Sirach 46

46A mighty man of valour was Joshua the son of Nun,

A minister of Moses in the prophetical office,

Who was formed to be according to his name

A great salvation for his chosen,

To take vengeance upon the enemy

And to give an inheritance to Israel.

How glorious was he when he stretched forth his hand ,

And brandished the javelin against the city!

Who was he that could stand before him?

For he fought the wars of Jahveh.

Was it not through him that the sun stood still,

⁽And⁽ one day became as two?

For he called upon the Most High God,

When he was in sore straits ⁽and⁽ his enemies around him;

And the Most High God answered him

With hailstones and bolts;

He cast them down upon the hostile people,

And in the going down he destroyed them that rose up,

In order that all the nations ⁽devoted to⁽ destruction might know

That Jahveh was watching their fighting:

And also because he fully followed after God,

And did an act of piety in the days of Moses,

He and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh,

In that they stood firm when the congregation broke loose.

To turn away wrath from the assembly,

And to cause the evil report to cease—

Wherefore also they two were set apart

From among the six hundred thousand footmen,

To bring them into their inheritance,

⁽Into⁽ a land flowing with milk and honey.

And He gave strength unto Caleb,

And unto old age it remained with him,

To cause him to treadupon the high places of the land;

And also his seed obtained a heritage,

In order that all the seed of Jacob might know

That it is good to follow fully after Jahveh.

Also the Judges, each with his name,

All whose hearts were not beguiled,

Nor turned back from ⁽following⁽ after God.

May their memory be for a blessing.

May their bones flourish again out of their place,

And may their name sprout afresh for their children.

Honoured by his people and loved by his Maker

Was ‘he that was asked for’ from his mother’s womb;

Sanctified of Jahveh in the prophetical office,—

Samuel, who acted as judge and priest.

By the word of God he established the kingdom,

And anointed princes over the people.

By means of the commandmenthe commanded the congregation,

And he mustered the tents of Jacob.

Because of his truthfulness they sought the prophet,

And the seer was also found reliable in his words.

And, moreover, he called upon God

When his enemies surrounded him on every side,

In that he offered up a sucking lamb,

^[And cried unto the Lord^[.

And Jahveh thundered from heaven,

With a mighty crash His voice was heard,

And He subdued the garrisons of the enemy,

and destroyed all the princes of the Philistines.

And at the time when he rested upon his bed,

He called Jahveh and His anointed to witness:

‘From whom have I taken a bribe, even a pair of shoes?’

And no man accused him.

^[And also to the time of his end he was found upright

In the eyes of Jahveh and in the eyes of all living.^[

Moreover after he died he was enquired of,

He declared unto the king his way;

And he lifted his voice from the earth,

To blot out iniquity by prophecy.