Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 2
2
Duties toward God
1My child, when you come to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for testing.#2.1 Or trials
2Set your heart right and be steadfast,
and do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
3Cling to him and do not depart,
so that your last days may be prosperous.
4Accept whatever befalls you,
and in times of humiliation be patient.
5For gold is tested in the fire,
and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.#2.5 Other ancient authorities add in sickness and poverty put your trust in him
6Trust in him, and he will help you;
make your ways straight, and hope in him.
7You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not stray, or else you may fall.
8You who fear the Lord, trust in him,
and your reward will not be lost.
9You who fear the Lord, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.#2.9 Other ancient authorities add For his reward is an everlasting gift with joy.
10Consider the generations of old and see:
has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?
Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord#2.10 Gk of him and been forsaken?
Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected?
11For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.
12Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands,
and to the sinner who walks a double path!
13Woe to the fainthearted who have no trust!
Therefore they will have no shelter.
14Woe to you who have lost your nerve!
What will you do when the Lord's reckoning comes?
15Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his words,
and those who love him keep his ways.
16Those who fear the Lord seek to please him,
and those who love him are filled with his law.
17Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts,
and humble themselves before him.
Let us fall into the hands of the Lord,
but not into the hands of mortals;
for equal to his majesty is his mercy,
and equal to his name are his works.#2.17 Syr: Gk lacks this line
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Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 2: NRSV-CI
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.