from the house of David.
16 Some of them did what pleased God,
    but others sinned even more.

Hezekiah and Isaiah

17 Hezekiah strengthened
the city’s defenses,
    and he provided a water supply.
    He tunneled through rock
    with iron tools,
    and he constructed storage tanks
    for water.
18 During his rule,
Sennacherib moved on Jerusalem,[aa]
    commissioned the field commander,
    and departed.
        The field commander attacked Zion,
        and made great boasts
        in his arrogance.
19 Then the people’s hearts and hands
were shaken,
    and they were in agony
    like a woman who is in labor.
20 They called upon the Lord
who is merciful,
        reaching out their hands to him.
    The holy one at once heard them
    from heaven,
        and he rescued them through Isaiah.
21 The Lord struck down
the camp of the Assyrians,
    and his messenger destroyed them.
22 Hezekiah did what was pleasing
to the Lord,
    and he kept to the ways of David
    his ancestor,
        as Isaiah the prophet, who was great
        and whose visions were reliable,
        had commanded.

23 In Isaiah’s time, the sun moved backward,
    and he extended the king’s life.
24 By his great spirit,
he saw what was to come,
    and he comforted those
    who mourned in Zion.
25 He revealed forever what would be
    and hidden things even before
    they happened.

Josiah

49 The memory[ab] of Josiah
is like a blend of incense,
    prepared with skill by a perfumer.
It will be sweet in the mouth, like honey,
    like music at a wine-drinking party.
He succeeded in turning around
the people,
    and he removed unlawful displays
    of idolatry.
He directed his heart toward the Lord;
    at a time of lawlessness,
    he made devotion to God stronger.

Destruction of Jerusalem

Except for David, Hezekiah, and Josiah,
        all of them struck a bad chord,
        because they abandoned
        the Law of the Most High.
    The kings of Judah came to an end.
They gave their power[ac] to others
    and their glory to a foreign nation,
        which set fire to Jerusalem, the chosen city, and its sanctuary
        and made its streets desolate,
        as Jeremiah said.
They mistreated him,
    even though he had been set apart
    from the womb to be a prophet
        to uproot, ruin, destroy,
        and likewise to build and plant.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel saw a vision of glory,
    when God showed him
    the chariot of the winged creatures.
He remembered the enemies
in the storm,
and favored those keeping
to a righteous path.[ad]
10 May the bones of the twelve prophets
    sprout new life from their
    burial places,
    because they comforted Jacob
    and rescued them
    with hopeful confidence.

Zerubbabel, Joshua, and Nehemiah

11 How should we praise Zerubbabel?
    He also was like a signet ring
    on the right hand,
12     as was Joshua, Jozadak’s son.
    In their time, they built a house
    and raised a holy temple to the Lord,
        prepared for everlasting glory.

13 Nehemiah’s memory is lasting;
    he who raised our fallen walls,
    set up gates and bars,
    and rebuilt our buildings.

Miscellaneous ancestors

14 No one was created on the earth
who was like Enoch,
    for he was taken up from the earth.
15 Nor has any man been born like Joseph,
    a leader of his brothers,
    a support for the people.[ae]
    They took special care
    even of his bones.
16 Shem and Seth were honored
among human beings,[af]
    and above every living thing in creation
    was Adam.

High Priest Simon

50 Simon, Onias’ son, was
a great high priest.[ag]
    During his life, he repaired the house
    and, in his time,
    strengthened the temple’s defenses.
He made the foundation
for the courtyard wall,
    a high fortification for the
    temple enclosure.
In his time, he dug out a storage basin
for water,
    a reservoir with a circumference
    like a lake’s.
He gave forethought to keeping
his people from disaster,
    and he strengthened the city
    against sieges.
How glorious he was as the people thronged around him
        when he came out from behind
        the curtain and left the temple![ah]
    Like a morning star
    in the midst of a cloud,
    like the full moon at the time of a feast,
    like the sun shining
    on the temple of the Most High,
    like a rainbow gleaming
    in glorious clouds,
    like a rose blossom in springtime,
    like lilies by streams of water,
    like a fresh shoot of the incense tree
    in the summertime,
    like fire and incense
    in an incense burner,
    like an object of hammered gold
        adorned with all sorts
        of precious stones,
10     like an olive tree sprouting fruit,
    and like a cypress towering
    to the clouds.
11 When he put on his glorious robe
    and clothed himself
    with perfect splendor,[ai]
    when he stepped up to the holy altar,
    he brought glory to the courts
    of the temple.

12 When he received the portions
of the sacrificial animals[aj]
from the priests’ hands,
        standing beside the altar’s hearth, surrounded by a wreath of brothers,
        he was like a new cedar of Lebanon,
    and they surrounded him
    like palm-tree trunks.
13 All Aaron’s sons were in their glory,
    and they held the Lord’s offering
    in their hands
    in front of the entire assembly
    of Israel.
14 When he was finishing his service
at the altar,
    after he had arranged an offering
    to the Most High, the almighty,
15     he stretched out his hand
    for the cup used for drink offerings
        and he poured a libation of wine.[ak]
        He poured it out at the base
        of the altar,
        a pleasing aroma to the Most High,
        the king of all.
16 Then Aaron’s sons cheered;
    they blew trumpets
    made of hammered metal
    and caused a great sound to be heard
    as a reminder before the Most High.
17 Then all at once, all the people
put their faces to the ground,
    bowing down to worship their Lord,
    the almighty, God Most High.

18 The singers, accompanied by harps,
    sang praises with their voices;
        they made a sweet melody
        with a full-bodied sound.
19 The people of the Lord Most High
offered prayers before the merciful one
    until the order of the Lord’s service
    was completed,
        and they finished their
        worship duties to him.
20 Then Simon came down
and raised his hands
    over the entire assembly
    of the Israelites
    to give the Lord’s blessing from his lips
    and to glorify his name.
21 And they bowed down to worship
a second time,
    to receive the blessing
    from the Most High.

22 Now bless the God of all
    who everywhere does great things,
    who raises us up from our birth
    and deals mercifully with us.
23 May he give us gladness in our hearts,
    and may there be peace in our time,
    in Israel as in times past.
24 May he grant us his mercy,
    and may he rescue us in our lifetime.[al]

Epilogue

25 My spirit takes offense at two nations,
    and the third is not even a nation:
26     those who settled on Samaria’s hills,[am]
        the Philistines,
        and the foolish people
        who dwell in Shechem.

27 Instruction in understanding
and knowledge
were inscribed in this scroll
    by Jesus, Sirach’s son and grandson
    of Eleazar the Jerusalemite.[an]
    He poured forth wisdom from his heart.
28 Favored are those who devote their time
to these things;
    when they take them to heart,
    they will be wise.
29 Indeed, if they do these things,
they will be up to any task,
    because the fear of the Lord
    is their path.[ao]

Footnotes

  1. Sirach 44:1 Heb in their generations
  2. Sirach 44:2 Heb measured out
  3. Sirach 44:11 Heb Their goods will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance will be for their grandchildren.
  4. Sirach 44:16 Heb was taken
  5. Sirach 44:17 Gk lacks for the ungodly; Heb he continued the human race.
  6. Sirach 44:19 Some Gk manuscripts He had no equal in glory.
  7. Sirach 44:23 Gk him
  8. Sirach 45:3 LXX; Heb he brought forth signs
  9. Sirach 45:8 Heb complete splendor
  10. Sirach 45:12 Heb majesty, glory; LXX a boast of honor
  11. Sirach 45:26 Heb begins And now bless the good Lord who has crowned you with glory.
  12. Sirach 46:12 Heb may their names be renewed in their descendants.
  13. Sirach 46:18 Heb he subdued the deputies of the enemy
  14. Sirach 46:20 Heb after he died
  15. Sirach 47:5 LXX horn
  16. Sirach 47:7 LXX shattered their horn to this very day
  17. Sirach 47:9 LXXb adds and every day they offer praise with their songs.
  18. Sirach 47:10 Gk he adorned the times until their completion
  19. Sirach 47:11 LXX horn
  20. Sirach 47:12 Gk he lived in broad places; Heb he lived in security.
  21. Sirach 47:19 LXX You bent your sides for women; Heb You gave your genitals to women.
  22. Sirach 47:23 Heb extensive in folly to form a pun on the name Rehoboam
  23. Sirach 48:5 LXX Hades; Heb Sheol
  24. Sirach 48:11 Heb died
  25. Sirach 48:12 Heb (with help of Syr) adds He performed twice as many signs and marvels with every word from his mouth.
  26. Sirach 48:13 Heb he did wonders
  27. Sirach 48:18 Gk came up
  28. Sirach 49:1 Heb name
  29. Sirach 49:5 LXX horn
  30. Sirach 49:9 Heb God also remembered Job, a prophet, who held fast to all the ways of righteousness.
  31. Sirach 49:15 Heb lacks a support for the people.
  32. Sirach 49:16 Heb adds Enosh to the list.
  33. Sirach 50:1 Heb Distinguished among his brothers and the glory of his people was the high priest Simon son of Onias.
  34. Sirach 50:5 Heb when he gazed out of the temple
  35. Sirach 50:11 Heb and when he put on splendid clothes
  36. Sirach 50:12 Gk lacks of the sacrificial animals.
  37. Sirach 50:15 LXX blood of the grape
  38. Sirach 50:24 Heb in 50:24 May his kindness to Simon endure, and may he fulfill the covenant of Phineas, so that it won’t be cut off from him or his descendants as long as the heavens last.
  39. Sirach 50:26 Heb the ones settling in Seir
  40. Sirach 50:27 LXX lacks grandson; Heb Jesus, Eleazar’s son and Sirach’s grandson.
  41. Sirach 50:29 LXXb adds and he gave wisdom to the godly. Bless the Lord forever. Amen. Amen.

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