Sirach 38

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Hold the physician in honor, for he is essential to you, and God it was who established his profession.	1 Honor the physician because of necessity, and because the Most High created him.
2 From God the doctor has his wisdom, and the king provides for his sustenance.	2 For all healing is from God, and so he will receive gifts from the King.
3 His knowledge makes the doctor distinguished, and gives him access to those in authority.	3 The expertise of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men, he will be praised.
4 God makes the earth yield healing herbs which the prudent man should not neglect;	4 The Most High has created medicines from the earth, and a prudent man will not abhor them.
5 Was not the water sweetened by a twig that men might learn his power?	5 Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?
6 He endows men with the knowledge to glory in his mighty works,	6 The benefits of these things is recognized by men, and the Most High has given this knowledge to men, so that he may be honored in his wonders.
7 Through which the doctor eases pain and the druggist prepares his medicines;	7 By these things, he will cure or mitigate their suffering, and the pharmacist will make soothing ointments, and he will form healing medicines, and there will be no end to his works.
8 Thus God's creative work continues without cease in its efficacy on the surface of the earth.	8 For the peace of God is upon the surface of the earth.
9 My son, when you are ill, delay not, but pray to God, who will heal you:	9 Son, in your infirmity, you should not neglect yourself, but pray to the Lord, and he will cure you.
10 Flee wickedness; let your hands be just, cleanse your heart of every sin;	10 Turn away from sin, and direct your hands, and cleanse your heart from every offense.
11 Offer your sweet-smelling oblation and petition, a rich offering according to your means.	11 Give a sweet offering, and a memorial of fine flour, and fatten your oblation, but also give a place to the physician.
12 Then give the doctor his place lest he leave; for you need him too.	12 For the Lord created him. And so, do not let him depart from you, for his works are necessary.
13 There are times that give him an advantage,	13 For there is a time when you may fall into their hands.
14 and he too beseeches God That his diagnosis may be correct and his treatment bring about a cure.	14 Truly, they will beseech the Lord, so that he may direct their treatments and cures, for the sake of their way of life.
15 He who is a sinner toward his Maker will be defiant toward the doctor.	15 He who sins in the sight of the One who made him will fall into the hands of the physician.
16 My son, shed tears for one who is dead with wailing and bitter lament; As is only proper, prepare the body, absent not yourself from his burial:	16 Son, shed tears over the dead, and begin to weep, as if you had suffered dreadfully. And according to judgment, cover his body, and you should not neglect his burial.
17 Weeping bitterly, mourning fully, pay your tribute of sorrow, as he deserves,	17 And though you will sink down into bitterness, bear his mourning for one day, and then be consoled in your sadness.
18 One or two days, to prevent gossip; then compose yourself after your grief,	18 And carry out his mourning, according to his merit, for one or two days because of this loss.
19 For grief can bring on an extremity and heartache destroy one's health.	19 Yet sadness hastens death and overwhelms strength, and the sorrow of the heart bows down the neck.
20 Turn not your thoughts to him again; cease to recall him; think rather of the end.	20 When one is taken away, sorrow remains. But the resources of a destitute man is found in his heart.
21 Recall him not, for there is no hope of his return; it will not help him, but will do you harm.	21 You should not give your heart over to sadness, but push it away from you. And remember the very end.
22 Remember that his fate will also be yours; for him it was yesterday, for you today.	22 Do not be willing to forget this; for there is no turning back. Otherwise, it will not benefit you, and you will cause great harm to yourself.
23 With the departed dead, let memory fade; rally your courage, once the soul has left.	23 Call to mind my judgment. For so shall it be for you also. Yesterday is mine, and today is yours.
24 The scribe's profession increases his wisdom; whoever is free from toil can become a wise man.	24 When the deceased is at rest, let his memory rest also. And console him at the departure of his spirit.
25 How can he become learned who guides the plow, who thrills in wielding the goad like a lance, Who guides the ox and urges on the bullock, and whose every concern is for cattle?	25 The wisdom of a scribe is found in his time of leisure. So whoever has less to do will gain wisdom.
26 His care is for plowing furrows, and he keeps a watch on the beasts in the stalls.	26 With what wisdom will someone be filled who holds the plow, and who boasts of the cattle prod that drives the oxen forward, and who is occupied in these labors, and whose only conversation is about the offspring of bulls?
27 So with every engraver and designer who, laboring night and day, Fashions carved seals, and whose concern is to vary the pattern. His care is to produce a vivid impression, and he keeps watch till he finishes his design.	27 He will give his mind over to the plowing of furrows, and his vigilance to the fattening of the cows.
28 So with the smith standing near his anvil, forging crude iron. The heat from the fire sears his flesh, yet he toils away in the furnace heat. The clang of the hammer deafens his ears, His eyes are fixed on the tool he is shaping. His care is to finish his work, and he keeps watch till he perfects it in detail.	28 Similarly, every craftsman and artisan, who crafts in the night as well as in the day, who sculpts graven seals, and who, by his diligence, varies the image, will give his mind over to the likeness of the image. And he will complete the work by his vigilance.
29 So with the potter sitting at his labor, revolving the wheel with his feet. He is always concerned for his products, and turns them out in quantity.	29 The blacksmith, sitting by his anvil and considering a work of iron, is similar. The steam from the fire singes his flesh, and he struggles against the heat of the furnace.
30 With his hands he molds the clay, and with his feet softens it. His care is for proper coloring, and he keeps watch on the fire of his kiln.	30 The voice of the hammer is ever in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the ironwork.
31 All these men are skilled with their hands, each one an expert at his own task;	31 He gives his heart to the completion of his work, and his vigilance adorns it to perfection.
32 Without them no city could be lived in, and wherever they stay, they need not hunger.	32 The potter, sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet, is similar. He has settled into a continual concern for his work, and there is a rhythm in all that he does.
33 They do not occupy the judge's bench, nor are they prominent in the assembly; They set forth no decisions or judgments, nor are they found among the rulers;	33 He forms the clay with his arm, and he bends his strength over his feet.
34 Yet they maintain God's ancient handiwork, and their concern is for exercise of their skill.	34 He will give his heart over to the completion of the glazing, and his vigilance to the cleansing of the furnace.
	35 All these persons trust in their own hands, and each one is wise in his own art.
	36 Without these persons, a city is not built.
	37 But they will neither inhabit nor walk around in the city. And they will not go across to the church.
	38 They will not sit upon the seats of judges, and they will not understand a decree of judgment. And they will not make clear discipline and judgment, and they will not be found to understand parables.
	39 But they will strengthen the state of the world, and their prayer will be in their artistic works, applying their soul, and searching the law of the Most High.