Глава 51

Prayer of Jesus, son of Sirach Prayer of thanksgiving from Jesus son of Sirach. Sir.51:1 I will glorify You, O Lord the King, and I will praise You, God my Savior; I glorify Your name, Sir.51:2 for You have been my protector and helper Sir.51:3 And I delivered my body from destruction and from the snare of a slanderous tongue, from lips that weave lies; and against those who rebelled against me You were my helper Sir.51:4 and delivered me, because of the abundance of mercy and for the sake of Your name, from the gnashing of teeth that were ready to devour me, Sir.51:5 from the hand of those who sought my life, because of the many tribulations that I had, Sir.51:6 from the fire suffocating on all sides and from the midst of the flame in which I was not burned, Sir.51:7 From the depths of the belly of hell, from an unclean tongue and lying speech, from slander before the king of an unrighteous tongue. 7. From the depths of the belly of hell. Wed. 8–17 art. Sir.51:8 My soul was close to death, Sir.51:9 and my life was near hell: Sir.51:10 They surrounded me on all sides, and there was no helper; I looked with my eyes for intercession from people, and there was none. Sir.51:11 And I remembered Your mercy, O Lord, and Your works from the beginning, Sir.51:12 that You deliver those who trust in You and save them from the hand of their enemies. Sir.51:13 And I offered up my prayer from the earth and prayed for deliverance from death: Sir.51:14 I cried out to the Lord, the Father of my Lord, so that He would not leave me in the days of trouble, when there was no help from arrogant people. Sir.51:15 I will praise Your name unceasingly and sing praises, for my prayer has been heard; Sir.51:16 You saved me from destruction and delivered me from evil times. Sir.51:17 For this I will glorify and praise You and bless the name of the Lord. Sir.51:18 While still a youth, before I went on a journey, I openly sought wisdom in my prayer: Sir.51:19 Before the church I prayed for her, and I will seek her to the end; as if from the color of ripening grapes, Sir.51:20 My heart rejoices over her; My foot has walked the straight path, I have followed it from my youth. Sir.51:21 Little by little I inclined my ear and accepted it, and found in it many instructions for myself: Sir.51:22 I had success in it. Sir.51:23 I will give glory to Him who gives me wisdom. Sir.51:24 I decided to follow it, I was zealous for good, and I will not be put to shame. Sir.51:25 My soul struggled for her sake, and I was precise in my deeds; Sir.51:26 I stretched out my hands to the heights and realized my ignorance. 26. Realizing my ignorance, I stretched out my hands to the heights, asking the Lord God to enlighten me. Sir.51:27 I directed my soul to her, and gave my heart to her from the very beginning - Sir.51:28 and with purity reached it; therefore I will not be abandoned by her. Sir.51:29 And my soul moved to seek her; therefore I have gained good gain. Sir.51:30 As a reward, God gave me a tongue, and with it I will praise Him. Sir.51:31 Come near me, you unlearned, and settle in the house of learning, Sir.51:32 For you need it and your souls greatly thirst. Sir.51:33 I open my mouth and say: get it for yourself without money; 33. Buy it, i.e. wisdom, without silver, i.e. not for silver, which in itself will not give wisdom, but through one’s own efforts and calling on divine help (cf. vv. 26–30). Sir.51:34 Bend your neck under her yoke, and let your soul receive the teaching; it can be found nearby. Sir.51:35 You see with your own eyes: I worked a little and found great peace. Sir.51:36 Buy teaching with a lot of silver, and you will buy a lot of gold. 36. If wisdom itself cannot be purchased for silver (Art. 33) and requires from the one striving for it his own tireless efforts and help from above (Art. 18–30), then satisfying everyday needs and covering the required expenses during the training of wisdom is, of course, not alien to ordinary monetary expenses. And these expenses should not confuse the seeker of the fruits of wisdom: having acquired wisdom, you will acquire a lot of gold, achieve internal and external well-being (cf. 35-38 vv.). Sir.51:37 Let your soul rejoice in His mercy, and do not be ashamed to praise Him; Sir.51:38 Do your work in advance, and He will give your reward in due time.