Sirach · Catholic Public Domain Version
Sirach 38 Catholic Public Domain Version
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
Sirach is not in RV1909.
1 Honor the physician because of necessity, and because the Most High created him.
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2 For all healing is from God, and so he will receive gifts from the King.
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3 The expertise of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men, he will be praised.
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4 The Most High has created medicines from the earth, and a prudent man will not abhor them.
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5 Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?
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6 The benefits of these things is recognized by men, and the Most High has given this knowledge to men, so that he may be honored in his wonders.
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7 By these things, he will cure or mitigate their suffering, and the pharmacist will make soothing ointments, and he will form healing medicines, and there will be no end to his works.
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8 For the peace of God is upon the surface of the earth.
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9 Son, in your infirmity, you should not neglect yourself, but pray to the Lord, and he will cure you.
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10 Turn away from sin, and direct your hands, and cleanse your heart from every offense.
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11 Give a sweet offering, and a memorial of fine flour, and fatten your oblation, but also give a place to the physician.
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12 For the Lord created him. And so, do not let him depart from you, for his works are necessary.
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13 For there is a time when you may fall into their hands.
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14 Truly, they will beseech the Lord, so that he may direct their treatments and cures, for the sake of their way of life.
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15 He who sins in the sight of the One who made him will fall into the hands of the physician.
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16 Son, shed tears over the dead, and begin to weep, as if you had suffered dreadfully. And according to judgment, cover his body, and you should not neglect his burial.
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17 And though you will sink down into bitterness, bear his mourning for one day, and then be consoled in your sadness.
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18 And carry out his mourning, according to his merit, for one or two days because of this loss.
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19 Yet sadness hastens death and overwhelms strength, and the sorrow of the heart bows down the neck.
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20 When one is taken away, sorrow remains. But the resources of a destitute man is found in his heart.
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21 You should not give your heart over to sadness, but push it away from you. And remember the very end.
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22 Do not be willing to forget this; for there is no turning back. Otherwise, it will not benefit you, and you will cause great harm to yourself.
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23 Call to mind my judgment. For so shall it be for you also. Yesterday is mine, and today is yours.
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24 When the deceased is at rest, let his memory rest also. And console him at the departure of his spirit.
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25 The wisdom of a scribe is found in his time of leisure. So whoever has less to do will gain wisdom.
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26 With what wisdom will someone be filled who holds the plow, and who boasts of the cattle prod that drives the oxen forward, and who is occupied in these labors, and whose only conversation is about the offspring of bulls?
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27 He will give his mind over to the plowing of furrows, and his vigilance to the fattening of the cows.
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28 Similarly, every craftsman and artisan, who crafts in the night as well as in the day, who sculpts graven seals, and who, by his diligence, varies the image, will give his mind over to the likeness of the image. And he will complete the work by his vigilance.
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29 The blacksmith, sitting by his anvil and considering a work of iron, is similar. The steam from the fire singes his flesh, and he struggles against the heat of the furnace.
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30 The voice of the hammer is ever in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the ironwork.
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31 He gives his heart to the completion of his work, and his vigilance adorns it to perfection.
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32 The potter, sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet, is similar. He has settled into a continual concern for his work, and there is a rhythm in all that he does.
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33 He forms the clay with his arm, and he bends his strength over his feet.
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34 He will give his heart over to the completion of the glazing, and his vigilance to the cleansing of the furnace.
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35 All these persons trust in their own hands, and each one is wise in his own art.
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36 Without these persons, a city is not built.
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37 But they will neither inhabit nor walk around in the city. And they will not go across to the church.
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38 They will not sit upon the seats of judges, and they will not understand a decree of judgment. And they will not make clear discipline and judgment, and they will not be found to understand parables.
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39 But they will strengthen the state of the world, and their prayer will be in their artistic works, applying their soul, and searching the law of the Most High.
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What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"I sleep, and my heart waketh." I am still, and see that Thou art the Lord: for "the wisdom of the scribe cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he that hath little business shall become wise." "I sleep, and my heart waketh:" I rest from troublesome business, and my mind turns its attention to divine concerns (or communications).
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)