The Book of Jesus Sirach

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- Chapter 24 -

Wisdom praises herself: her origin, her dwelling, her dignity, and her fruits.

Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people,

And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power,

And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly.

And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying:

I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures:

I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth:

I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud.

I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea,

And have stood in all the earth: and in every people,

And in every nation I have had the chief rule:

And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord.

Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle,

And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.

From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him.

And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.

And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.

I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion.

I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho:

As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted.

I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh:

And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm.

I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace.

As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.

In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits.

For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

My memory is unto everlasting generations.

They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.

They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth.

Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel.

He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever.

Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits.

Who maketh understanding to abound as the Euphrates, who multiplieth it as the Jordan in the time of harvest.

Who sendeth knowledge as the light, and riseth up as Gehon in the time of the vintage.

Who first hath perfect knowledge of her, and a weaker shall not search her out.

For her thoughts are more vast than the sea, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean.

I, wisdom, have poured out rivers.

I, like a brook out of a river of a mighty water; I, like a channel of a river. and like an aqueduct, came out of paradise.

I said: I will water my garden of plants, and I will water abundantly the fruits of my meadow.

And behold my brook became a great river, and my river came near to a sea:

For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off.

I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord.

I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and will leave it to them that seek wisdom, and will not cease to instruct their offspring even to the holy age.

See ye that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all that seek out the truth.

Wisdom praises herself: her origin, her dwelling, her dignity, and her fruits.

Wisdom will praise her own soul, and will proclaim her glory in the midst of her people.

She will open her mouth in the congregation of the Most High, and proclaim her glory in the presence of his power.

“I came out of the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth as a mist.

I lived in high places, and my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.

Alone I surrounded the circuit of heaven, and walked in the depth of the abyss.

In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I obtained a possession.

With all these I sought rest. In whose inheritance shall I lodge?

Then the Creator of all things gave me a command. He who created me made my tent to rest, and said, ‘Let your dwelling be in Jacob, and your inheritance in Israel.’

He created me from the beginning, before the ages. For all ages, I will not cease to exist.

In the holy tabernacle, I ministered before him. So I was established in Zion.

In the beloved city, likewise he gave me rest. In Jerusalem was my domain.

I took root in a people that was honored, even in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.

I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, And like a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.

I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, like rose bushes in Jericho, and like a fair olive tree in the plain. I was exalted like a plane tree.

Like cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent to perfumes. Like choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant fragrance, like(a) galbanum, onycha, stacte, and as the smell of frankincense in the tabernacle.

Like the terebinth, I stretched out my branches. My branches are glorious and graceful.

Like the vine, I put forth grace. My flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.

(b)

“Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled with my fruits.

For my memory is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance than the honeycomb.

Those who eat me will be hungry for more. Those who drink me will be thirsty for more.

He who obeys me will not be ashamed. Those who work with me will not sin.”

All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God, the law which Moses commanded us for an inheritance for the assemblies of Jacob.

(c)

It is he who makes wisdom abundant, as Pishon, and as Tigris in the days of first fruits.

He makes understanding full as the Euphrates, and as the Jordan in the days of harvest,

who makes instruction shine forth as the light, as Gihon in the days of vintage.

The first man didn’t know her perfectly. In like manner, the last has not explored her.

For her thoughts are filled from the sea, and her counsels from the great deep.

I came out as a canal stream from a river, and as an irrigation ditch into a garden.

I said, “I will water my garden, and will drench my garden bed.” Behold, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea.

I will yet bring instruction to light as the morning, and will make these things clear from far away.

I will continue to pour out teaching like prophecy, and leave it to all generations.

See that I have not labored for myself only, but for all those who diligently seek wisdom.

Footnotes

(a)24:15 See Exodus 30:34 .

(b)24:18 Verse 18 is omitted by the best authorities.