This long poem, celebrating great figures of Israel's
history from Enoch through the high priest Simon II,
functions like the grand ending of a symphony. Ben
Sira wants his students to be proud of their own
heritage and its customs in the face of the dominant
Greek culture and also points out the value of
loyalty to the covenant as the path to a lasting,
honorable fame (CEB Study Bible Notes, Apocrypha
section): Common Bible Study Edition, published 2013)
The opening section below of the 7-chapter section
begins not with ADAM, ABEL, SETH but with
ENOCH, NOAH, ABRAHAM & ISAAC & JACOB
& MOSES.
Now allow us to praise famous people
and our ancestors, generation by generation.
The Lord created [Hebrew measured out ]
great glory, his Majesty from eternity.
They ruled in their kingdoms,
and made a name with their power,
some giving counsel by their intelligence;
some making pronouncement in prophecies;
some leading the people by their deliberations,
and by their understanding of the people's learning,
giving wise words in their instruction;
others devising musical melodies, and composing
poems; rich people endowed with strength,
living in peace in their dwellings --
all of these were honored in their generations,
a source of pride in their time.
Some of them left behind a name so that
their praises might be told.
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.
But these were compassionate people
whose righteous deeds haven't been forgotten.
This will persist with their children;
their descendants will be a good legacy.
Their descendants stand by the covenants,
and their children also, for their sake.
Their descendants will last forever,
and their glory will never be erased.
Their bodies were buried in peace,
but their name lives for generations.
The people will tell of their wisdom,
and the congregation will proclaim their praises!
Enoch pleased the Lord and was transferred,
an example of a changed heart and mind
for generations.
Noah was found perfect and righteous;
in a time of anger, he was selected
in exchange for the ungodly [Hebrew
adds he continued the human race ].
Because of him, a few survivors
remained on the earth when the flood
happened.
Eternal covenants were made with him
so that all living things would not be
wiped out by a flood again.
Abraham was a great father of a
multitude of nations, and there was
no smudge on his glory. 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.
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.
He made the same commitment to Isaac
because of Abraham his father. He made a
blessing for all humanity and a covenant
to rest on Jacob's head. The Lord
acknowledged him with his blessing;
he gave him an inheritance, divided
his shares, and allotted them among
the 12 tribes. The Lord brought
forward out of Jacob a man of mercy,
who found favor with all living beings,
dearly loved by God and human beings --
Moses, who is remembered with
blessing, The Lord made Moses' glory
equal to that of the holy ones, and he
made Moses great so that Moses'
enemies would fear him.
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