Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 17

¹ The Lord fashioned man from the earth, to consign him back to it.

² He gave them so many days’ determined time, he gave them authority over everything on earth.

³ He clothed them with strength like his own, and made them in his own image.

⁴ He filled all living things with dread of man, making him master over beasts and birds.

⁶ He shaped for them a mouth and tongue, eyes and ears, and gave them a heart to think with.

⁷ He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and revealed to them good and evil.

⁸ He put his own light in their hearts to show them the magnificence of his works.

¹⁰ They will praise his holy name, as they tell of his magnificent works.

¹¹ He set knowledge before them, he endowed them with the law of life.

¹² He established an eternal covenant with them, and revealed his judgements to them.

¹³ Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the glory of his voice.

¹⁴ He said to them, ‘Beware of all wrong doing’; he gave each a commandment concerning his neighbour.

¹⁵ Their ways are always under his eye, they cannot be hidden from his sight.

¹⁷ Over each nation he has set a governor, but Israel is the Lord’s own portion.[*a]

¹⁹ All their works are as the sun to him, and his eyes rest constantly on their ways.

²⁰ Their iniquities are not hidden from him, all their sins are before the Lord.

²² A man’s almsgiving is like a signet ring to him, he cherishes a man’s generosity like the pupil of his eye.

²³ One day he will rise and reward them, he will pay back their deserts on their own heads.

²⁴ But to those who repent he permits return, and he encourages those who were losing hope.

²⁵ Return to the Lord and leave sin behind, plead before his face and lessen your offence.

²⁶ Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and bold in abhorrence all that is foul.

²⁷ Who will praise the Most High in Sheol, if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?

²⁸ To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown, only those with life and health can praise the Lord.

²⁹ How great is the mercy of the Lord, his pardon on all those who turn towards him!

³⁰ Man cannot have everything, since the son of man is not immortal.

³¹ What is brighter than the sun? Yet it suffers eclipse. Flesh and blood think of nothing but evil.

³² He surveys the armies of the lofty sky, while all men are no more than dust and ashes.