Sirach 44

Common English Bible

44 Now allow us to praise
famous people and our ancestors,
generation by generation.^[a]
2 The Lord created^[b] great glory,
    his majesty from eternity.
³ They ruled in their kingdoms,
    and made a name with their power,
    some giving counsel
    by their intelligence;
    some making pronouncements
    in prophecies;
⁴     some leading the people
    by their deliberations,
    and by their understanding
    of the people’s learning,
    giving wise words in their instruction;
⁵     others devising musical melodies,
    and composing poems;
⁶     rich people endowed with strength,
    living in peace in their dwellings—
⁷ all of these were honored
in their generation,
    a source of pride in their time.
⁸ Some of them left behind a name
    so that their praises might be told.
⁹ For some there is no memory,
    and they perished as though
    they hadn’t existed.
    These have become as though
    they hadn’t been born,
        they and even their children after them.
¹⁰ But these were compassionate people
    whose righteous deeds
    haven’t been forgotten.
¹¹ This will persist with their children;
    their descendants
    will be a good legacy.^[c]
12 Their descendants stand
by the covenants,
    and their children also, for their sake.
¹³ Their descendants will last forever,
    and their glory will never be erased.
¹⁴ Their bodies were buried in peace,
    but their name lives for generations.
¹⁵ The people will tell of their wisdom,
    and the congregation
    will proclaim their praise.

¹⁶ Enoch pleased the Lord
and was transferred,^[d]
    an example of a changed heart
    and mind for generations.

¹⁷ Noah was found perfect and righteous;
    in a time of anger,
    he was selected in exchange
    for the ungodly.^[e]
    Because of him,
    a few survivors remained on the earth
        when the flood happened.
¹⁸ Eternal covenants were made with him
    so that all living things would not be wiped out by a flood again.

¹⁹ Abraham was the great father
of a multitude of nations,
    and there was no smudge on his glory.^[f]
20 He kept the laws of the Most High,
    and he entered into a covenant with him.
        He established a covenant in his flesh,
        and when he was tested,
        he proved faithful.
²¹ Therefore, the Lord certified for Abraham
with a solemn pledge
    that he would bless nations
    through his descendants,
    that he would make him increase
    like the dust of the earth,
    exalt his descendants like the stars,
    and give them an inheritance
    from sea to sea
    and from the river to the end
    of the earth.

    The Lord brought forward out of Jacob^[g]
    a man of mercy,
        who found favor with all living beings,