Part 8
The inheritance of sinners’ children shall perish, and with their posterity shall be a perpetual reproach.
Children will complain of an ungodly father, because they shall be reproached for his sake.
Woe unto you, ungodly men, which have forsaken the law of the Most High God!
If ye be born, ye shall be born to a curse; if ye die, a curse shall be your portion.
All things that are of the earth shall go back to the earth: so the ungodly shall go from a curse unto perdition.
The mourning of men is about their bodies: but the name of sinners being evil shall be blotted out.
Have regard to thy name; for it continueth with thee longer than a thousand great treasures of gold.
A good life hath its number of days; and a good name continueth for ever.
* * * * *
=42= Of these things be not ashamed, and accept no man’s person to sin thereby:
Of the law of the Most High, and his covenant; and of judgement to do justice to the ungodly;
Of reckoning with a partner and with travellers; and of a gift from the heritage of friends;
Of exactness of balance and weights; and of getting much or little;
Of indifferent selling of merchants; and of much correction of children; and of making the side of an evil servant to bleed.
Sure keeping is good, where an evil wife is; and where many hands are, shut thou close.
Whatsoever thou handest over, let it be by number and weight; and in giving and receiving let all be in writing.
Be not ashamed to instruct the unwise and foolish, and one of extreme old age that contendeth with those that are young; and so shalt thou be well instructed indeed, and approved in the sight of every man living.
* * * * *
A daughter is a secret cause of wakefulness to a father; and the care for her putteth away sleep;
* * * * *
Look not upon every body in regard of beauty, and sit not in the midst of women;
For from garments cometh a moth, and from a woman a woman’s wickedness.
Better is the wickedness of a man than a pleasant-dealing woman, and a woman which putteth thee to shameful reproach.
* * * * *
I will make mention now of the works of the Lord, and will declare the things that I have seen: in the words of the Lord are his works.
The sun that giveth light looketh upon all things; and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.
The Lord hath not given power to the saints to declare all his marvellous works; which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, that whatsoever is might be established in his glory.
He searcheth out the deep, and the heart, and he hath understanding of their cunning devices; for the Most High knoweth all knowledge, and he looketh into the signs of the world,
Declaring the things that are past, and the things that shall be, and revealing the traces of hidden things.
No thought escapeth him; there is not a word hid from him.
The mighty works of his wisdom he hath ordered, who is from everlasting to everlasting; nothing hath been added unto them, nor diminished from them; and he hath no need of any counsellor.
How desirable are all his works! one may behold this even unto a spark.
All these things live and remain for ever in all manner of uses, and they are all obedient.
All things are double one against another: and he hath made nothing imperfect.
One thing establisheth the good things of another: and who shall be filled with beholding his glory.
* * * * *
=43= The pride of the height is the firmament in its clearness, the appearance of heaven, in the spectacle of its glory.
The sun when he appeareth, bringing tidings as he goeth forth, is a marvellous instrument, the work of the Most High:
At his noon he drieth up the country, and who shall stand against his burning heat?
A man blowing a furnace is in works of heat, but the sun three times more, burning up the mountains: breathing out fiery vapours, and sending forth bright beams, he dimmeth the eyes.
Great is the Lord that made him; and at his word he hasteneth his course.
* * * * *
The moon also is in all things for her season, for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world.
From the moon is the sign of the feast day; a light that waneth when she is come to the full.
The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing; an instrument of the hosts on high, shining forth in the firmament of heaven;
The beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord.
At the word of the Holy One they will stand in due order, and they will not faint in their watches.
Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it; exceeding beautiful in the brightness thereof.
It compasseth the heaven round about with a circle of glory; the hands of the Most High have stretched it.
* * * * *
By his commandment he maketh the snow to fall apace, and sendeth swiftly the lightnings of his judgement.
By reason thereof the treasure-houses are opened; and clouds fly forth as fowls.
By his mighty power he maketh strong the clouds, and the hailstones are broken small:
And at his appearing the mountains will be shaken, and at his will the south wind will blow.
The voice of his thunder maketh the earth to travail; so doth the northern storm and the whirlwind: as birds flying down he sprinkleth the snow; and as the lightning of the locust is the falling down thereof:
The eye will marvel at the beauty of its whiteness, and the heart will be astonished at the raining of it.
The hoar frost also he poureth on the earth as salt; and when it is congealed, it is as points of thorns.
* * * * *
The cold north wind shall blow, and the ice shall be congealed on the water: it shall lodge upon every gathering together of water, and the water shall put on as it were a breastplate.
It shall devour the mountains, and burn up the wilderness, and consume the green herb as fire.
A mist coming speedily is the healing of all things; a dew coming after heat shall bring cheerfulness.
By his counsel he hath stilled the deep, and planted islands therein.
They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when we hear it with our ears, we marvel.
Therein be also those strange and wondrous works, variety of all that hath life, the race of sea-monsters.
By reason of him his end hath success, and by his word all things consist.
* * * * *
We may say many things, yet shall we not attain; and the sum of our words is, He is all.
How shall we have strength to glorify him? for he is himself the great one above all his works.
The Lord is terrible and exceeding great; and marvellous is his power.
When ye glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as ye can; for even yet will he exceed: and when ye exalt him, put forth your full strength: be not weary; for ye will never attain.
Who hath seen him, that he may declare him? and who shall magnify him as he is.
Many things are hidden greater than these; for we have seen but a few of his works.
For the Lord made all things; and to the godly gave he wisdom.
* * * * *
=44= Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.
The Lord manifested in them great glory, even his mighty power from the beginning.
Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, and were men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, such as have brought tidings in prophecies:
Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their understanding men of learning for the people; wise were their words in their instruction:
Such as sought out musical tunes, and set forth verses in writing:
Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations:
All these were honoured in their generations, and were a glory in their days.
There be of them, that have left a name behind them, to declare their praises.
And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished as though they had not been, and are become as though they had not been born; and their children after them.
But these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten.
With their seed shall remain continually a good inheritance; their children are within the covenants.
Their seed standeth fast, and their children for their sakes.
Their seed shall remain for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted out.
Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name liveth to all generations.
Peoples will declare their wisdom, and the congregation telleth out their praise.
* * * * *
=50= And now bless ye the God of all, which everywhere doeth great things, which exalteth our days from the womb, and dealeth with us according to his mercy.
May he grant us joy fulness of heart, and that peace may be in our days in Israel for the days of eternity:
To intrust his mercy with us; and let him deliver us in his time!
* * * * *
I have written in this book the instruction of understanding and knowledge, I Jesus, the son of Sirach Eleazar, of Jerusalem, who out of his heart poured forth wisdom.
Blessed is he that shall be exercised in these things; and he that layeth them up in his heart shall become wise.
For if he do them, he shall be strong to all things: for the light of the Lord is his guide.
* * * * *
=51= When I was yet young, or ever I went abroad, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
Before the temple I asked for her, and I will seek her out even to the end.
From her flower as from the ripening grape my heart delighted in her: my foot trod in uprightness, from my youth I tracked her out.
I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and found for myself much instruction.
I profited in her: unto him that giveth me wisdom I will give glory.
For I purposed to practise her, and I was zealous for that which is good; and I shall never be put to shame.
My soul hath wrestled in her, and in my doing I was exact: I spread forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her.
I set my soul aright unto her, and in pureness I found her. I gat me a heart joined with her from the beginning: therefore shall I not be forsaken.
My inward part also was troubled to seek her: therefore have I gotten a good possession.
The Lord gave me a tongue for my reward; and I will praise him therewith.
* * * * *
Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and lodge in the house of instruction.
Say, wherefore are ye lacking in these things, and your souls are very thirsty?
I opened my mouth, and spake, Get her for yourselves without money.
Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: she is hard at hand to find.
Behold with your eyes, how that I laboured but a little, and found for myself much rest.
Get you instruction with a great sum of silver, and gain much gold by her.
May your soul rejoice in his mercy, and may ye not be put to shame in praising him.
Work your work before the time cometh, and in his time he will give you your reward.
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Transcriber’s note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Line spacing has been standardized.
Spelling was retained as in the original except for the following changes:
Page 41: “confirmed the judgemen” “confirmed the judgement” Page 73: “from thine appetities” “from thine appetites” Page 117: “in the the midst of women” “in the midst of women”