Sirach 47 - Contemporary English Version Interconfessional Edition

The Prophet Nathan

¹ The next prophet was Nathan, and while David was king, Nathan spoke God's message.

King David

² The Lord set David apart from Israel, his people, just as the fat is taken from sacrifices and is given to the Lord.

³ David played with lions and bears as if they were young goats or lambs from his flock.

⁴ When David was a boy, he put a stone in his sling and swung it around. Then he let the stone fly, and it brought down Goliath, the giant whose boasting had put Israel to shame.

⁵ David had prayed to the Lord Most High, and the Lord gave David strength to defeat this mighty soldier and give victory to Israel.

⁶ Israel praised David for killing enemies by the thousands and for being blessed by the Lord. And when he became king,

⁷ he conquered his enemies on every side, especially the Philistines, who have never recovered.

⁸ Whenever David won a victory, he thanked the Holy God and sang songs of praise with all his heart, expressing love for his Creator, the Lord Most High.

⁹ David also commanded singers to stand in front of the altar and sing beautiful songs.

¹⁰ And so, all day long, at every festival, Israel hears songs of praise in the temple courtyard.

¹¹ The Lord forgave David's sins and made him a glorious king, and he also promised that the kings of Israel would be David's descendants for all time. *

King Solomon

¹² Solomon, the wise son of David, became the next king, and for David's sake,

¹³ the Lord kept enemies from attacking Israel. And so, Solomon ruled in a time of peace, because he had been chosen to build the Lord a temple that would last forever.

¹⁴ When Solomon was young, his wisdom overflowed like a river

¹⁵ and spread across the land, filling it with proverbs and riddles.

¹⁶ He was famous in faraway islands; he brought peace, and so he was loved.

¹⁷ His songs, proverbs, stories, and answers amazed many nations.

¹⁸ Solomon ruled in the name of the Lord God of Israel and gathered silver and gold as if they were tin or lead.

¹⁹ But he married lots of wives, and they used his desire for sex to gain control over him.

²⁰ Solomon ruined his reputation and that of his descendants. The Lord punished them for Solomon's sins, and they mourned,

²¹ because the northern kingdom broke away, dividing Israel.

²² But the Lord will continue to have mercy; he will never abandon those he has chosen and who love him. And so, the Lord has kept alive a few of David's descendants for the sake of Israel.

King Rehoboam and King Jeroboam

²³ Solomon died, and the next king was his son Rehoboam, the nation's worst fool, and his senseless decisions caused the people to rebel. Then Jeroboam son of Nebat led the northern kingdom into sin. *

²⁴ Israel sinned so much and in so many ways, that the Lord finally punished them,

²⁵ and they were led as prisoners from their land.