Sirach 38:24–39:11

24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure;

and he who has little business may become wise.

25 How can he become wise who handles the plow,

and who glories in the shaft of a goad,

who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,

and whose talk is about bulls?

26 He sets his heart on plowing furrows,

and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.

27 So too is every craftsman and master workman

who labors by night as well as by day;

those who cut the signets of seals,

each is diligent in making a great variety;

he sets his heart on painting a lifelike image,

and he is careful to finish his work.

28 So too is the smith sitting by the anvil,

intent upon his handiwork in iron;

the breath of the fire melts his flesh,

and he wastes away in the heat of the furnace;

he inclines his ear to the sound of the hammer,

and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.

He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,

and he is careful to complete its decoration.

29 So too is the potter sitting at his work

and turning the wheel with his feet;

he is always deeply concerned over his work,

and all his output is by number.

30 He moulds the clay with his arm

and makes it pliable with his feet;

he sets his heart to finish the glazing,

and he is careful to clean the furnace.

31 All these rely upon their hands,

and each is skilful in his own work.

32 Without them a city cannot be established,

and men can neither sojourn nor live there.

33 Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,

nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly.

They do not sit in the judge’s seat,

nor do they understand the sentence of judgment;

they cannot expound discipline or judgment,

and they are not found using proverbs.

34 But they keep stable the fabric of the world,

and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.

Chapter 39

1 On the other hand he who devotes himself

to the study of the law of the Most High

will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients,

and will be concerned with prophecies;

2 he will preserve the discourse of notable men

and penetrate the subtleties of parables;

3 he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs

and be at home with the obscurities of parables.

4 He will serve among great men

and appear before rulers;

he will travel through the lands of foreign nations,

for he tests the good and the evil among men.

5 He will set his heart to rise early

to seek the Lord who made him,

and will make supplication before the Most High;

he will open his mouth in prayer

and make supplication for his sins.

6 If the great Lord is willing,

he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;

he will pour forth words of wisdom

and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.

7 He will direct his counsel and knowledge aright,

and meditate on his secrets.

8 He will reveal instruction in his teaching,

and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant.

9 Many will praise his understanding,

and it will never be blotted out;

his memory will not disappear,

and his name will live through all generations.

10 Nations will declare his wisdom,

and the congregation will proclaim his praise;

11 if he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand,

and if he goes to rest, it is enough for him.