Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 50

¹ It was the High Priest Simon son of Onias who repaired the Temple during his lifetime and in his day fortified the sanctuary.

² He laid the foundations of the double height, the high buttresses of the Temple precincts.

³ In his day the water cistern was excavated, a reservoir as huge as the sea.

⁴ Anxious to save the people from ruin, he fortified the city against siege.

⁵ How splendid he was with the people thronging round him, when he emerged from the curtained shrine,[*a]

⁶ like the morning star among the clouds, like the moon at the full,

⁷ like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High, like the rainbow gleaming against brilliant clouds,

⁸ like roses in the days of spring, like lilies by a freshet of water, like a sprig of frankincense in summer-time,

⁹ like fire and incense in the censer, like a vessel of beaten gold encrusted with every kind of precious stone,

¹⁰ like an olive tree loaded with fruit, like a cypress soaring to the clouds;

¹¹ when he put on his splendid vestments, and clothed himself in glorious perfection, when he went up to the holy altar, and filled the sanctuary precincts with his grandeur;

¹² when he received the portions from the hands of the priests, himself standing by the altar hearth, surrounded by a crowd of his brothers, like a youthful cedar of Lebanon as though surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.

¹³ When all the sons of Aaron in their glory, with the offerings of the Lord in their hands, stood before the whole assembly of Israel,

¹⁴ while he completed the rites at the altars, presenting in due order the offering for the Most High, the Almighty,

¹⁵ reaching out his hand to the cup,[*b] and pouring a libation of the juice of the grape, pouring it at the foot of the altar, an appeasing fragrance to the Most High, the King of all,

¹⁶ then the sons of Aaron would shout and blow their trumpets of beaten metal, making a mighty sound ring out as a reminder before the Most High;

¹⁷ and immediately the people all together would fall on their faces to the ground, in adoration of their Lord, the Almighty, God Most High,

¹⁸ and with the cantors chanting their hymns of praise: sweet was the melody of all these voices,

¹⁹ as the people pleaded with the Lord Most High, and prayed in the presence of the Merciful, until the service of the Lord was completed and the ceremony at an end.

²⁰ Then he would come down and raise his hands over the whole concourse of the sons of Israel, to give them the Lord’s blessing from his lips, being privileged to pronounce his name;[*c]

²¹ and once again the people would bow low to receive the blessing from the Most High.

²² And now bless the God of all things, the doer of great deeds everywhere, who has exalted our days from the womb and acted towards us in his mercy.

²³ May he grant us cheerful hearts and bring peace in our time, in Israel for ages on ages.

²⁴ May his mercy be faithfully with us, may he redeem us in our time.

²⁵ There are two nations that my soul detests, the third is not a nation at all:

²⁶ the inhabitants of Mount Seir, and the Philistines, and the stupid people living at Shechem.[*d]

²⁷ Instruction in wisdom and knowledge has been committed to writing in this book by Jesus son of Sira, Eleazar, of Jerusalem, who has rained down wisdom from his heart.

²⁸ Happy is he who busies himself with these things, and grows wise by taking them to heart.

²⁹ If he practises them he will be strong enough for anything, since the light of the Lord is his path.