Jul 30 - Sirach 46-48
Sirach
1Joshua, the son of Nun, was valiant in warfare; he was the successor of Moses among the prophets. He was great in accord with his name2very great in the saving the elect of God. He fought against the insurgent enemies, so that he might obtain the inheritance for Israel3What great glory he secured, by lifting up his hands and throwing his spears against the cities4Who before him has stood so firmly? For the Lord himself led forward the enemies5Was not the sun halted by his wrath, and one day made as if two6He called upon the Most High Power, when the enemies assailed him on every side. And the great and holy God answered him with hailstones of exceedingly great force7He made a violent assault against a hostile nation, and at his descent, he destroyed his adversaries8so that the nations would acknowledge his power: that it is not easy to fight against God. And he followed the Almighty9And in the days of Moses, he accomplished a work of mercy. He and Caleb, the son of Jephuneh, stood against the enemy, and forbid the people from sin, and broke their wicked murmuring10And these two, having been appointed, were freed from peril, from foot soldiers numbering six hundred thousand, so as to lead them into their inheritance, into a land flowing with milk and honey11And the Lord gave strength to Caleb also, and his strength remained even in his old age, so that he ascended to the high places of the land, and his offspring obtained it as an inheritance12This was so that all the sons of Israel would see that it is good to obey the holy God13Then there were the judges, each one called by name, whose heart was not corrupted. They did not turn away from the Lord14so that their memory might be blessed, and their bones might spring forth from their place15and their name might remain forever, continuing in their sons, holy men of glory16Samuel, prophet of the Lord, beloved by the Lord his God, established a new government, and he anointed leaders over his people17By the law of the Lord, he judged the congregation, and the God of Jacob saw it, and so, by his fidelity, he was proven to be a prophet18And he was known to be faithful in his words. For he saw the God of light19And when fighting against the enemies, who stood against him on every side, he called upon the name of the Almighty Lord, with an offering of an inviolate lamb20And the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise, he made his voice to be heard21And he crushed the leaders of the Tyrians, and all the commanders of the Philistines22And before the time of the end of his life in the world, he offered testimony in the sight of the Lord and of his Christ, that he had not taken a bribe from any flesh, not even so much as a shoe, and that no man made an accusation against him23And after this, he slept. And he made known to the king and revealed to him the end of his life. And he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to abolish the impiety of the people
1After these things, Nathan the prophet arose, in the days of David2And just as fat is separated from meat, so was David separated from the sons of Israel3He played with lions, as if with lambs, and he acted similarly with bears, as if they were lambs of the flock, in his youth4Did he not kill the giant, and take away the reproach from his people5By lifting up his hand, with a stone in a sling, he threw down the boasting of Goliath6For he called upon the Almighty Lord, and he swore with his right hand to take away the mighty man of war, and to exalt the horn of his people7So he glorified him amid ten thousand, and he praised him with the blessings of the Lord, by offering him a crown of glory8For he crushed the enemies on every side, and he eradicated his adversaries, the Philistines, even to this day. He broke their horn, even for all time9In all his works, he gave thanks to the Holy One, to the Most High, with words of glory10With all his heart, he praised the Lord and he loved God, who made him and who gave him power against his enemies11And he appointed singers to stand opposite the altar, and by their voices he provided sweet music12And he provided beauty for the celebrations, and he gave order to the times, even until the end of his life, so that they would praise the holy name of the Lord, and magnify the sanctity of God, from early morning13The Lord purged his sins, and he exalted his horn forever. And he gave him the covenant of the kingdom, and a throne of glory in Israel14After him, an understanding son rose up. And by means of him, he cast down all the power of the enemies15Solomon reigned in days of peace, and God subjected all his enemies to him, so that he might build a house in his name, and prepare a sanctuary for all time. O how well-taught you were in your youth16And you were filled with wisdom like a river, and your mind exposed the world17And you explained mysteries by means of parables. Your name became known to far off islands, and you were beloved for your peace18The earth was in wonder over your canticles, and proverbs, and parables, and interpretations19and over the name of the Lord God, who is known as the God of Israel20You gathered gold like copper, and you multiplied silver like lead21But you bent your thigh to women, and you were held by the power of your body22You brought a stain upon your glory, and you profaned your seed, so as to bring wrath upon your children, and to incite your foolishness23so that you would cause the kingdom to be divided, and an obstinate kingdom to rule from Ephraim24But God will not abandon his mercy, nor will he corrupt or abolish his own works. And he will not perish the stock of the descendents of his elect. And he will not destroy the offspring of him who loves the Lord25Therefore, he left behind a remnant for Jacob and for David, from the same stock26And Solomon had his end with his fathers27And he left behind himself some of his offspring, as the folly of the nation28both Rehoboam, who had little prudence, and who turned away the people by his counsel29and Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, and who provided a way of sin to Ephraim. And their sins were multiplied exceedingly30They thoroughly turned them away from their own land31And they sought every kind of wickedness, even until punishment overwhelmed them, and freed them from every kind of sin
1And the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch2He brought a famine upon them, and those who provoked him in their envy became few. For they could not bear the precepts of the Lord3By the word of the Lord, he closed the heavens, and he brought down fire from heaven three times4In this way, Elijah was magnified in his wondrous works. So who can say that he is similar to you in glory5He raised up a dead man from the grave, from the fate of death, by the word of the Lord God6He threw down kings unto perdition, and he easily shattered their power and boasting from his bed7He heeded the judgment at Sinai, and the judgments of punishment at Horeb8He anointed kings unto repentance, and he chose the prophets who would follow after him9He was received into a whirlwind of fire, into a swift chariot with fiery horses10He is written in the judgments of the times, so as to lessen the wrath of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob11Blessed are those who saw you, and who were adorned with your friendship12For we live only in our life, and after death, our name will not be the same13Certainly, Elijah was covered by the whirlwind, and his spirit was completed in Elisha. In his days, he was not fearful of the ruler, and no power defeated him14No word overwhelmed him, and after death, his body prophesied15In his life, he gave great portents, and in death, he wrought miracles16In all these things, the people did not repent, and they did not withdraw from their sins, even until they were cast out of their land, and were dispersed throughout all the earth17And there was left behind a people very few in number, but with a leader in the house of David18Some of these did what pleased God. But others committed many sins19Hezekiah fortified his city, and he brought water into its midst, and he dug into rock with iron, and he built a well for water20In his days, Sennacherib rose up, and he sent Rabshakeh, and he lifted up his hand against them, and he extended his hand against Zion, and he became arrogant in his power21Then their hearts and hands shook. And they were in pain, like women giving birth22And they called upon the merciful Lord. And they spread their hands and lifted them up to heaven. And the holy Lord God quickly heeded their voice23He was not mindful of their sins, and he did not give them over to their enemies. Instead, he purified them by the hand of Isaiah, the holy prophet24He threw down the army of the Assyrians, and the Angel of the Lord crushed them25For Hezekiah did what pleased God, and he went with fortitude in the way of David his father, just as he had been commanded by Isaiah, a prophet great and faithful in the sight of God26In his days, the sun went backwards, and he added to the king’s life27With a great spirit he saw the final things. And he consoled the mourners in Zion28He revealed the future, even the distant future, and hidden things before they occurred