Ecclesiasticus, 24

1. Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people.

1. Listen to wisdom singing her own praises and extolling herself in the midst of her people.

2. In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.

2. See, she opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself before the Almighty.

3. I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud.

3. I came out from the mouth of God and covered the face of the earth like a mist; although

4. I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar.

4. my dwelling place is in the highest heavens, my throne is within a pillar of cloud.

5. I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep.

5. I alone have seen and understood the vault of the skies and strolled through the depths of the abyss,

6. In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession.

6. taking possession of the raging sea and of the earth as well, with all its peoples and nations.

7. With all these I sought rest: and in whose inheritance shall I abide?

7. In all of these, I looked for a place to rest; in which territory would I set up my abode?

8. So the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and he that made me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel.

8. Then the creator of the universe commanded me, he who created me assigned the place of my rest, "Pitch your tent in Jacob; Israel will be your homeland."

9. He created me from the beginning before the world, and I shall never fail.

9. He created me from the beginning, before time began, and I will never cease to be,

10. In the holy tabernacle I served before him; and so was I established in Sion.

10. I celebrate in his presence the liturgy of his Holy Dwelling and this is why I settled in Zion.

11. Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.

11. The Lord let me rest in his beloved city and Jerusalem is the heart of my kingdom.

12. And I took root in an honourable people, even in the portion of the Lord's inheritance.

12. I took root in the people God has favored, in the land of the Lord, in their inheritance.

13. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon.

13. I grew like a cedar in Lebanon, as the cypress on Mount Hermon.

14. I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho, as a fair olive tree in a pleasant field, and grew up as a plane tree by the water.

14. I grew like the palm trees in Engedi and the rosebuds of Jericho; as a magnificent olive on the plains and like a plane tree I grew tall.

15. I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odour like the best myrrh, as galbanum, and onyx, and sweet storax, and as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.

15. I poured out my perfume like a fragrant flower, like exquisite myrrh I have given choice scent; like fragrant plants and as the smoke of incense which burns in the Sanctuary of God.

16. As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honour and grace.

16. I spread out my branches like a vine; these are Glory and Grace.

17. As the vine brought I forth pleasant savour, and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

17. As a vine I put out graceful shoots and my blossoms are riches and glory.

18. I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him.

18.

19. Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits.

19. Come to me, you who desire me and take your fill of my fruits.

20. For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb.

20. To experience me is sweeter than honey and to possess me sweeter than any honeycomb.

21. They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.

21. Those who eat me will hunger still; those who drink me will thirst for more.

22. He that obeyeth me shall never be confounded, and they that work by me shall not do amiss.

22. Those who obey me will not be put to shame; those who serve me will not fall into sin.

23. All these things are the book of the covenant of the most high God, even the law which Moses commanded for an heritage unto the congregations of Jacob.

23. All this is in the Bible, the Testament of the Most High God, the book of the Law which Moses entrusted to us, the inheritance of the congregations of Israel.

24. Faint not to be strong in the Lord; that he may confirm you, cleave unto him: for the Lord Almighty is God alone, and beside him there is no other Saviour.

24.

25. He filleth all things with his wisdom, as Phison and as Tigris in the time of the new fruits.

25. This Law feeds the springs of wisdom, like the Pishon or Tigris in the season of fruit.

26. He maketh the understanding to abound like Euphrates, and as Jordan in the time of the harvest.

26. Waters overflowing with understanding come from it, as from the Euphrates and Jordan at harvest time;

27. He maketh the doctrine of knowledge appear as the light, and as Geon in the time of vintage.

27. the floods of instruction run like the Nile or the Gihon in time of vintage.

28. The first man knew her not perfectly: no more shall the last find her out.

28. He who comes first is unable to grasp her fully and neither will the last exhaust her.

29. For her thoughts are more than the sea, and her counsels profounder than the great deep.

29. For her thoughts are wider than the sea and her designs, deeper than the abyss.

30. I also came out as a brook from a river, and as a conduit into a garden.

30. I, for my part, went forth like a brook from a river, a stream diverted into a delightful garden.

31. I said, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed: and, lo, my brook became a river, and my river became a sea.

31. I thought, "Let me irrigate my orchard and water my flowers." But now my brook has grown into a river and the river, into a sea.

32. I will yet make doctrine to shine as the morning, and will send forth her light afar off.

32. May my teaching shine forth like the dawn; may I carry its light to faraway places.

33. I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it to all ages for ever.

33. I will spread my teaching like a prophecy and leave it to future generations.

34. Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that seek wisdom.

34. See, all of you, that I have not worked for myself alone but for all those who seek wisdom.