Sirach 24

¹Wisdom will praise her own mind, and she will be honored by God, and she will be glorified in the midst of her people.

²And she will open her mouth in the churches of the Most High, and she will be glorified in the sight of his virtue.

³And in the midst of her own people, she will be exalted. And she will be admired by the holy assembly.

⁴And she will have praise within the multitude of the elect. And she will be blessed among the blessed. And she will say:

⁵“I went forth from the mouth of the Most High, as the first-born before all creatures.

⁶I caused an unfailing light to arise in the heavens. And I covered all the earth like a cloud.

⁷I lived in the highest places, and my throne is in the pillar of a cloud.

⁸I alone have encompassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated to the depths of the abyss, and have walked upon the waves of the sea,

⁹and have stood upon the whole earth. And among every people,

¹⁰and in every nation, I have held primacy.

¹¹And by virtue, I have tread upon the hearts of all, the great and the lowly. And I have sought my rest in all of them. And I will continue, as the inheritance of the Lord.

¹²Then the Creator of all things instructed and spoke with me. And the One who created me rested in my tabernacle.

¹³And he said to me: ‘Let your dwelling place be with Jacob, and let your inheritance be in Israel, for you shall take root among my elect.’

¹⁴From the beginning, and before the world, I was created. And even unto the future world, I will not cease to exist. For I have ministered before him in the holy habitation.

¹⁵And in this way, I was established in Zion. And likewise, in the holy city, I found rest. And my authority was in Jerusalem.

¹⁶And I took root among an honorable people, within the portion of my God, within his inheritance. And so my abode is in the full assembly of the saints.

¹⁷I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount Zion.

¹⁸I was exalted like a palm tree in Kadesh and like a rose bush in Jericho.

¹⁹I was exalted like a beautiful olive tree in the plains, and like a sycamore tree beside the waters along a wide road.

²⁰I gave off an aromatic fragrance like cinnamon or balsam. I produced a sweet odor like the best myrrh.

²¹And I perfumed my dwelling place with sweet gum, and aromatic resin, and flower petals, and aloe, as well as the finest cedar from Lebanon. And my fragrance is like undiluted balsam.

²²I have extended my branches like a terebinth tree, and my branches are of honor and grace.

²³Like the vine, I have born the fruit of a sweet fragrance. And my flowers are the fruit of honor and integrity.

²⁴I am the mother of the beauty of love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.

²⁵All grace of the way and of the truth is in me. All hope of life and of virtue is in me.

²⁶Journey toward me, all you who desire me, and be filled by my harvest.

²⁷For my spirit is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance is better than honey and the honeycomb.

²⁸My memory is for the generations of all ages.

²⁹Whoever consumes me will hunger still. And whoever drinks me will thirst still.

³⁰Whoever listens to me will not be confounded. And whoever acts in me will not sin.

³¹Whoever elucidates me will have eternal life.”

³²All this is a book of life, and a covenant of the Most High, and an acknowledgement of truth.

³³Moses commanded the law by the precepts of justice, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel.

³⁴God appointed David as his servant, in order to raise up from him a most mighty King, who would sit upon the throne of honor forever.

³⁵It is he who fulfills wisdom, like the Phison river and the Tigris river in the first days.

³⁶It is he who fulfills understanding, like the river Euphrates. It is he who multiplies understanding, like the river Jordan in the time of the harvest.

³⁷He sends forth discipline like the light, and he stands forth like the river Gehon in the time of the vintage.

³⁸He first had perfect knowledge of her, for a weaker one would not search for her.

³⁹For her thoughts abound like the sea, and her counsels abound like the great abyss.

⁴⁰“I, wisdom, have poured forth rivers.

⁴¹I am like a brook leading to a river of immense waters. I am like a channel flowing from a river. And I went forth from Paradise like an aqueduct.

⁴²I said: I will irrigate my garden of plantings, and I will thoroughly water the fruits of my field.

⁴³And behold, my brook became overflowing, and my river drew near to the sea.

⁴⁴For I illuminate doctrine to all, like the first light. And I will announce doctrine, even to those who are far away.

⁴⁵I will reach to all the lower parts of the earth, and I will gaze upon all who sleep, and I will illuminate all who hope in the Lord.

⁴⁶Even now, I pour forth doctrine like prophecy. And even now, I bequeath doctrine to those who seek wisdom. And I will not cease from their progeny, even unto the holy time.

⁴⁷See how I have not labored for myself alone, but for all who are seeking truth!”

Sirach 24

¹Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people,

²And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power,

³And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly.

⁴And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying:

⁵I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures:

⁶I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth:

⁷I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud.

⁸I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea,

⁹And have stood in all the earth: and in every people,

¹⁰And in every nation I have had the chief rule:

¹¹And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord.

¹²Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle,

¹³And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.

¹⁴From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him.

¹⁵And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.

¹⁶And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.

¹⁷I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion.

¹⁸I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho:

¹⁹As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted.

²⁰I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon, and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh:

²¹And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm.

²²I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace.

²³As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

²⁴I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.

²⁵In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

²⁶Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits.

²⁷For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

²⁸My memory is unto everlasting generations.

²⁹They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst.

³⁰He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.

³¹They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

³²All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth.

³³Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel.

³⁴He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever.

³⁵Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits.

³⁶Who maketh understanding to abound as the Euphrates, who multiplieth it as the Jordan in the time of harvest.

³⁷Who sendeth knowledge as the light, and riseth up as Gehon in the time of the vintage.

³⁸Who first hath perfect knowledge of her, and a weaker shall not search her out.

³⁹For her thoughts are more vast than the sea, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean.

⁴⁰I, wisdom, have poured out rivers.

⁴¹I, like a brook out of a river of a mighty water; I, like a channel of a river, and like an aqueduct, came out of paradise.

⁴²I said: I will water my garden of plants, and I will water abundantly the fruits of my meadow.

⁴³And behold my brook became a great river, and my river came near to a sea:

⁴⁴For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off.

⁴⁵I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord.

⁴⁶I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and will leave it to them that seek wisdom, and will not cease to instruct their offspring even to the holy age.

⁴⁷See ye that I have not laboured myself only, but for all that seek out the truth.