Sirach 39 - Contemporary English Version Interconfessional Edition

¹ In their search for wisdom, they study the old writings, especially those of the prophets.

² These teachers learn the sayings of famous people and understand the meaning of stories,

³ even those parts that are difficult. And they look for the meaning hidden in a proverb.

⁴ They give advice to leaders, and they travel in other countries to see the good and the bad done there.

⁵ These teachers get up early to pray to the Lord Most High, their Creator— they tell him what they need and ask that their sins be forgiven.

⁶ The great Lord may choose to give special understanding to a teacher's mind. Such teachers will pray and thank the Lord for the wise advice that they now can give.

⁷ They will study those things the Lord has kept secret. He will help them learn and tell them what to say,

⁸ and they will teach what they have learned. They will be proud of the Lord's Law and agreement with Israel.

⁹ Their understanding will be praised by many, and their names remembered for all time.

¹⁰ Israel will honor them, and other nations will admire their wisdom.

¹¹ If they live to old age, they will be famous, and if not, they will be content to be at rest.

A Song of Praise

¹² I have hardly begun to tell you all the things I want to say.

¹³ You, my students, are faithful to God, so listen, and you will blossom like rose bushes planted beside a stream.

¹⁴ You will grow faster than lilies, and your songs praising the Lord for what he has done will be a pleasant smell, spreading like incense.

¹⁵ So play your harps and sing praises to the Lord. Give honor to him with this song:

¹⁶ “Everything the Lord does is very good, and his commands will be obeyed at the right moment.

¹⁷ For now, we must not question what God has done, but he has set a time to explain everything. He created places for all the water, and when he commanded the sea, it piled up like a wall.

¹⁸ When he gives an order, it is obeyed, and no one can stop him when he decides to rescue.

¹⁹ “We can't hide from God; he has watched everything that each human has done.

²⁰ He sees the past and the future; there is nothing he cannot do.

²¹ So don't question what God has done; he had a purpose in mind for each thing he created.

²² “God will bless us greatly, like a river that overflows and soaks the dry ground.

²³ But the Gentiles will feel his anger, as he makes their fresh water too salty to drink.

²⁴ God lets his people walk on a straight pathway, but those who reject his laws will find that their path is lined with hidden traps.

²⁵ From the very beginning God prepared good things for good people, and horrible things for sinners.

²⁶ “What do we need for daily life? Iron tools, water, and fire; flour, milk, and honey, wine, olive oil, and salt; and, of course, clothing.

²⁷ All of these are good for God's loyal people but become evil in the hands of sinners.

²⁸ “The Lord created furious winds to take revenge for him. And on the day of judgment, they will punish his enemies, then his anger will be calmed. *

²⁹ God also created other things to take revenge for him— fire and hail, along with famine and deadly diseases,

³⁰ wild animals and scorpions, and poisonous snakes, not to mention war.

³¹ They are ready to serve him, and at his command, they gladly and quickly obey.”

³² I have believed all these things since my childhood, but I thought deeply about them before I wrote them down in that song.

³³ The Lord made only good things, and at the right time he will give us what we need.

³⁴ Everything he created has its own purpose, and so, you cannot say, “This is better than that.”

³⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with all your heart, and give him thanks!