Wisdom of Sirach 50
Simon, Son of Onias
1 There was Simon, the high priest and son of Onias, Who repaired the house during his life And strengthened the temple in his days.†
2 He also laid the foundation of the double high wall, The fortified wall surrounding the temple.
3 In his days the cistern for the waters was dug, A reservoir like a sea in circumference.
4 He was concerned about how to save his people from ruin, And he strengthened the city to withstand siege.†
The Day of Atonement
5 So was he honored when the people gathered round As he came out from behind the veil!†
6 Like the morning star in the midst of the clouds, Like the moon when it is full;
7 Like the sun shining upon the temple of the Most High, And like the rainbow shining in clouds of glory;
8 Like the bloom of the rose in the days of firstfruits, Like lilies by a spring of water, Like a sprig of frankincense in the summer;
9 Like fire and incense in the censer, Like a solid gold vessel decorated with every precious stone;
10 Like an olive tree sprouting fresh fruit, And like a cypress tree rising into the clouds.
11 When he took up a robe of honor And was clothed with the perfection of boasting In his ascent to the holy altar, He glorified the court of the sanctuary.
12 When he received the portion from the hands of the priests While standing by the hearth of the altar, A crown of brethren surrounding him, He was like a sapling of cedar in Lebanon; And they encircled him like the trunks of palm trees,
13 All the sons of Aaron in their glory, And the offering to the Lord in their hands Before all the assembly of Israel.
14 Finishing the services at the altars And arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty,
15 He stretched out his hand to the cup And poured a libation of the blood of the grapes. He poured it out on the foundation of the altar, A fragrant scent to the King of all, the Most High.†
16 Then the sons of Aaron cried out, Sounding out the trumpets of hammered work, A great noise to be heard As a remembrance before the Most High.†
17 Then all the people hastened in common And fell with their faces on the ground To worship their Lord, the Almighty God, the Most High.
18 The singers also praised Him with their voices, And their song was sweetened with a variety of sounds.
19 The people also prayed to the Lord Most High, In prayer before the Merciful One, Until the order of the Lord was ended And they finished His liturgy.
20 Then going down he lifted up his hands Over the entire assembly of the children of Israel, And to boast in His name.
21 Then they bowed down in worship a second time To receive the blessing from the Most High.†
Praise of Honored Men Concluded
22 And now bless the God of all, Who does great things in every way, Who exalts our days from our birth And deals with us according to His mercy.†
23 May He give us gladness of heart, And may there be peace in our days, In Israel as in the days of old.
24 May He entrust with us His mercy, And let Him redeem us in our days.
Author’s Summary
25 With two nations my soul is angered, And the third is not a nation:†
26 Those who reside on the mountain of Samaria and the Philistines, And the foolish people who dwell in Shechem.
27 Jesus, son of Sirach, son of Eleazar the Jerusalemite, Who poured wisdom forth in this book, I inscribed instruction in understanding and knowledge.†
28 Blessed is he who will conduct himself by these, For by putting these things in his heart He will be made wise.
29 For if he does these things, He will grow strong in all things, For the light of the Lord is his path.
Psalms 49
1 A psalm for Asaph. †The God of gods, the Lord, spoke, and summoned the earth From the sun’s rising to its very setting.
2 From Zion in beauty’s splendor, God will come openly;
3 He is our God, and He shall not be silent; A fire shall be kindled before Him, And there shall be a mighty storm round about Him.
4 He shall summon heaven above And the earth to judge His people;
5 Gather His holy ones to Him, Who establish His covenant upon sacrifices;
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God is Judge. (Pause)
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak to you, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God.
8 I will not find fault with your sacrifices, Because your whole burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 I will not accept a young bull from your house, Nor he-goats from your flocks.
10 For all the wild animals of the forest are Mine, The cattle and the oxen in the hills.
11 I know all the birds of heaven, And the ripe fruit of the field is with Me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of praise, And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of affliction, And I will deliver you; and you shall glorify Me. (Pause)
Proverbs of Solomon 10
12 A fountain of life is in the hand of a righteous man, But the mouth of an ungodly man will hide destruction.
13 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all who are not lovers of strife.†
14 He who brings forth wisdom from his lips Beats a heartless man with a rod.
15 The wise will hide perception, But the mouth of a rash man approaches destruction.†
16 The acquisition of riches is a fortified city, But poverty is the destruction of the ungodly.
1 Corinthians 7
Concerning Marriage
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.†
2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. †
5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.†
6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.
7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;†
9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.
11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.†
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.
13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.†
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.†
18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.
21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.
22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.
23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.