Sirach 36

Common English Bible

36 Have mercy on us, Lord God of all;
²     and teach all nations to stand
    in awe of you.
³ Raise up your hand
against foreign nations,
    and let them see your power.
⁴ Just as they saw your holiness
made visible in our midst,
    so let us see your power
    made visible in their midst.
⁵ Let them know you,
just as we also have known, Lord,
    that there’s no God except you.
⁶ Renew the signs,
and work different wonders;
⁷     make your strong hand and arm glorious.
⁸ Arouse your anger;
pour out your wrath;
⁹     remove the adversary;
    destroy the enemy.
¹⁰ Act quickly,
remember what you have sworn,
    and let people tell of your mighty acts.
¹¹ Let those who survive
be consumed in a fiery wrath,
    and may those who harm your people
    come to destruction.
¹² Crush the heads of hostile rulers,
who say, “We’re all that matters.”
¹³ Gather all the tribes of Jacob,^[a]
16     and give them their inheritance,
    as you did at the beginning.
¹⁷ Have mercy, Lord, on the people
who have been called by your name;
on Israel, whom you made like
an oldest child.
¹⁸ Take pity on the city
where your sanctuary is;
    on Jerusalem,
    the place where you live.^[b]
19 Fill Zion with the celebration
of your mighty deeds,^[c]
    and fill your temple with your glory.
²⁰ Bear witness to those
whom you created at the beginning,
    and fulfill the prophecies
    that were given in your name.
²¹ Give a reward to those
who wait for you,
    and let your prophets
    be found trustworthy.
²² Hear, Lord, the prayer
of your household slaves
    according to your goodwill
    toward your people,
        and all those
        who live upon the earth
        will know that you are the Lord,
        the God of the ages.

²³ The stomach will accept any food,
    but one kind of food
    is better than another.
²⁴ As the palate tastes different
types of game,
    so an intelligent mind tests^[d] false words.
²⁵ A perverse heart will cause grief,
    but an experienced person
    will know how to give payback.
²⁶ A woman will accept any male
as a husband,^[e]
    but some daughters are preferable
    to other ones.
²⁷ A woman’s beauty brightens a man’s face,
    and she surpasses a man’s every desire.
²⁸ If her speech is characterized
by mercy and gentleness,
    her husband is unlike anyone else.
²⁹ Whoever acquires a wife
takes his first step toward success.^[f]
    She will be a fit helper for him
    and a pillar of rest.^[g]
30 Where no fence exists,
the property is carried off,
    and where there’s no wife,
    a man sighs as he wanders about.^[h]
31 Who will trust a well-equipped robber
        who travels from city to city?
    Likewise, who will trust a man
    who does not have a nest
        and who lodges wherever night falls?