Sirach 44

44Let me now hymn the praisesof men of piety,

Of our fathers in their generations.

No little glory did the Most High allot them,

And they were greatfrom the days of old:

⁽Men⁽ who wielded dominion over the earth in their royalty,

And men of renown in their might;

Counsellors in their discernment,

And all-seeing in their prophetic ⁽power⁽;

Princes of nationsin their statesmanship,

And ⁽trusted⁽ leaders in their penetration;

Clever of speechin their ⁽scribal⁽ instruction,

and speakers of wise sayings in their tradition;

Devisers of psalms according to rule,

And authors of proverbs in books;

Men of resourceand supported with strength,

And living at ease in their dwelling-places:

All these were honouredin their generation,

And in their dayshad glory.

Some of them there are who have left a name,

That men might tell of their praise:

And some of them there are who have no memorial,

So that there was an end of them when they came to their end;

They were as though they had not been,

And their children after them.

Nevertheless these were men of piety,

And their good fortune shall not come to an end;

With their seed their prosperity remaineth sure,

And their inheritance to their children’s children.

In their covenant their seed abideth,

And their children’s children for their sakes;

Their memory abideth for ever,

And their righteousness shall not be forgotten;

Their bodies were buried in peace,

But their name liveth unto all generations.

The assembly recounteth their wisdom,

And the congregation declareth their praise.

Enoch walked with Jahveh ^[and was taken^[,

A miracle of knowledge to all generations.

Noah the righteous was found blameless;

In the season of destruction he became the continuator;

For his sake there was a remnant,

And by reason of the covenant with him the Flood ceased.

By an eternal sign⁽God⁽ concluded it with him,

Not to destroy ⁽again⁽ all flesh.

Abraham, ‘the father of a multitude of nations’,

Tarnished not his glory;

Who kept the commandment of the Most High,

And entered into a covenant with Him:

In his flesh He engraved him an ordinance,

And in trial he was found faithful.

Therefore with an oath He promised him

‘To blessthe nations in his seed’,

To multiply him ‘as the dust of the earth’,

And to exalt his seed ‘as the stars’;

To cause them to inherit ‘from sea to sea,

And from the River to the ends of the earth’.

And to Isaac also He promised itlikewise,

For his father Abraham’s sake;

And the blessing of all predecessors

Rested upon the head of Israel;

And He titled him with the dignity of firstborn,

And gave him his inheritance;

And He set him in tribes,

So as to be divided into twelve.

And He caused to issuefrom hima man

Who found favour in the sight of all living.