Sirach 48

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 Till like a fire there appeared the prophet whose words were as a flaming furnace.	1 Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.
2 Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits;	2 He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
3 By God's word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire.	3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.
4 How awesome are you, ELIJAH! Whose glory is equal to yours?	4 How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have?
5 You brought a dead man back to life from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.	5 You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High;
6 You sent kings down to destruction, and nobles, from their beds of sickness.	6 who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds;
7 You heard threats at Sinai, at Horeb avenging judgments.	7 who heard rebuke at Sinai and judgments of vengeance at Horeb;
8 You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance, and a prophet as your successor.	8 who anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you.
9 You were taken aloft in a whirlwind, in a chariot with fiery horses.	9 You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire;
10 You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to reestablish the tribes of Jacob.	10 you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11 Blessed is he who shall have seen you before he dies,	11 Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been adorned in love; for we also shall surely live.
12 O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind! Then ELISHA, filled with a twofold portion of his spirit, wrought many marvels by his mere word. During his lifetime he feared no one, nor was any man able to intimidate his will.	12 It was Elijah who was covered by the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit; in all his days he did not tremble before any ruler, and no one brought him into subjection.
13 Nothing was beyond his power; beneath him flesh was brought back into life.	13 Nothing was too hard for him, and when he was dead his body prophesied.
14 In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous deeds.	14 As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvelous.
15 Despite all this the people did not repent, nor did they give up their sins, Until they were rooted out of their land and scattered all over the earth. But Judah remained, a tiny people, with its rulers from the house of David.	15 For all this the people did not repent, and they did not forsake their sins, till they were carried away captive from their land and were scattered over all the earth; the people were left very few in number, but with rulers from the house of David.
16 Some of these did what was right, but others were extremely sinful.	16 Some of them did what was pleasing to God, but others multiplied sins.
17 HEZEKIAH fortified his city and had water brought into it; With iron tools he cut through the rock and he built reservoirs for water.	17 Hezekiah fortified his city, and brought water into the midst of it; he tunneled the sheer rock with iron and built pools for water.
18 During his reign Sennacherib led an invasion and sent his adjutant; He shook his fist at Zion and blasphemed God in his pride.	18 In his days Sennacherib came up, and sent the Rabshakeh; he lifted up his hand against Zion and made great boasts in his arrogance.
19 The people's hearts melted within them, and they were in anguish like that of childbirth.	19 Then their hearts were shaken and their hands trembled, and they were in anguish, like women in travail.
20 But they called upon the Most High God and lifted up their hands to him; He heard the prayer they uttered, and saved them through ISAIAH.	20 But they called upon the Lord who is merciful, spreading forth their hands toward him; and the Holy One quickly heard them from heaven, and delivered them by the hand of Isaiah.
21 God struck the camp of the Assyrians and routed them with a plague.	21 The Lord smote the camp of the Assyrians, and his angel wiped them out.
22 For Hezekiah did what was right and held fast to the paths of David, As ordered by the illustrious prophet Isaiah, who saw the truth in visions.	22 For Hezekiah did what was pleasing to the Lord, and he held strongly to the ways of David his father, which Isaiah the prophet commanded, who was great and faithful in his vision.
23 In his lifetime he turned back the sun and prolonged the life of the king.	23 In his days the sun went backward, and he lengthened the life of the king.
24 By his powerful spirit he looked into the future and consoled the mourners of Zion;	24 By the spirit of might he saw the last things, and comforted those who mourned in Zion.
25 He foretold what should be till the end of time, hidden things yet to be fulfilled.	25 He revealed what was to occur to the end of time, and the hidden things before they came to pass.