Sirach 46:13–20

¹³Samuel was beloved by his Lord;

a prophet of the Lord, he established the kingdom

and anointed rulers over his people.^*

¹⁴By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation,

and the Lord watched over Jacob.

¹⁵By his faithfulness he was proved to be a prophet,

and by his words he became known as a trustworthy seer.^*

¹⁶He called upon the Lord, the Mighty One,

when his enemies pressed him on every side,

and he offered in sacrifice a suckling lamb.^*

¹⁷Then the Lord thundered from heaven

and made his voice heard with a mighty sound;

¹⁸he subdued the leaders of the enemy^r

and all the rulers of the Philistines.

¹⁹Before the time of his eternal sleep,

Samuel^s bore witness before the Lord and his anointed:

“No property, not so much as a pair of shoes,

have I taken from anyone!”

And no one accused him.^*

²⁰Even after he had fallen asleep, he prophesied

and made known to the king his death

and lifted up his voice from the ground

in prophecy, to blot out the lawlessness of the people.^*