Sirach 38

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Treat the doctor with the honour that is his due, in consideration of his services; for he too has beencreated by the Lord.	1 Honor the physician because of necessity, and because the Most High created him.
2 Healing itself comes from the Most High, like a gift received from a king.	2 For all healing is from God, and so he will receive gifts from the King.
3 The doctor's learning keeps his head high, and the great regard him with awe.	3 The expertise of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men, he will be praised.
4 The Lord has brought forth medicinal herbs from the ground, and no one sensible wil despise them.	4 The Most High has created medicines from the earth, and a prudent man will not abhor them.
5 Did not a piece of wood once sweeten the water, thus giving proof of its power?	5 Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?
6 He has also given some people knowledge, so that they may draw credit from 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 He uses these for healing and relieving pain; the druggist makes up a mixture from them.	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, there is no end to his activities; thanks to him, well-being exists throughout the world.	8 For the peace of God is upon the surface of the earth.
9 My child, when you are il , do not rebel, but pray to the Lord and he wil heal you.	9 Son, in your infirmity, you should not neglect yourself, but pray to the Lord, and he will cure you.
10 Renounce your faults, keep your hands unsoiled, and cleanse your heart from al sin.	10 Turn away from sin, and direct your hands, and cleanse your heart from every offense.
11 Offer incense and a memorial of fine flour, make as rich an offering as you can afford.	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 let the doctor take over -- the Lord created him too -- do not let him leave you, for you need him.	12 For the Lord created him. And so, do not let him depart from you, for his works are necessary.
13 There are times when good health depends on doctors.	13 For there is a time when you may fall into their hands.
14 For they, in their turn, wil pray the Lord to grant them the grace to relieve and to heal, and so prolongyour life.	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 Whoever sins in the eyes of his Maker, let such a one come under the care of 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 child, shed tears over the dead, lament for the dead to show your sorrow, then bury the body withdue ceremony and do not fail to honour the grave.	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 Weep bitterly, beat your breast, observe the mourning the dead deserves for a day or two, to avoidcensorious comment, and then be comforted in your sorrow;	17 And though you will sink down into bitterness, bear his mourning for one day, and then be consoled in your sadness.
18 for grief can lead to death, a grief-stricken heart loses al energy.	18 And carry out his mourning, according to his merit, for one or two days because of this loss.
19 In affliction sorrow persists, a life of grief is hard to bear.	19 Yet sadness hastens death and overwhelms strength, and the sorrow of the heart bows down the neck.
20 Do not abandon your heart to grief, drive it away, bear your own end in mind.	20 When one is taken away, sorrow remains. But the resources of a destitute man is found in his heart.
21 Do not forget, there is no coming back; you cannot help the dead, and you will harm yourself.	21 You should not give your heart over to sadness, but push it away from you. And remember the very end.
22 'Remember my doom, since it will be yours too; I yesterday, 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 Once the dead are laid to rest, let their memory rest, do not fret for them, once their spirit departs.	23 Call to mind my judgment. For so shall it be for you also. Yesterday is mine, and today is yours.
24 Leisure gives the scribe the chance to acquire wisdom; a man with few commitments can grow wise.	24 When the deceased is at rest, let his memory rest also. And console him at the departure of his spirit.
25 How can the ploughman become wise, whose sole ambition is to wield the goad, driving his oxen,engrossed in their work, his conversation limited to bul ocks,	25 The wisdom of a scribe is found in his time of leisure. So whoever has less to do will gain wisdom.
26 his thoughts absorbed in the furrows he traces and his long evenings spent in fattening heifers?	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 Similarly with al workmen and craftsmen, toiling day and night; those who engrave seals, for evertrying to think of a new design, concentrating on catching a good likeness and staying up late to get the workdone.	27 He will give his mind over to the plowing of furrows, and his vigilance to the fattening of the cows.
28 Similarly with the blacksmith sitting by his anvil; he considers what to do with the pig-iron, the breath ofthe fire scorches his skin, as he contends with the heat of the furnace; the noise of the hammer deafens him, hiseyes are fixed on the pattern; he concentrates on getting the job done wel and stays up late to apply thefinishing touches.	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 Similarly with the potter, sitting at his work, turning the wheel with his feet; constantly on the alert overhis work, each flick of the finger premeditated;	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 he pummels the clay with his arm, and with his feet he kneads it; he concentrates on applying theglaze right and stays up late to clean the kiln.	30 The voice of the hammer is ever in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the ironwork.
31 Al these people rely on their hands and each is skilled at his own craft.	31 He gives his heart to the completion of his work, and his vigilance adorns it to perfection.
32 A town could not be inhabited without them, there would be no settling, no travel ing.	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 But you wil not find them in the parliament, they do not hold high rank in the assembly. They do not siton the judicial bench, and they do not meditate on the Law.	33 He forms the clay with his arm, and he bends his strength over his feet.
34 They are not remarkable for their culture or judgement, nor are they found frequenting thephilosophers. They sustain the structure of the world, and their prayer is concerned with their trade.	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.