Sirach 38

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Honour a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him.	1 Treat the doctor with the honour that is his due, in consideration of his services; for he too has beencreated by the Lord.
2 For of the most High cometh healing, and he shall receive honour of the king.	2 Healing itself comes from the Most High, like a gift received from a king.
3 The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration.	3 The doctor's learning keeps his head high, and the great regard him with awe.
4 The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.	4 The Lord has brought forth medicinal herbs from the ground, and no one sensible wil despise them.
5 Was not the water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known?	5 Did not a piece of wood once sweeten the water, thus giving proof of its power?
6 And he hath given men skill, that he might be honoured in his marvellous works.	6 He has also given some people knowledge, so that they may draw credit from his mighty works.
7 With such doth he heal [men,] and taketh away their pains.	7 He uses these for healing and relieving pain; the druggist makes up a mixture from them.
8 Of such doth the apothecary make a confection; and of his works there is no end; and from him is peace over all the earth,	8 Thus, there is no end to his activities; thanks to him, well-being exists throughout the world.
9 My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole.	9 My child, when you are il , do not rebel, but pray to the Lord and he wil heal you.
10 Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness.	10 Renounce your faults, keep your hands unsoiled, and cleanse your heart from al sin.
11 Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make a fat offering, as not being.	11 Offer incense and a memorial of fine flour, make as rich an offering as you can afford.
12 Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him.	12 Then let the doctor take over -- the Lord created him too -- do not let him leave you, for you need him.
13 There is a time when in their hands there is good success.	13 There are times when good health depends on doctors.
14 For they shall also pray unto the Lord, that he would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life.	14 For they, in their turn, wil pray the Lord to grant them the grace to relieve and to heal, and so prolongyour life.
15 He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician.	15 Whoever sins in the eyes of his Maker, let such a one come under the care of the doctor!
16 My son, let tears fall down over the dead, and begin to lament, as if thou hadst suffered great harm thyself; and then cover his body according to the custom, and neglect not his burial.	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.
17 Weep bitterly, and make great moan, and use lamentation, as he is worthy, and that a day or two, lest thou be evil spoken of: and then comfort thyself for thy heaviness.	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;
18 For of heaviness cometh death, and the heaviness of the heart breaketh strength.	18 for grief can lead to death, a grief-stricken heart loses al energy.
19 In affliction also sorrow remaineth: and the life of the poor is the curse of the heart.	19 In affliction sorrow persists, a life of grief is hard to bear.
20 Take no heaviness to heart: drive it away, and member the last end.	20 Do not abandon your heart to grief, drive it away, bear your own end in mind.
21 Forget it not, for there is no turning again: thou shalt not do him good, but hurt thyself.	21 Do not forget, there is no coming back; you cannot help the dead, and you will harm yourself.
22 Remember my judgment: for thine also shall be so; yesterday for me, and to day for thee.	22 'Remember my doom, since it will be yours too; I yesterday, you today!'
23 When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest; and be comforted for him, when his Spirit is departed from him.	23 Once the dead are laid to rest, let their memory rest, do not fret for them, once their spirit departs.
24 The wisdom of a learned man cometh by opportunity of leisure: and he that hath little business shall become wise.	24 Leisure gives the scribe the chance to acquire wisdom; a man with few commitments can grow wise.
25 How can he get wisdom that holdeth the plough, and that glorieth in the goad, that driveth oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and whose talk is of bullocks?	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,
26 He giveth his mind to make furrows; and is diligent to give the kine fodder.	26 his thoughts absorbed in the furrows he traces and his long evenings spent in fattening heifers?
27 So every carpenter and workmaster, that laboureth night and day: and they that cut and grave seals, and are diligent to make great variety, and give themselves to counterfeit imagery, and watch to finish a work:	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.
28 The smith also sitting by the anvil, and considering the iron work, the vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace: the noise of the hammer and the anvil is ever in his ears, and his eyes look still upon the pattern of the thing that he maketh; he setteth his mind to finish his work, and watcheth to polish it perfectly:	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.
29 So doth the potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is alway carefully set at his work, and maketh all his work by number;	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;
30 He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and boweth down his strength before his feet; he applieth himself to lead it over; and he is diligent to make clean 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.
31 All these trust to their hands: and every one is wise in his work.	31 Al these people rely on their hands and each is skilled at his own craft.
32 Without these cannot a city be inhabited: and they shall not dwell where they will, nor go up and down:	32 A town could not be inhabited without them, there would be no settling, no travel ing.
33 They shall not be sought for in publick counsel, nor sit high in the congregation: they shall not sit on the judges' seat, nor understand the sentence of judgment: they cannot declare justice and judgment; and they shall not be found where parables are spoken.	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.
34 But they will maintain the state of the world, and [all] their desire is in the work of their craft.	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.