Sirach 44
44
Hymn to the ancestors
1Now allow us to praise
famous people and our ancestors,
generation by generation.#44.1 Heb in their generations
2The Lord created#44.2 Heb measured out great glory,
his majesty from eternity.
3They ruled in their kingdoms,
and made a name with their power,
some giving counsel
by their intelligence;
some making pronouncements
in prophecies;
4some leading the people
by their deliberations,
and by their understanding
of the people’s learning,
giving wise words in their instruction;
5others devising musical melodies,
and composing poems;
6rich people endowed with strength,
living in peace in their dwellings—
7all of these were honored
in their generation,
a source of pride in their time.
8Some of them left behind a name
so that their praises might be told.
9For some there is no memory,
and they perished as though
they hadn’t existed.
These have become as though
they hadn’t been born,
they and even their children after them.
10But these were compassionate people
whose righteous deeds
haven’t been forgotten.
11This will persist with their children;
their descendants
will be a good legacy.#44.11 Heb Their goods will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance will be for their grandchildren.
12Their descendants stand
by the covenants,
and their children also, for their sake.
13Their descendants will last forever,
and their glory will never be erased.
14Their bodies were buried in peace,
but their name lives for generations.
15The people will tell of their wisdom,
and the congregation
will proclaim their praise.
Enoch
16Enoch pleased the Lord
and was transferred,#44.16 Heb was taken
an example of a changed heart
and mind for generations.
Noah
17Noah was found perfect and righteous;
in a time of anger,
he was selected in exchange
for the ungodly.#44.17 Gk lacks for the ungodly; Heb he continued the human race.
Because of him,
a few survivors remained on the earth
when the flood happened.
18Eternal covenants were made with him
so that all living things would not be wiped out by a flood again.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
19Abraham was the great father
of a multitude of nations,
and there was no smudge on his glory.#44.19 Some Gk manuscripts He had no equal in glory.
20He kept the laws of the Most High,
and he entered into a covenant with him.
He established a covenant in his flesh,
and when he was tested,
he proved faithful.
21Therefore, the Lord certified for Abraham
with a solemn pledge
that he would bless nations
through his descendants,
that he would make him increase
like the dust of the earth,
exalt his descendants like the stars,
and give them an inheritance
from sea to sea
and from the river to the end
of the earth.
22He made the same commitment to Isaac
because of Abraham his father.
He made a blessing for all humanity
and a covenant
23to rest on Jacob’s head.
The Lord acknowledged him
with his blessings;
he gave him an inheritance,
divided his shares,
and allotted them
among the twelve tribes.
Moses
The Lord brought forward out of Jacob#44.23 Gk him
a man of mercy,
who found favor with all living beings,
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Sirach 44: CEB
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