Ecclesiasticus 39

¹The wise man will search out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be occupied in the prophets.

²He will keep the narration of famous men, and will enter withal into the subtilties of parables.

³He will search out the hidden senses of proverbs, and will converse in the secrets of parables.

⁴In the midst of great men he will minister, and in the sight of the president he shall appear.

⁵He shall pass into the land of strange nations: for he shall try good and evil in men.

⁶He will give his heart to watch early unto our Lord, that made him, and he will pray in the sight of the Highest.

⁷He will open his mouth in prayer, and will entreat for his sins.

⁸For if it shall please our great Lord, he will fill him with the spirit of understanding:

⁹and he will pour forth the words of his wisdom as showers, and in prayer will confess to our Lord.

¹⁰And he will direct his counsel, and discipline, and in his secrets he will consult.

¹¹He will open the discipline of his doctrine, & will glory in the law of the testament of our Lord.

¹²Many will praise his wisdom, and it shall not be abolished for ever.

¹³The memory of him shall not depart, and his name shall be required from generation to generation.

¹⁴Nations shall declare his wisdom, & the Church will shew forth his praise.

¹⁵If he continue, he shall leave a name more than a thousand: and if he rest, it shall profit him.

¹⁶I will yet consult that I may declare: For as with fury I am replenished.

¹⁷In voice he saith: Hear me ye divine fruits, and as the rose planted upon the rivers of waters fructify ye.

¹⁸As Libanus have ye the odours of sweetness.

¹⁹Flourish ye flowers, as the lily, and give forth an odour, and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with song, and bless our Lord in his works.

²⁰Give magnificence to his name, and confess unto him in the voice of your lips, and in songs of the lips, and harps, & thus shall ye say in confession:

²¹All the works of our Lord are exceeding good.

²²At his word the water stood as an heap: and at the word of his mouth as it were receptacles of waters:

²³because in his commandment placability is made, and there is no diminishing of his salvation.

²⁴The works of all flesh are before him, and there is nothing hid from his eyes.

²⁵From world to world he beholdeth, and nothing is marvelous in his sight.

²⁶It is not to be said: What is this, or what is that? For all things shall be sought in their time.

²⁷His blessing hath overflowed as a stream.

²⁸And as a flood hath watered the dry land, so his wrath shall inherit the nations, that have not sought him:

²⁹even as he turned waters into drought, & the earth was made dry: and his ways are direct to the ways of them: so to sinners stumbling blocks in his wrath.

³⁰Good things were created for the good from the beginning, so for the wicked, good things and evil.

³¹The beginning of the thing necessary for the life of men, water, fire, and iron, salt, milk, and bread of flour, and honey, and the cluster of grape, and oil, & clothing.

³²All these shall be converted to saints into good, so also to the impious and to sinners into evil.

³³There are spirits, that were created for vengeance, and in their fury they have confirmed their torments:

³⁴in the time of consummation they shall pour out strength: and they shall accomplish the fury of him, that made them.

³⁵Fire, hail, famine, and death, all these were created for vengeance:

³⁶the teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and sword revenging the impious unto destruction.

³⁷In his commandments they shall make merry, and on the earth they shall be prepared when need is, and in their times they shall not pretermit a word.

³⁸Therefore from the beginning I was confirmed, and I have consulted, and thought, and left written.

³⁹All the works of our Lord are good, & he will give every work in his hour.

⁴⁰It is not to be said: This is worse than that: for all shall be approved in their time.

⁴¹And now with all heart and mouth praise ye, and bless the name of our Lord.