Sirach 36

^aHave mercy upon us, O Lord God of all, and behold us:

²And send thy fear upon all the nations that seek not after thee.

^3bLift up thy hand against the strange nations,

And let them see thy power.

⁴As ^cdthou wast sanctified in us before them:

So ^dbe thou magnified among them before us.

⁵And ^delet them know thee, as we have known thee,

That there is no God but only thou, O God.

⁶Shew new signs, and ^fmake other strange wonders:

Glorify ^ethy hand and thy right arm,

That they may set forth thy wondrous works.

⁷Raise up indignation, and ^bpour out wrath:

Take away the adversary, and destroy the enemy.

^8gMake the time short, remember the covenant,

And let them declare thy wonderful works.

⁹Let ^hhim that escapeth be consumed by the rage of the fire;

And let them perish that oppress the people.

¹⁰ⁱSmite in sunder the heads of the rulers of the heathen,

That say, There is none other but we.

^11kGather all the tribes of Jacob together,

And ^linherit thou them, as from the beginning.

¹²O Lord, have mercy upon ^mthe people that ⁿis called by thy name,

And upon Israel, whom thou hast named ^othy firstborn.

¹³O be merciful unto Jerusalem, thy ^pholy city,

^qThe place of thy rest.

¹⁴Fill Sion with thine unspeakable oracles,

And thy people with thy glory.

¹⁵Give testimony unto those that thou hast possessed from the beginning,

And raise up prophets that have been in thy name.

¹⁶Reward ^rthem that wait for thee,

And let thy prophets be found faithful.

¹⁷O Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants,

According to ^sthe blessing of Aaron over thy people,

That ^etall they which dwell upon the earth may know

That thou art the Lord, ^uthe eternal God.

^18vThe belly devoureth all meats,

Yet is one meat better than another.

^19wAs the palate tasteth divers kinds of venison:

So doth a heart of understanding false speeches.

²⁰A froward heart causeth heaviness:

But ^xa man of experience will recompense him.

^21vA woman will receive every man,

Yet is one daughter better than another.

²²The beauty of a woman cheereth the countenance,

And ^ya man loveth nothing better.

²³If there be kindness, meekness, and comfort, in her tongue,

Then is not her husband ^zlike other men.

²⁴He that getteth a wife beginneth a possession,

^aA help ^zlike unto himself, and a pillar of rest.

^25bWhere no hedge is, there the possession is spoiled:

And he that hath no wife will wander up and down mourning.

²⁶Who will trust ^ca thief well appointed,

That skippeth from city to city?

So who will believe a man that hath no house,

And ^dlodgeth wheresoever the night taketh him?

XXXVII.