Chapter 51

Prayer of Jesus, son of Sirach

A thanksgiving prayer of Jesus son of Sirach.

Sirach 51:1. I will praise you, Lord King, and I will praise you, God, my Savior; I glorify your name, 2. for you were my protector and helper 3. and delivered my body from destruction and from the snare of a slanderous tongue, from the lips of those who speak falsehood; and against those who rose up against me you were my helper 4. and delivered me, according to the greatness of your mercy and for the sake of your name, from grinding teeth ready to devour me, 5. from the hand of those who sought my life, from many troubles which I had, 6. from the suffocating fire from all sides and from the midst of the flame, in which I was not consumed, 7. from the depths of the belly of the underworld, from an unclean tongue and a false word, from the slander before the king of an unrighteous tongue. 7. From the depths of the belly of the underworld. See vv. 8–17.

Sirach 51:8. My soul was close to death, 9. and my life was near the underworld below: 10. from all sides I was surrounded, and there was no one to help; I sought with my eyes for support from people – and there was none. 11. And I remembered your, Lord, mercy and your works from of old, 12. that you deliver those who hope in you and save them from the hand of enemies. 13. And I lifted up my supplication from the earth and prayed for deliverance from death: 14. I called out to the Lord, Father of my Lord, that he would not abandon me in the days of trouble, when there was no help from haughty people. 15. I will praise your name continually and sing in thanksgiving, for my prayer was heard; 16. you saved me from destruction and delivered me from a terrible time. 17. For this I will praise and bless you and glorify the name of the Lord. 18. While still a youth, before I traveled abroad, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer: 19. in front of the temple I prayed for her, and until the end I will seek her; like blossom from ripening grapes, 20. my heart rejoiced in her; my foot walked a straight path, I followed after her from my youth. 21. Little by little I inclined my ear to her and received her, and I found in her much instruction for myself: 22. I made progress in her. 23. I will give glory to the One who gave me wisdom. 24. I made up my mind to follow her, I zealously pursued what is good, and I will not be ashamed. 25. My soul strove for her, and in my works I was diligent; 26. I stretched out my hands to the height and perceived my ignorance. 26. Knowing my ignorance, I stretched out my hands to the height, asking God to teach me.

Sirach 51:27. I directed my soul to her, and my heart devoted itself to her from the beginning – 28. and I achieved her with purity; therefore I will not be abandoned by her. 29. And my inner being was moved to seek her; therefore I gained a good acquisition. 30. As a reward God gave me a tongue, and with it I will praise him. 31. Draw near to me, you untaught, and lodge in the house of instruction, 32. for you need it, and your souls greatly thirst for it. 33. I open my mouth and say: acquire it for yourselves without silver; 33. Acquire it, that is, wisdom, without silver, that is, not for silver, which by itself will not give wisdom, but by your own efforts and the invocation of divine help (see v. 26–30).

Sirach 51:34. put your neck under her yoke, and let your soul receive instruction; it can be found near. 35. See with your own eyes: I have labored little – and found myself great rest. 36. Acquire instruction at a great price of silver – and you will acquire much gold. 36. If wisdom is itself not purchasable for silver (v. 33) and requires from those who seek it their own unfailing efforts and help from above (vv. 18–30), then meeting living needs and covering expenses during the pursuit of wisdom is certainly not foreign to ordinary monetary expenditure. And these expenses should not trouble those seeking the fruits of wisdom: acquire wisdom – and you will acquire much gold, attain internal and external well-being (see vv. 35–38).

Sirach 51:37. Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and do not be ashamed to praise him; 38. do your work beforehand, and in his own time he will give you your reward.