Ecclesiasticus, 39
1. Not so with one who concentrates his mind and his meditation on the Law of the Most High. He researches into the wisdom of all the Ancients, he occupies his time with the prophecies.
1. Honor the physician with the honor due him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him;
2. He preserves the discourses of famous men, he is at home with the niceties of parables.
2. for healing comes from the Most High, and he will receive a gift from the king.
3. He researches into the hidden sense of proverbs, he ponders the obscurities of parables.
3. The skill of the physician lifts up his head, and in the presence of great men he is admired.
4. He enters the service of princes, he is seen in the presence of rulers. He travels in foreign countries, he has experienced human good and human evil.
4. The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible man will not despise them.
5. At dawn and with all his heart he turns to the Lord his Creator; he pleads in the presence of the Most High, he opens his mouth in prayer and makes entreaty for his sins.
5. Was not water made sweet with a tree in order that his power might be known?
6. If such be the will of the great Lord, he will be filled with the spirit of intelligence, he will shower forth words of wisdom, and in prayer give thanks to the Lord.
6. And he gave skill to men that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
7. He will grow upright in purpose and learning, he will ponder the Lord's hidden mysteries.
7. By them he heals and takes away pain;
8. He will display the instruction he has received, taking his pride in the Law of the Lord's covenant.
8. the pharmacist makes of them a compound. His works will never be finished; and from him health is upon the face of the earth.
9. Many will praise his intelligence and it will never be forgotten. His memory will not disappear, generation after generation his name will live.
9. My son, when you are sick do not be negligent, but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.
10. Nations will proclaim his wisdom, the assembly will celebrate his praises.
10. Give up your faults and direct your hands aright, and cleanse your heart from all sin.
11. If he lives long, his name will be more glorious than a thousand others, and if he dies, that will satisfy him just as well.
11. Offer a sweet-smelling sacrifice, and a memorial portion of fine flour, and pour oil on your offering, as much as you can afford.
12. And here are some more of my reflections: yes, I am as full as the moon at the full!
12. And give the physician his place, for the Lord created him; let him not leave you, for there is need of him.
13. Listen to me, devout children, and blossom like the rose that grows on the bank of a watercourse.
13. There is a time when success lies in the hands of physicians,
14. Give off a sweet smell like incense, flower like the lily, spread your fragrance abroad, sing a song of praise blessing the Lord for all his works.
14. for they too will pray to the Lord that he should grant them success in diagnosis and in healing, for the sake of preserving life.
15. Declare the greatness of his name, proclaim his praise with song and with lyre, and this is how you must sing his praises:
15. He who sins before his Maker, may he fall into the care of a physician.
16. 'How wonderful, the actions of the Lord! Whatever he orders is done at the proper time!' You must not say, 'What is this? Why is that?' There is a proper time for every question.
16. My son, let your tears fall for the dead, and as one who is suffering grievously begin the lament. Lay out his body with the honor due him, and do not neglect his burial.
17. At his word, the water stops and piles up high, at his voice, the watery reservoirs take shape,
17. Let your weeping be bitter and your wailing fervent; observe the mourning according to his merit, for one day, or two, to avoid criticism; then be comforted for your sorrow.
18. at his command, whatever he wants is done, no one can stop him, if he intends to save.
18. For sorrow results in death, and sorrow of heart saps one's strength.
19. He can see whatever human beings are doing, nothing can be hidden from his eye;
19. In calamity sorrow continues, and the life of the poor man weighs down his heart.
20. his gaze stretches from eternity to eternity, and nothing can astonish him.
20. Do not give your heart to sorrow; drive it away, remembering the end of life.
21. You must not say, 'What is this? Why is that?' for everything has been made for a purpose.
21. Do not forget, there is no coming back; you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself.
22. As his blessing covers the dry land like a river and soaks it like a flood,
22. "Remember my doom, for yours is like it: yesterday it was mine, and today it is yours."
23. so retribution is his legacy to the nations, just as he has turned fresh waters to salt.
23. When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance cease, and be comforted for him when his spirit is departed.
24. His ways are as smooth for the devout, as they are full of obstacles for the wicked.
24. The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; and he who has little business may become wise.
25. Good things were created from the beginning for good people, as bad ones were for sinners.
25. How can he become wise who handles the plow, and who glories in the shaft of a goad, who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, and whose talk is about bulls?
26. The prime needs of human beings for living are water and fire, iron and salt, wheat-flour, milk and honey, the juice of the grape, oil and clothing.
26. He sets his heart on plowing furrows, and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.
27. All these are good for those who are good, but turn out bad for sinners.
27. So too is every craftsman and master workman who labors by night as well as by day; those who cut the signets of seals, each is diligent in making a great variety; he sets his heart on painting a lifelike image, and he is careful to finish his work.
28. Some winds have been created for punishing, in his fury, he uses them as scourges; on the day of doom, they unleash their violence and appease the wrath of their Creator.
28. So too is the smith sitting by the anvil, intent upon his handiwork in iron; the breath of the fire melts his flesh, and he wastes away in the heat of the furnace; he inclines his ear to the sound of the hammer, and his eyes are on the pattern of the object. He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork, and he is careful to complete its decoration.
29. Fire and hail, famine and death, have all been created for punishing.
29. So too is the potter sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet; he is always deeply concerned over his work, and all his output is by number.
30. Wild animals' fangs, scorpions, vipers, the avenging sword for the ruin of the godless:
30. He moulds the clay with his arm and makes it pliable with his feet; he sets his heart to finish the glazing, and he is careful to clean the furnace.
31. all of them exult in discharging his orders, ready on earth whenever the need arises and, when their time comes, not falling short of his word.
31. All these rely upon their hands, and each is skilful in his own work.
32. That is why I was determined from the outset, why I have pondered and why I have written,
32. Without them a city cannot be established, and men can neither sojourn nor live there.
33. 'The works of the Lord are all good, when the time is right, he gives whatever is needed.
33. Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people, nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly. They do not sit in the judge's seat, nor do they understand the sentence of judgment; they cannot expound discipline or judgment, and they are not found using proverbs.
34. You must not say, "This is worse than that," for, sooner or later, everything proves its worth.
34. But they keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.
35. So now, sing with all your heart and voice, and bless the name of the Lord!'
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