Глава 44

Glorification of the providence of the Lord in people through chosen people in general and, in particular, through Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Sir.44:1 Now let us praise the glorious men and fathers of our family: Sir.44:2 The Lord showed through them many glorious things, His greatness from everlasting; Sir.44:3 These were the rulers of their kingdoms and men renowned for power; they gave sound advice, they proclaimed in prophecies; Sir.44:4 they were leaders of the people in consultations and in book learning. Sir.44:5 Wise words were in their teaching; they invented musical systems and committed hymns to scripture; Sir.44:6 A rich people, gifted with strength, they lived peacefully in their dwellings. Sir.44:7 All of them were respected among their families and were a glory in their days. Sir.44:8 There are those among them who left behind themselves a name to proclaim their praise, and there are those of whom there is no memory left, who disappeared as if they did not exist, and became as if they had not existed, and their children after them. Sir.44:9 But they were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds are not forgotten; 9 . Men of God's mercy to them. Sir.44:10 In their seed remains a good inheritance; their descendants are in the covenants; 10. Their descendants remain faithful to the covenants of the Lord. Sir.44:11 Their seed will be strong, and their children for their sake; 11. Numerous long-lasting offspring, firm in faith and good life, are the rewards of pious and wise parents. Sir.44:12 Their seed will endure forever, and their glory will not be destroyed; Sir.44:13 Their bodies are buried in peace, and their names live for generations; Sir.44:14 The nations will tell of their wisdom, and the church will proclaim their praise. Sir.44:15 Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken into heaven - an image of repentance for all generations. 15. The manifestation of God's extraordinary mercy towards the righteous Enoch should serve as a constant lesson from above for stubborn sinners and, at the same time, an incentive to repent of a sinful life. Sir.44:16 Noah turned out to be perfect, righteous; in times of anger he was a propitiation; 16. During the discovery of the wrath of God in relation to the antediluvian sinful world, Noah, who shone with his righteous life, served as a propitiation for the human race on earth, preventing with his piety the final destruction of humanity by the waters of the flood. Sir.44:17 Therefore he became a remnant on the earth when the flood came; Sir.44:18 An everlasting covenant was made with him, that no flesh should be destroyed again by a flood. Sir.44:19 Abraham is the great father of many nations, and there was none like him in glory; Sir.44:20 he kept the law of the Most High and was in covenant with Him, Sir.44:21 And in his own flesh he established the covenant, and was found faithful in the trial; 21. And on his flesh he established the standard of the covenant, i.e. circumcision (see Gen. XVII). Circumcision was called a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his faithful descendants because it was supposed to serve, on the one hand, as a visible sign of God’s election and promise; on the other hand, the obligatory detection in a person of his internal readiness for self-restraint in the name of the requirements of the Lord’s commandments. – And in the test he turned out to be faithful, see Gen. XXII. Sir.44:22 Therefore the Lord promised him with an oath that in his seed all nations would be blessed; Sir.44:23 promised to multiply him like the dust of the earth, and to exalt his seed like the stars, and to give them an inheritance from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. Sir.44:24 And to Isaac for the sake of Abraham his father, He also confirmed the blessing of all people and the covenant; Sir.44:25 and it rested on the head of Jacob: Sir.44:26 He rewarded him with His blessings, and gave him the land as an inheritance, and separated out portions of it, and divided it among the twelve tribes. Sir.44:27 And from him he produced a man of mercy, who found love in the eyes of all flesh, 27. Explained by verse 1 of chapter 45.