Sirach 39

39Not so he that applieth himself to the fear of God,

And to set his mind upon the Law of the Most High;

Who searcheth out the wisdom of all the ancients,

And is occupiedwith the prophets of old;

Who heedeththe discourses of men of renown,

And enterethinto the deep things of parables;

Searcheth out the hidden meaning of proverbs,

And is conversantwith the dark sayings of parables;

Who serveth among great men,

And appeareth before princes;

Who travelleth through the lands of the peoples,

Testeth good and evil among men;

Who is careful to seekunto his Maker,

And before the Most High entreateth mercy;

Who openeth his mouth in prayer,

And maketh supplication for his sins.

Ifit seem good to God Most High,

He shall be filled with the spirit of understanding.

He himself poureth forth wise sayings in double measure,

And giveth thanks unto the Lord in prayer.

He himself directethcounsel and knowledge,

And setteth his mind on their secrets.

He himself declareth wise instruction,

And glorieth in the law of the Lord.

His understanding many do praise,

And never shall his name be blotted out:

His memory shall not cease,

And his name shall live from generation to generation.

His wisdom doth the congregation tell forth,

And his praise the assembly publisheth.

If he live long, he shall be accounted happy more than a thousand;

And when he cometh to an end, his name sufficeth.

Yet again will I fix my thoughts and ^[make my doctrine to shine forth^[,

As the full moon on the twelfth day.

Hearken unto me, ye pious, and your flesh shall grow,

Like the cedar that is planted by streams of water.

Your scent shall be sweet as Lebanon,

And ye shall put forth blossoms as the lily.

Lift up your voice and sing together,

Andbless the Lord for all His works.

O magnify His name,

And acknowledge Him with praise,

With songs of the harpand of stringed instruments;

And thus shall ye say, with a shout:

The works of God are all good,

And supply every need in its season.

None may say: This is worse than that;

For everything availeth in its season.

⁽By His word⁽ He ordereth ⁽the luminaries in the heavenly height⁽,

And by the utterance of His mouth in His treasury.

In His place ⁽?⁽ His good pleasure attaineth its end,

And there is no restraint to His deliverance.

The works of all flesh are before Him,

And there is nothing hid from before His eyes.

From everlasting to everlasting He beholdeth,

And there is nothing small or petty with Him;

Is there limit ⁽?⁽ to His deliverance?

There is nothing too wonderful or hard for Him.

None may say: Wherefore is this?

For everything is selected for its use.

His blessing overfloweth as the Nile,

And saturateth the world like the River.

Even so His wrath dispossesseth nations,

And He turneth a watered land into salt.

His pathsare plain for the blameless;

Even so they offer obstaclesto the presumptuous.

Good things for the good hath He allotted from the beginning;

Even so to the evil good and evil.

⁽The chief of all the necessaries⁽ of life for man

Are water and fire, and iron and salt,

The fat of wheat, milk and honey,

The blood of the grape, oil and clothing.

All these prove good to the good—

Even so for the evil they are turned to evil.

There are ⁽winds⁽ which are formed ⁽for punishment⁽,

⁽And in their fury⁽remove moun⁽tains⁽.

In the season of destruction they pour out their force,

And appease the spirit of their creator.

Fire and hail, ^[famine^[ and pestilence—

These also are formed for judgement.

Beasts of prey, scorpions and vipers,

And the avenging sword to exterminate the wicked—

All these are created for their uses,

And are in the treasure-house ⁽ready⁽ to be requisitioned in due time:

When He giveth them the command they rejoice,

And in their prescribed tasks disobey not His behest.

Therefore from the beginning I was assured,

And when I had considered it I set it down in writing:

The works of God are all good,

They supply every need in its season.

None may say: This is worse than that;

For everything availeth in its season.

And now ring out whole-heartedly

And praise the name of the Holy One!