Sirach 51
51
A Prayer To Give Thanks
1I praise you, Lord God,
because you are my king,
and you rescued me.
I give you thanks
2for protection and help
when I was in danger
from enemies
who tried to destroy me
with cruel lies.
3My enemies wanted me dead
and were about
to gobble me up,
but you had pity and rescued me
from the trouble they caused.
4I was surrounded by fires
they had set,
and I could not breathe
for the smoke.
* 5Death was ready to swallow me,
because their filthy lies
6had reached the king.
I was standing at the edge
of an open grave.
7Enemies surrounded me,
and I called for help—
but no one came.
8Then, Lord, I remembered
your mercy and kindness
and how you have always saved
those who trusted you
when they were attacked
by evil people.
9So I prayed and cried out,
“Don't let me die!
10I am in trouble,
facing arrogant enemies
with no one to help me.
But you are my Lord and Father,
so please don't let me down.
Rescue me,
11and I will honor you forever
with songs of praise.”
I know you heard my prayer,
12because you saved me from death
and rescued me from danger.
That's why I thank you
and give you honor and praise.
Sirach Looked for Wisdom
* 13When I was young
and before I had traveled,
14I prayed in the temple courtyard
and openly asked for Wisdom.
And I will look for her#51.14 her: Wisdom is here pictured as a woman.
every day of my life.
15Now I am old,
but ever since I was a child,
I have loved Wisdom
and always followed her
on the path where she walked.
16When I listened even a little
to what she said,
I learned many things.
17So I continued to study,
and I praise God,
who gives me Wisdom.
18I chose to live by Wisdom
and always do right,
and I have never had a reason
to be ashamed.
19Whenever I had to struggle
to follow her completely,
I would lift my hands in prayer
and tell God I was sorry
I knew so little of Wisdom.
20But I was set on finding her,
and I did, by removing sin
from my heart.
Now, I grow wiser and wiser,
and she will never leave me.
21I made the effort to find Wisdom
because I really wanted her,
and she is worth it all.
22The Lord also rewarded me
with a gift for using words,
and so I will use that gift
to offer him praise.
23If Wisdom is a subject
you have never studied,
then come to my school.
24If your desire for her
is like a great thirst,
why haven't you quenched it?
25Here is my advice—
you cannot buy Wisdom,
26and you need not travel far.
You just have to be willing
to do what she says.
27Studying wisdom has filled
my life with peace,
and you can see it is worth
any effort I have made.
28And even if learning Wisdom
costs you a lot of silver,
she will bring you
even more in gold.
Celebrate the Mercy of God!
29Celebrate the mercy of God!
Don't be ashamed to tell others
how great he is.
30Work when it is time to work,
and God will reward you
when the time is right.
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Sirach 51: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.