Jul 29 - Sirach 43-45
Sirach
1The firmament on high is his beauty; it is the beauty of heaven in a vision of glory2The sun, at its appearance, announces its journey; it is an instrument of wonder, a work of the Most High3At midday, it scorches the earth. And in the presence of its heat, who would be able to endure? It is like the custodian of a furnace in its works of heat4In three ways, the sun acts: scorching the mountains, emitting fiery rays, and shining with its beams that can blind the eyes5Great is the Lord who made it, and at his word, it hurries on its journey6And the moon, in all its phases, serves to mark the seasons and to be a sign of the times7From the moon is the sign of a feast day; it is a light which diminishes at its consummation8A month is named according to its phases, increasing wonderfully at its culmination9It is an instrument of the armies on high, shining gloriously in the firmament of heaven10The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven; the Lord illuminates the world from on high11At the words of the Holy One, they stand for judgment, and they will never fail in their vigilance12Consider the rainbow, and bless the One who made it; it is very beautiful in its splendor13It encompasses the heavens with the circle of its glory; the hands of the Most High made it appear14By his order, he hastens the snow, and he spurs on the lightning to express his judgment15In like manner, his storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds16By his greatness, he has positioned the clouds, and the hailstones have been broken17At his glance, the mountains will be shaken, and by his will, the south wind will blow18The voice of his thunder will reverberate through the earth, by a storm from the north, and by a gathering of the whirlwind19And like the birds landing in a flock upon the earth, he sends down the snow; and its descent is like the arrival of a swarm of locusts20The eye is in wonder at the beauty of its whiteness, and the heart is astonished at its falling21He will pour out frost like salt upon the earth. And when it freezes, it will become like the tops of thistles22The cold north wind blows, and the water freezes into crystals; it will rest upon every gathering of water, and it will clothe the water like a breastplate23And it will devour the mountains, and burn the wilderness, and extinguish the greenery, like a fire24Relief for all is in the hurried arrival of a cloud. And the lowly dew will arrive to meet the heat and overpower it25At his word, the wind grows quiet, and by his thought, he appeases the abyss, for the Lord has planted islands in it26Let those who navigate the sea describe its perils. And when we have heard it with our ears, we will wonder27There are illustrious and wondrous works: the various kinds of wild animals, and all manner of cattle, and the great creatures of the sea28Through him, the end of their journey is confirmed, and by his word, all things fit together29We can say much, and yet still lack for words. But the consummation of our words is this: He is in all things30What would we be able to do to glorify him? For the Almighty himself is above all his own works31The Lord is terrible, and exceedingly great, and his power is wonderful32Glorify the Lord as much as you are able, yet still he will far exceed this. For his magnificence is beyond wonder33Bless the Lord and exalt him, as much as you are able. But he is beyond all praise34When you exalt him, use all your ability, and do not cease in this labor. For you can never comprehend him35Who will see him and explain? And who will magnify him, as he is from the beginning36There are many things, hidden from us, which are greater than these things. For we have seen but a few of his works37But the Lord has made all things, and he has given wisdom to those who act with piety
1Let us praise the men of glory, and our ancestors in their generation2The Lord has wrought great glory, by his own magnificence, from ancient times3There are those who rule with their authority, men of great virtue, who are gifted with prudence. There are those who announce among the prophets, with the dignity of prophets4And there are those who rule over the present generation, by the virtue of prudence, with very holy words for the people5There are those who, by their skill, compose musical themes, so as to set the verses of Scripture to music6There are men rich in virtue, who make a study of beauty, who live in peacefulness in their houses7All these obtained glory in their generations, and they had praise in their days8They left behind a name for those who were born of them, so that their praises might be described9But for some of them, there is no memorial. They have passed away as if they had never existed; and they have become as if they had never been born, and their sons along with them10But these were men of mercy, whose pious deeds have not failed11Good things continue with their offspring12Their descendents are a holy inheritance, and their offspring stand firm in the covenants13And because of them, their sons remain even unto eternity. Their offspring and their glory will not be forsaken14Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives on, from generation to generation15Let the people declare their wisdom, and let the Church announce their praise16Enoch pleased God, and he was transferred to Paradise, so that he might offer repentance to the nations17Noah was found to be perfect and just, and so, in the time of wrath, he was made a reconciliation18As a result, there was a remnant left for the earth, when the great flood was made19The covenants of the world were placed with him, so that all flesh would not be wiped away by the great flood20Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations, and no one was found to be like him in glory. He observed the law of the Most High, and he formed a covenant with him21In his flesh, he caused the covenant to stand, and when tested, he was found to be faithful22Therefore, by an oath, he gave glory to him among his people, so as to increase him like the dust of the earth23and to exalt his offspring like the stars, and to give an inheritance to them from sea to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth24And he acted in like manner toward Isaac, because of his father Abraham25The Lord gave the blessing of all the nations to him, and he confirmed his covenant upon the head of Jacob26He acknowledged him in his blessings, and he gave an inheritance to him, and he distributed to him the portion of the twelve tribes27And he preserved for him men of mercy, who were found to have grace before the eyes of all flesh
1Moses was beloved by God and men. The remembrance of him is a blessing2He made him like the holy ones in glory, and he magnified him by the fear of his enemies, and he appeased great portents by his words3He glorified him in the sight of kings, and he gave commandments to him in the sight of his people, and he revealed his glory to him4He made him holy by his faith and meekness, and he chose him from among all flesh5For he heard him and his voice, and he led him into a cloud6And he gave him precepts in his presence, with a law of life and discipline, so as to teach Jacob his covenant and Israel his judgments7He exalted his brother Aaron and those who were similar to him from the tribe of Levi8He established an eternal covenant with him, and he gave him the priesthood of the people, and he caused him to be blessed in glory9And he encircled him with a glorious belt, and he clothed him with a robe of glory, and he crowned him with virtuous attire10He placed upon him a garment to the feet, and pants, and an ephod, and he wrapped him all around with many little bells of gold11so that there would be a sound at his arrival, and so as to make a noise that would be heard in the temple, as a memorial for the sons of his people12He provided him with a holy robe of gold and hyacinth and purple, a woven work for a wise man of judgment and truth13a work of twisted scarlet, the work of an artist, with precious stones, cut and set in gold, and engraved by the work of a jeweler, as a memorial according to the number of the tribes of Israel14He provided him with a crown of gold upon his headdress, on which was written a symbol of holiness, a mark of honor. This was a work of virtue and a delight to the eyes in its beauty15Prior to him, there was no one of such beauty, even from the beginning16No foreigner was ever clothed with these things, but only his sons and his descendents alone, for all time17His sacrifices were consumed by fire daily18Moses filled his hands and anointed him with holy oil19An eternal covenant was made, with him and with his offspring, like the days of heaven, to execute the office of the priesthood, and to give praise and to glorify his people, in his name20He chose him from among all living men to offer to God sacrifice, incense, and a pleasing fragrance, as a memorial of appeasement on behalf of his people21And he gave him authority by his precepts, in the covenants of his judgments, to teach Jacob his testimonies, and to give light by his law to Israel22Then strangers stood up against him, and, because of envy, the men who were with Dathan and Abiram surrounded him in the desert, along with the congregation of Korah, in their anger23The Lord God saw this, and it did not please him, and so they were consumed by the force of his anger24He wrought great portents among them, and he consumed them with a flame of fire25And he added glory to Aaron, and he gave him an inheritance, and he allotted to him the first-fruits of the earth26He prepared for them the finest bread unto fullness. And they shall also eat from the sacrifices of the Lord, which he gave to him and to his offspring27And yet he will not have an inheritance among the people of the land, and he has no portion among the people. For the Lord himself is his portion and his inheritance28Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, is third in glory, by imitating him in the fear of the Lord29And he stood up against the shamefulness of the people. By the goodness and responsiveness of his soul, he appeased God on behalf of Israel30For this reason, he made him a covenant of peace, a leader of the sanctuary and of his people, so that the dignity of the priesthood would remain with him and with his offspring unto eternity31And he made a covenant with king David, the son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah, an inheritance for him and for his offspring, so that he might provide wisdom for our hearts, so as to judge his people in justice, lest their good things be abolished. And he caused their glory within their nation to be everlasting