Sirach, Chapter 51
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1
I will thank you,Yahweh, O King,I will praise you,O God of my salvation;I will declare your name,You are the strength of my life;
2
For you have redeemed my soul from death,You have kept back my flesh from the Pit,And have delivered my feet from the hand of Sheol.You preserved me from the slander of the people, from the scourge of a slanderous tongue,And from the lips of those who turn aside to lying,You were with me in the presence of those who rose up against me.
3
You helped me, according to the abundance of your mercy,Out of the snare of those watching for my downfall,And from the hand of those who seek my soul;Out of many troubles you have saved me,
4
And from the straits of the flame [round about me],From the midst of the fire that I did not kindle,
5
From the deep of the belly of Sheol,From wickedly devising lips,And from those who plaster falsehood,
6
And [from] the arrows of a deceitful tongue.My soul drew near to death,And my life to the nethermost Sheol;
7
And I turned about on every side, and there was none who helped me;Yes, I looked for one to uphold, but there was none.
8
Then I remembered the lovingkindnesses of Yahweh,And his mercies which have been from of old;He delivers those who put their trust in him,And redeems them from all evil.
9
And I lifted up my voice from the earth,And from the gates of Sheol I cried;
10
Yes, I cried: "Yahweh, you are my Father,My God, and the strength of my salvation,Do not forsake me in the day of trouble,In the day of wasteness and desolation.
11
I will praise your name continually,And will remember you in prayer."Then Yahweh heard my voice,And gave ear to my supplication.
12
And he redeemed from all evil, And delivered me in the day of trouble; Therefore will I give thanks [to him] and praise [him], And I will bless the name of Yahweh:
i. Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,For his mercy endures forever.ii. Give thanks to the God of praises,For his mercy endures forever.iii. Give thanks to the Keeper of Israel,For his mercy endures forever.iv. Give thanks to the Framer of all,For his mercy endures forever.v. Give thanks to the Redeemer of Israel,For his mercy endures forever.vi. Give thanks to him who gathers the outcasts of Israel,For his mercy endures forever.vii. Give thanks to him who builds his City and his Sanctuary,For his mercy endures forever.viii. Give thanks to him who causes a horn to sprout for the house of David,For his mercy endures forever.ix. Give thanks to him who chooses the sons of Zadok for priests,For his mercy endures forever.x. Give thanks to the Shield of Abraham,For his mercy endures forever.xi. Give thanks to the Rock of Isaac,For his mercy endures forever.xii. Give thanks to the Mighty One of Jacob,For his mercy endures forever.xiii. Give thanks to him who chooses Zion,For his mercy endures forever.xiv. Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings,For his mercy endures forever.xv. And he has exalted the horn of his people,The praise of all his pious ones,xvi. For the children of Israel,a people near to him; Hallelujah.
13
I was a youth, before I wandered,And I sought her out.
14
She came to me in her beauty,And I will seek her out even to the end.
15
Even as the blossom is diminished with the ripening,The grapes make the heart glad;My foot trod in an even place;For from my youth I have known her.
16
I bowed down my ear a little,And I found much learning.
17
And a nurse she was to me;And to my teacher I will give glory.
18
I purposed to wear away [the path] to her,I have been jealous for what is good, and I will not turn back.
19
My soul burned for her,And I did not turn my face away from her.I occupied my soul continually with her,And in her heights I will not be at ease.My hand opened her entrance,And I discern her secrets.
20
I cleansed my hands toward her,And in purity I found her;I obtained understanding with her from the beginning,Therefore I will not forsake her.
21
My insides were troubled, [longing] to seek after her;Therefore I obtained a good possession.[fn]
22
Yahweh gave me a tongue as my reward,And with it I will praise him.
24
How long will you⁺ lack these things,And your⁺ soul be very thirsty?
25
I open my mouth and speak of her,Get wisdom for yourselves without money.
26
Bring your⁺ necks under her yoke,And let your⁺ soul bear her burden;She is near to those who seek her,And the one who gives himself finds her.[fn]
27
See with your⁺ eyes that I labored only a little for her,But I found her in abundance.
28
Hear my teaching, though it is little,And silver and gold you⁺ will acquire by her.
29
May your⁺ soul rejoice in the mercy of God,And do not be ashamed to give him praise.
30
Work your⁺ work before the time,And he will give you⁺ your⁺ reward in its time.
Blessed be Yahweh, and praised be his name to generations. Thus far the words of Simeon, the son of Jeshua, who is called Ben-Sira. The Wisdom of Simeon, the son of Jeshua, the son of Eleazar, the son of Sira. May the name of Yahweh be blessed from now even to eternity.
Footnotes
21
The Syriac, followed by MS B, reads, "My insides burned like an oven to look upon her; Therefore I obtained her as a good possession." The Greek reads, "My insides were troubled to seek after her; Therefore I obtained a good possession." The Hebrew acrostic supports "insides" against the late Greek reading "heart."
23
The Greek reads, "Draw near to me." The Hebrew acrostic supports "turn in" or "turn aside," which is the verb in the invitation of Proverbs 9:4. MS B reads "my house of instruction"; Greek and Syriac read "the house of instruction."
26
In the second line, the text follows MS B, "bear her burden"; Greek and Syriac read "receive instruction." In the last line, the text follows Syriac and MS B, "the one who gives himself finds her"; Greek compresses the last two lines to "it is near to find her."
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