Sirach 44–45

Hymn in Honor of Our Ancestors^s

⁴⁴Let us now sing the praises of famous men,

our ancestors in their generations.

²The Lord apportioned to them^t great glory,

his majesty from the beginning.

³There were those who ruled in their kingdoms

and made a name for themselves by their strength;

those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;

those who spoke in prophetic oracles;^*

⁴those who led the people by their counsels

and by their knowledge of the people’s lore;

they were wise in their words of instruction;

⁵those who composed musical tunes

or put verses in writing;^*

⁶rich men endowed with resources,

living peacefully in their homes—

⁷all these were honored in their generations

and were the pride of their times.

⁸Some of them have left behind a name,

so that others declare their praise.

⁹But of others there is no memory;

they have perished as though they had never existed;

they have become as though they had never been born,

they and their children after them.^*

¹⁰But these also were men of compassion

whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;

¹¹their wealth will remain with their descendants

and their inheritance with their children’s children.^u*

¹²Their descendants stand by the covenants;

their children also, for their sake.

¹³Their offspring will continue forever,

and their glory will never be blotted out.^*

¹⁴Their bodies are buried in peace,

but their name lives on generation after generation.^*

¹⁵The assembly declares^v their wisdom,

and the congregation proclaims their praise.^*

Enoch

¹⁶Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken up,

an example of repentance to all generations.^*

Noah

¹⁷Noah was found perfect and righteous;

in the time of wrath he kept humanity alive;^w

because of him^x a remnant was left on the earth

when the flood came.^*

¹⁸Everlasting covenants were made with him

that all flesh should never again be blotted out by a flood.^*

Abraham

¹⁹Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations,

and no one has been found like him in glory.^*

²⁰He kept the law of the Most High

and entered into a covenant with him;

he certified the covenant in his flesh,

and when he was tested he proved faithful.^*

²¹Therefore the Lord^y assured him with an oath

that the nations would be blessed through his offspring,

that he would make him as numerous as the dust of the earth

and exalt his offspring like the stars

and give them an inheritance from sea to sea

and from the Euphrates^z to the ends of the earth.^*

Isaac and Jacob

²²To Isaac also he gave the same assurance

for the sake of his father Abraham.

The blessing of all people and a covenant^*

²³he made to rest on the head of Jacob;

he acknowledged him with his blessings

and gave him his inheritance;

he divided his portions

and distributed them among twelve tribes.

Moses

From his descendants the Lord^a brought forth a man of compassion

who found favor in the sight of all^*

¹and was beloved by God and people,

Moses, whose memory is blessed.^*

²He made him equal in glory to the holy ones

and made him great, to the terror of his enemies.

³By his words he performed swift miracles;^b

the Lord^c glorified him in the presence of kings.

He gave him commandments for his people

and revealed to him his glory.^*

⁴For his faithfulness and meekness he consecrated him,

choosing him out of all humankind.^*

⁵He allowed him to hear his voice

and led him into the dark cloud

and gave him the commandments face to face,

the law of life and knowledge,

so that he might teach Jacob the covenant

and Israel his decrees.^*

Aaron

⁶He exalted Aaron, a holy man like Moses,^d

who was his brother, of the tribe of Levi.^*

⁷He made an everlasting covenant with him

and gave him the priesthood of the people.

He blessed him with stateliness

and put a glorious robe on him.^*

⁸He clothed him in perfect splendor^e

and strengthened him with the apparel of authority,

the linen undergarments, the long robe, and the ephod.^*

⁹And he encircled him with pomegranates,

with many golden bells all around,

to send forth a sound as he walked,

to make their ringing heard in the temple

as a reminder to his people;^*

¹⁰with the sacred vestment, of gold and violet

and purple, the work of an embroiderer;

with the oracle of judgment, the manifestations of truth;^*

¹¹with twisted crimson, the work of an artisan;

with precious stones engraved like seals,

in a setting of gold, the work of a jeweler,

to commemorate in engraved letters

each of the tribes of Israel;^*

¹²with a gold crown upon his turban,

inscribed like a holy seal,

majestic and glorious, a work of power,

a delight to the eyes, richly adorned.^*

¹³Before him such beautiful things did not exist.

No outsider ever put them on,

but only his sons

and his descendants in perpetuity.^*

¹⁴His sacrifices shall be wholly burned

twice every day continually.^*

¹⁵Moses ordained him

and anointed him with holy oil;

it was an everlasting covenant for him

and for his descendants as long as the heavens endure,

to minister to the Lord^f and serve as priest

and bless his people in his name.^*

¹⁶He chose him out of all the living

to offer sacrifice to the Lord,

incense and a pleasing odor as a memorial,

to make atonement for the^g people.^*

¹⁷In his commandments he gave him

authority, by means of a decree, and^h judgments,

to teach Jacob the testimonies

and to enlighten Israel with his law.^*

¹⁸Outsiders conspired against him

and envied him in the wilderness,

Dathan and Abiram and their followers

and the company of Korah, in wrath and anger.^*

¹⁹The Lord saw it and was not pleased,

and in the heat of his anger they were destroyed;

he performed wonders against them

to consume them in flaming fire.^*

²⁰He added glory to Aaron

and gave him a heritage;

he allotted to him the best of the first fruits

and prepared bread of first fruits in abundance,^*

²¹for they eat the sacrifices of the Lord,

which he gave to him and his descendants.^*

²²But in the land of the people he has no inheritance,

and he has no portion among the people,

for the Lordⁱ himself is his^j portion and inheritance.^*

Phinehas

²³Phinehas son of Eleazar ranks third in glory

for being zealous in the fear of the Lord

and standing firm, when the people turned away,

in the noble courage of his soul,

and he made atonement for Israel.^*

²⁴Therefore a covenant of peace was established with him,

that he should be leader of the sanctuary and of his people,

that he and his descendants should have

the dignity of the priesthood forever.

²⁵Just as a covenant was established with David

son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah,

that the king’s heritage passes only from son to son,

so the heritage of Aaron is for his descendants alone.^*

²⁶And now bless the Lord

who has crowned you with glory.^k

May the Lord^l grant you wisdom of mind

to judge his people with justice,

so that their prosperity may not vanish

and that their glory may endure through all their generations.