Sirach 47:12-25

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹² After him a wise son rose up
    who because of him lived in security:^[a]
13 Solomon reigned in an age of peace,
    because God made all his borders tranquil,
so that he might build a house in his name
    and provide a sanctuary to stand forever.
¹⁴ How wise you were when you were young!
    You overflowed like the Nile^[b] with understanding.
¹⁵ Your influence spread throughout the earth,
    and you filled it with proverbs having deep meaning.
¹⁶ Your fame reached to far-off islands,
    and you were loved for your peaceful reign.
¹⁷ Your songs, proverbs, and parables,
    and the answers you gave astounded the nations.
¹⁸ In the name of the Lord God,
    who is called the God of Israel,
you gathered gold like tin
    and amassed silver like lead.
¹⁹ But you brought in women to lie at your side,
    and through your body you were brought into subjection.
²⁰ You stained your honor,
    and defiled your family line,
so that you brought wrath upon your children,
    and they were grieved^[c] at your folly,
²¹ because the sovereignty was divided
    and a rebel kingdom arose out of Ephraim.
²² But the Lord will never give up his mercy,
    or cause any of his works to perish;
he will never blot out the descendants of his chosen one,
    or destroy the family line of him who loved him.
So he gave a remnant to Jacob,
    and to David a root from his own family.

²³ Solomon rested with his ancestors,
    and left behind him one of his sons,
broad in^[d] folly and lacking in sense,
    Rehoboam, whose policy drove the people to revolt.
Then Jeroboam son of Nebat led Israel into sin
    and started Ephraim on its sinful ways.
²⁴ Their sins increased more and more,
    until they were exiled from their land.
²⁵ For they sought out every kind of wickedness,
    until vengeance came upon them.