Sirach 51

¹The prayer of Jesus, the son of Sirach: I will confess to you, O Lord and King, and I will give praise to you, O God my Saviour

²I will acknowledge your name. For you have been my Helper and Protector

³And you have freed my body from perdition, from the snare of the iniquitous tongue, and from the lips of those who forge lies. And you have been my Helper in the sight of those who stood nearby

⁴And you have freed me according to the multitude of the mercy of your name: from those who roared and prepared to devour

⁵from the hands of those who sought my life, and from the gates of tribulation that surrounded me

⁶from the oppression of the flames that surrounded me, and so I was not burned in the midst of the fire

⁷from the depths of the bowels of hell, and from the defiled tongue, and from lying words, from an iniquitous king, and from an unjust tongue

⁸My soul shall praise the Lord, even unto death

⁹For my life was drawing near to hell below

¹⁰And they surrounded me on every side. And there was no one who would help me. I looked around for the assistance of men, and there was none

¹¹Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord, and your works, which are from the very beginning

¹²For you rescue those who persevere for you, O Lord, and you free them from the hands of the Gentiles

¹³You exalted my habitation upon the earth, and I made supplication that death would pass away

¹⁴I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, so that he would not abandon me in the day of my tribulation, nor in the time of arrogance without assistance

¹⁵I will praise your name unceasingly, and I will praise it with thanksgiving, for my prayer was heeded

¹⁶And you freed me from perdition, and you rescued me from the time of iniquity

¹⁷Because of this, I will give thanks and praise to you, and I will bless the name of the Lord

¹⁸When I was still young, before I wandered astray, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer

¹⁹I asked for her before the temple, and even to the very end, I will inquire after her. And she flourished like a newly-ripened grape

²⁰My heart rejoiced in her. My feet walked in the right path. From my youth, I pursued her

²¹I bent my ear a little and accepted her

²²I found much wisdom within myself, and I benefited greatly by her

²³I will give glory to him who gives wisdom to me

²⁴For I have decided that I should act according to wisdom. I have been zealous for what is good, and so I will not be confounded

²⁵My soul has struggled for wisdom, and in doing so, I have been confirmed

²⁶I extended my hands on high, and I mourned my ignorance of her

²⁷I directed my soul toward her, and I found her within knowledge

²⁸From the beginning, I held my heart to wisdom. Because of this, I will not be forsaken

²⁹My stomach was stirred up while seeking her. Because of her, I will hold a good possession

³⁰The Lord has given me a tongue as my reward, and I will praise him with it

³¹Draw near to me, you who are untaught, and gather yourselves into the house of discipline

³²Why are you reluctant? And what do you have to say about these things? Your souls are exceedingly thirsty

³³I have opened my mouth, and I have spoken. Buy wisdom for yourselves without silver

³⁴and subject your neck to her yoke, and let your soul accept her discipline. For she is close enough to be found

³⁵See with your own eyes how I have labored only a little, and have found much rest for myself

³⁶Take up discipline, as if it were a great sum of money, and possess an abundance of gold in her

³⁷Let your soul rejoice in his mercy. For you will not be confounded by his praise

³⁸Accomplish your work before the time. And he will give you your reward in his time