Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 38
Sickness and Medicine
1Give doctors the honour they deserve, for the Lord gave them their work to do. 2Their skill came from the Most High, and kings reward them for it. 3Their knowledge gives them a position of importance, and powerful people hold them in high regard.
4The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible person will not hesitate to use them. 5Didn't a tree once make bitter water fit to drink, so that the Lord's power might be known? 6He gave medical knowledge to human beings, so that we would praise him for the miracles he performs. 7-8The chemist mixes these medicines, and the doctor will use them to cure diseases and ease pain. There is no end to the activities of the Lord, who gives health to the people of the world.
9My child, when you feel ill, don't ignore it. Pray to the Lord, and he will make you well. 10Confess all your sins and determine that in the future you will live a righteous life. 11Offer incense and a grain offering, as fine as you can afford. 12Then call the doctor — for the Lord created him — and keep him at your side; you need him. 13There are times when you have to depend on his skill. 14The doctor's prayer is that the Lord will make him able to ease his patients' pain and make them well again. 15As for the person who sins against his Creator, he deserves to be sick.
Mourning for the Dead
16My child, when someone dies, you should mourn. Weep and wail to show how deeply you feel the loss. Prepare the body in the proper way and be present at the burial. 17Weep bitterly and passionately; observe the proper period of mourning for the person. Mourn for a whole day or maybe two, to keep people from talking, but then pull yourself together and reconcile yourself to the loss. 18Grief can undermine your health and even lead to your own death. 19Grief lingers on after the death of a loved one, but it is not wise to let it lead you into poverty.
20Don't lose yourself in sorrow; drive it away. Remember that we must all die sometime. 21There is no way to bring the dead person back. All your sorrow does him no good, and it hurts you. Don't forget that. 22You will die, just as he did. Today it was his turn; tomorrow it will be yours. 23When the dead have been laid to rest, let the memory of them fade. Once they are gone, take courage.
Scholarship and Other Occupations
24Scholars must have time to study if they are going to be wise; they must be relieved of other responsibilities. 25How can a farmhand gain knowledge, when his only ambition is to drive the oxen and make them work, when all he is able to talk about is livestock? 26He takes great pains to plough a straight furrow and will work far into the night to feed the animals.
27It is the same with the artist and the craftsman, who work night and day engraving precious stones, carefully working out new designs. They take great pains to produce a lifelike image, and will work far into the night to finish the work.
28It is the same with the blacksmith at his anvil, planning what he will make from a piece of iron. The heat from the fire sears his skin as he sweats away at the forge. The clanging of the hammer deafens him as he carefully watches the object he is working take shape. He takes great pains to complete his task, and will work far into the night to bring it to perfection.
29It is the same with the potter, sitting at his wheel and turning it with his feet, always concentrating on his work, concerned with how many objects he can produce. 30He works the clay with his feet until he can shape it with his hands; then he takes great pains to glaze it properly, and will work far into the night to clean out the kiln.
31All these people are skilled with their hands, each of them an expert at his own craft. 32Without such people there could be no cities; no one would live or visit where these services were not available. 33These people are not sought out to serve on the public councils, and they never attain positions of great importance. They do not serve as judges, and they do not understand legal matters. They have no education and are not known for their wisdom. You never hear them quoting proverbs. 34But the work they do holds this world together. When they do their work, it is the same as offering prayer.
Good News Translation® with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
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