A prayer uttered by Jesus, son of Sirach. O Lord, my king, I give thee thanks, O God, my deliverer, I praise thee;

A PRAYER of Jesus the son of Sirach. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise thee, O God my Saviour.

Oratio Jesu filii Sirach. Confitebor tibi, Domine rex, et collaudabo te Deum salvatorem meum.

I extol thy name, for all the succour and protection thou hast given me,

I will give glory to thy name: for thou hast been a helper and protector to me.

Confitebor nomini tuo, quoniam adjutor et protector factus es mihi,

saving my life from deadly peril, when calumny lay in wait, and lying tongues assailed me. In full sight of all that stood by thou didst come to my rescue;

And hast preserved my body from destruction, from the snare of an unjust tongue, and from the lips of them that forge lies, and in the sight of them that stood by, thou hast been my helper.

et liberasti corpus meum a perditione: a laqueo linguæ iniquæ, et a labiis operantium mendacium: et in conspectu astantium factus es mihi adjutor.

roaring lions stood ready to devour me, and thou in that great mercy, that renowned mercy of thine, didst deliver me.

And thou hast delivered me, according to the multitude of the mercy of thy name, from them that did roar, prepared to devour.

Et liberasti me, secundum multitudinem misericordiæ nominis tui, a rugientibus præparatis ad escam:

I was in the hands of my mortal enemies, shut in on every side by misfortune;

Out of the hands of them that sought my life, and from the gates of afflictions, which compassed me about:

de manibus quærentium animam meam, et de portis tribulationum quæ circumdederunt me;

there were stifling flames all round me, and I stood in the heart of the fire uninjured.

From the oppression of the flame which surrounded me, and in the midst of the fire I was not burnt.

a pressura flammæ quæ circumdedit me, et in medio ignis non sum æstuatus;

I looked down into the deep womb of the grave, when foul lips brought lying accusations, and cruel king gave unjust sentence.

From the depth of the belly of hell, and from an unclean tongue, and from lying words, from an unjust king, and from a slanderous tongue:

de altitudine ventris inferi, et a lingua coinquinata, et a verbo mendacii, a rege iniquo, et a lingua injusta.

And still I would praise the Lord, long as I had breath to praise him,

My soul shall praise the Lord even to death.

Laudabit usque ad mortem anima mea Dominum,

though death’s abyss yawned at my very feet,

And my life was drawing near to hell beneath.

et vita mea appropinquans erat in inferno deorsum.

though I was cut off on every side, with none to aid me. Man’s help I looked for, and could not find;

They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I looked for the succour of men, and there was none.

Circumdederunt me undique, et non erat qui adjuvaret: respiciens eram ad adjutorium hominum, et non erat.

yet I bethought me, Lord, of thy mercy, thy deeds of long ago;

I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning of the world.

Memoratus sum misericordiæ tuæ Domine, et operationis tuæ, quæ a sæculo sunt:

if men will but wait for thee patiently, thou, Lord, dost deliver them, dost rescue them from the power of the heathen.

How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations.

quoniam eruis sustinentes te, Domine, et liberas eos de manibus gentium.

It was thou who hadst prospered my life on earth, and now, death ready to overwhelm me,

Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away.

Exaltasti super terram habitationem meam, et pro morte defluente deprecatus sum.

to the Lord, Father of the Master I serve, I made my plea. Would he leave me unaided when I was in distress, when my enemies were triumphing over me?

I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.

Invocavi Dominum patrem Domini mei, ut non derelinquat me in die tribulationis meæ, et in tempore superborum, sine adjutorio.

I will extol thy name unceasingly, with grateful praise; my prayer did not go unregarded.

I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard.

Laudabo nomen tuum assidue, et collaudabo illud in confessione: et exaudita est oratio mea,

Thou didst rescue me from deadly peril, didst save me in the hour of defeat;

And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time.

et liberasti me de perditione, et eripuisti me de tempore iniquo.

shall I not give thanks, shall I not praise and bless thy name?

Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord.

Propterea confitebor, et laudem dicam tibi, et benedicam nomini Domini.

A young man still, ere ever my wanderings began, I made my prayer for wisdom.

When I was yet young, before I wandered about, I sought for wisdom openly in my prayer.

Cum adhuc junior essem, priusquam oberrarem, quæsivi sapientiam palam in oratione mea.

Before the temple I asked for this, my life’s quest to the end. Came early the ripening of those grapes,

I prayed for her before the temple, and unto the very end I will seek after her, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.

Ante templum postulabam pro illis, et usque in novissimis inquiram eam: et effloruit tamquam præcox uva.

and my heart rejoiced at it. Down a straight path I sped, the ardour of youth to aid my search.

My heart delighted in her, my foot walked in the right way, from my youth up I sought after her.

Lætatum est cor meum in ea: ambulavit pes meus iter rectum: a juventute mea investigabam eam.

Ear that little listens shall yet hear;

I bowed down my ear a little, and received her.

Inclinavi modico aurem meam, et excepi illam.

much wisdom that little listening gave.

I found much wisdom in myself, and I profited much therein.

Multam inveni in meipso sapientiam, et multum profeci in ea.

Further and further yet I travelled, thanks be to the God that all wisdom bestows.

To him that giveth me wisdom, will I give glory.

Danti mihi sapientiam dabo gloriam:

Good use to make of her was all my love and longing; never was that hope disappointed.

For I have determined to follow her: I have had a zeal for good, and shall not be confounded.

consiliatus sum enim ut facerem illam. Zelatus sum bonum, et non confundar.

Hardily I strove to win her, put force on myself to keep her rule;

My soul hath wrestled for her, and in doing it I have been confirmed.

Colluctata est anima mea in illa, et in faciendo eam confirmatus sum.

I stretched out my hands towards heaven, and grieved for the want of her.

I stretched forth my hands on high, and I bewailed my ignorance of her.

Manus meas extendi in altum, et insipientiam ejus luxi;

Kept I but true to the search for her, I found and recognized her still.

I directed my soul to her, and in knowledge I found her.

animam meam direxi ad illam, et in agnitione inveni eam.

Long since trained by her discipline, I shall never be left forsaken.

I possessed my heart with her from the beginning: therefore I shall not be forsaken.

Possedi cum ipsa cor ab initio: propter hoc, non derelinquar.

Much heart-burning I had in the quest for her, but a rich dowry she brought me.

My entrails were troubled in seeking her: therefore shall I possess a good possession.

Venter meus conturbatus est quærendo illam: propterea bonam possidebo possessionem.

Never shall this tongue, with utterance divinely rewarded, be negligent of praise.

The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward: and with it I will praise him.

Dedit mihi Dominus linguam mercedem meam, et in ipsa laudabo eum.

O hearts untutored, come near, and frequent the school of learning!

Draw near to me, ye unlearned, and gather yourselves together into the house of discipline.

Appropiate ad me, indocti, et congregate vos in domum disciplinæ.

Parley at the gates no more, complaining of thirst ever unsatisfied.

Why are ye slow? and what do you say of these things? your souls are exceeding thirsty.

Quid adhuc retardatis? et quid dicitis in his? animæ vestræ sitiunt vehementer.

Rather, to my proclamation give heed; win the treasure that is to be had without price paid.

I have opened my mouth, and have spoken: buy her for yourselves without silver,

Aperui os meum, et locutus sum: Comparate vobis sine argento,

Suffice it that you bow your necks to her yoke, are content to accept her schooling. To find her, needs no distant travel …

And submit your neck to the yoke, and let your soul receive discipline: for she is near at hand to be found.

et collum vestrum subjicite jugo: et suscipiat anima vestra disciplinam: in proximo est enim invenire eam.

Unlaborious days, as all can testify, what a harvest they have won me of repose!

Behold with your eyes how I have laboured a little, and have found much rest to myself.

Videte oculis vestris, quia modicum laboravi, et inveni mihi multam requiem.

Would you grudge free expense of silver in the search for wisdom, that shall make you ample returns in gold?

Receive ye discipline as a great sum of money, and possess abundance of gold by her.

Assumite disciplinam in multo numero argenti, et copiosum aurum possidete in ea.

Your hearts shall yet triumph in his mercy, nor ever rue the day when you learned to praise him.

Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and you shall not be confounded in his praise.

Lætetur anima vestra in misericordia ejus, et non confundemini in laude ipsius.

Do, while time serves, what needs doing; when the time comes, he will reward you.

Work your work before the time, and he will give you your reward in his time.