Apocrypha. Chap. 14 And their sins were multiplied exceedingly, that they were driven out of the laud. a j For ihey sought out all wickedness, till the vengeance came upon them. C H A P. XLVilJ. I T/ie praise of Elia-, n c/Elsjtus, 17 and of Ezeiitij. THEN stood up Elian the prophet as fire, and his word burned like a lamp. a He broughtasorefamine upon them, and by his zeal he diminiihed their number. 3 By the word of the Lord he Hint up the heaven, and also three times brought down fire. 4 O Elias, how wast thou honoured in thy wondrous deeds! and who may glory like unto thee! 5 Who didst raise up a dead man from death, and his foul from the place of the dead, by the word of the most High: 6 Whobroughtestkingstodestrudion, and honourable men from their bed: 7 Who heardest the rebuke of the Lord in Sinai, and in Uorcb the judgement of vengeance: 8 Who anointedst kings to take revenge.and prophets to succeed after him: 9 Who wast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, and in a chariot of fiery horses: 10 Who wast ordained far reproofs in their times, to pacify the wrath of the Lord'sjudgement, before it brake forth into fury, and to turn the heart of the father unto the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed are they that saw thee, and slept in love; for we (hall surely live. la H Elias it was, wno was covered with a whirlwind: and Elisous was filled with his spirit: whilst he lived, he was not moved luiththtprefence of any prince, 'neither could any bring him into subjection. 13 No word could overcome him; and afeer his death his body prophesied. 14 He did wondtrs in his life, aud at his death were his works marvellous. 15 Forallthisthepeople repented not, neitherdeparted they from tiitir lins,till they ivere spoiled and carried out of their land, and were scattered through all the earth: yet there remained a small people, and a ruler in the house of David: 16 Us whom some did that which wae pleasing to Gj^,and some multip ied sins. 17 t E^fkias fortified his city, aud brought in water into the midst thereof: he digged the hard rock with iion, and made weils for waters. xlix. Apocrypha. 18 In his ti-r.e Senn.ichcrib came up, and sent Uablaces, and lifted up hit hand against Sion, and boasted proudly. 19 Then trembled their hetrts and hands, and they were in pain a» women 111 travail. aoBut theycalled upon theLord which is merciful, aud stretched out tneir hands toward him: and immediately the Holy One heard them out ot heaven, and delivered them by the ministry of? Efay. at He smote the host of the Assyrians, and his angel destroyed them. ai box fszekias had done the thing that pleased the Lord, and was strong in the ways of David his father, as Efay the prophet, who was great ami faithtgl in his vision, had commanded him. a 3 In his time the fun went backward, and he lengthened the king's lite. »4 He saw by an excellent spirit what should come to pass at the iast, and he comforted them that mourned in Sion. 15 He shewed what lhould come to pass for ever, and secret things or ever thev came. CHAP. XLIX. I The praifi of J'fias, 4 of David, ar.d Ezetias, 6 of Jeremy, & cfEzdie/, 11 Zorobabel, «Sc. THE remembrance of Josias is like the composition of the perfume that is made by the art of the apothecary: it is sweet as honey in all mouths, a:id as mufick at a banquet of wine. a He behaved himself uprightly in the conversion of the .people, and took away the abominations of'iniquity. 3 He directed his heart unto the Lord, and in the time of the ungodly he established the worship of God. 4 S All, except David and Ezekias and JoCas, were defective: for they forsook the law of the most High, even the kings of Juda failed. 5 Therefore he gave their power unto others, and their glory to a strange nation. 6 1 They burnt the chosen city as the sanctuary, and made the streets desolate, according to the prophecy of jeremias. .'» , 7 For they intreated him evil, who nevertheless was a prophet, sanctified in his mother's womb, that he might root out, and afflict, and destroy; and tnat he might build up also, and plant. 8 1 It was Ezekiel who saw the glorious vision, which was stiewed him up ,on the chariot of the chcrubims. 9 For.he made mention of the ene Apocrypha. mies under the fottre of the rain, and directed them that went right. to And of the twelve prophets let the memorial be blessed, and let their bones flourish again out of their place: for they comforted Jacob, and delivered them by assured hope. ill How (hall we magnify Zorobabel? even he was as a signet on the right hand: I* So was Jesus the son of Jofedec: who in their timebuitded the house, and set up an holy temple to the Lord, which was prepared for everlasting glory. 13 And among the elect was Neemiaa, whose renown is great, who raised up for us the walls'that were fallen, and set up the gate* and the bars, and raised up our ruins again. 14 But upon the earth was no man created like Enoch; for he was taken from the earth. 15 Neither was there a man born like unto Joseph, a governor of his brethren, a stay of the people, whose bones were regarded of the Lord. 16 Sem and Seth were in great honour among men, and so was Adam above every living thing in the creation. CHAP. L. 1 Of Simon the fun ofOnias. « Hetv the people wre taught to praise Cod, and pray, 17 the co'.clmften. SlKlON the high priest, the son of Onias, who in his life repaired the house again, and in his daysfortified the temple i 4 And by him wasbuilt from the foundation the double height, the high fortress of the wall about the temple: 3 In his days the cistern to receive water, being in compass as the sea, was covered with plates of brass: 4 He took care of the temple that it should not fall, and fortified the city against besieging: 5 How was he honoured m the midlt of the people in his coming out of the sanctuary! . 6 He was as the morning star m the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full: 7 As the fun shining upon the temple of the most High, and as the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds: 8 And as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, as lilies by the river* of waters, and as the branches of the frankincense tree in the time of summer: . , 9 As fire and incense in the censer, and as a vessel of beaten poM set with all manner of precious stones: ECCLESIASTICtTS Apocryfat. 10 And as a fair olive tree budding forth fruit, and as a cypress tree which groweth up to the clouds. it When he put on the robe of honour, and was clothed with the perfection of glory, when he went up to the holy altar, he made the garment of holiness honourable. 1* When he took the portions out of the priests' hands, he himself (rood by the hearth of the altar, compassed with his brethren round about, as a young cedar in Libanus; and as palm tree) compassed they him round about. 13 So were all the sons of Aaron in their glory, and the oblations, of the Lord in their hands, before all the congregation of Israel. 14 And finishing the service at tbe altar, that he might adorn the offering of the most high Almighty, 15 He stretched out hit hand to the cup, and poured of the blood of the grape, he poured out at the foot of ttc altar a sweetsmelling savour unto the most high King of all. 16 Then shouted the sons of Aaron. and sounded the silver trumpets, zsd made a great noise to be heard, fora remembrance before the most High. 17 Then all the people together hailed, and fell down to the earth upon their faces to worship their Lord Gad Almighty, the most High. 18 The singers also fang praises witk their voices, with great variety of founds was there made sweet melody. 19 And the people besought the Lord the most High, by prayer before him thai is merciful, till the solemnity of the Lord was ended, and they had finused his service. 10 Then he went down, and lifted op his*hands over the whole congregation of the children of Israel, to |i»e uV blessing of the Lord with his lips, aad to rejoice in his name. a 1 And they bowed themselves do*it to worship the second time, that the? might receive a blessing from the moi High. ii t Now therefore bless ye the God of all, which only doeth wondrous things every where, which ejralteth our days from the womb, and dealeth witn ui according to his mercy. 43 He grant us joyfulnefs of heart, aud that peace may be in our days in Israel for ever: *4 That he would confirm hi1; Bukj with us, and deliver tit at his time! IS There be two manner of nations focrjpha. Chap ch my heart abhorreth, and the third 10 nation: ,6 They that sit upon the mountain Sarmria, and they that dwell among : Philistines, and that foolish people at dwell in Sichem. 17 f Jesus the son of Sirach of Jeru lem hath written in this book the inniction of understanding and know:dge, who out of his heart poured forth visdom. tS Blessed is he that shall be exercised in these things; and he that layeth them up in his heart shall become wise. 29 For if he do them, he mall be strong to all things: for the light of the Lord leadeth him, who giveth wisdom to the godly. Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen, Amen. CHAP. LI. A'prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach. I Will thank thee, O Lord and King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour, ] do give praise unto thy name: 2 For thou art my defender and helper, and hast preserved my body from destruction,and from the snare of the slanderous tongue, and from the lips that forge lies, and hast been mine helper against mine adversaries: j And hast delivered me according to the multitude of thy mercies and greatness of thy name, from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me, and out of the bands of such as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions which I had; 4 From the choking of fire on every fide, and from the midlt of the fire which I kindled not; 5 From the depth of the belly of hell, from an unclean tongue, and from lyinjr words. 6 By an accusation to the King from in unrighteous tongue my soul drew near even unto death, my life was near to the beil beneath. 7 They compassed me on every side, v.iil there was no man to help me: I ooked for the succour of men, but there *as none. 8 Then thought I upon thy mercy^ O Lord, and upon thy acts ot old, how hou deliverest such as wait for thee, ind lavest them out of the hands of the jnemies. 9 Then lifted I up my supplication rom the earth, and prayed for delivernice from death. 10 I called upon the Lord, the Father if my Lord, that he would not leave ne iu the days us my trouble, aud in li. Ajecryfha. the time of the proud, when there was no help. 11 I will praise thy name continually, and will ling praise with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard: 12 For thou savedst me from destruction, and delivered!* me from the evil time: therefore wiil I give thanks, and praise thee, and blest thy name, O Lord. 13 When I was yet young, or ever I went abroad, I desired wisdom openly in my prayer. 14 I prayed for her before the temple, and will seek her out even to the end. 1 j Even from the flower, till the grape was ripe, hath my heart delighted in her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her. 16 I boned down mine ear a little,and received her, and gat much learning. I7l profited therein, Iherefirt will I ascribe the giory unto him that giveth me wisdom. 18 For I purposed to do after her, and earnestly I followed that which is good; so shall I not be confounded. 19 My soul hath wrestled with her, and in my doings J was exact: I stretched forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her. so I directed my soul unto her, and I found her in pureness: I have had my heart joined with her from the beginning, therefore shall I not be forsaken. Si My heart was troubled in seeking her: therefore have I gotten a good possession. as The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward, and I will praise him therewith. »3 Diaw near unto me, ye unlearned, and duel, in the house of learning 24 Wherefore are ye slow, and what say ye of these things, feeing your fouls are very thirsty f 25 I opened my mouth, and said, Buy her for yourselves without money. 16 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: lhe it hard at hand to find. 27 Behold with your eyes, how that I have had but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest. a8 Oet learning with a great sum of money, and get much gold by her. 29 Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and be not ashamed of his praise. 30 Work your work betimes, and in his time he will give you your reward. BARUCH. CHAP. I. I Barach wrote a book in Babylon '■ 7 the Jeius. send money and the book ti the brethren'at Jerusalem. AND these are the words of the hook, which Baruch, the son of Nerias, the son of Maafias, the son of Sedecias, the son of Asadias, the son of Checias, wrote in Babylon, I In the fisth year, and in the seventh da.' of the month, what time as the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and burnt it with fire. 3 And Baruch did read the words of this hook in the hearing of Jechonias the son of Joachim king of Juda, and in the ears of nil the people that came to hear the bonk, 4 And in the hearing of the nobles, and of the king's sons, and in tilt hearing of the elders, and of all the people, from the lowest unto the highest, even of all them that dwelt at Babylon, by the river Sud. 5 Whereupon they wept, fasted, and praved before the Lord. 6 They made also a collection of money according to every man's power 1 7 f And they sent it to Jerusalem unto Joachim the high priest, the son of Cheleiai.son of Salom.and to the priests, and to all the people which were found with him at Jerusalem, '8 At the fame time whs n he received the vessels of the house of the Lor<<, that were carried out of the temple, to return them ihto the land of Juda, the tenth d-iv"of the month Sivan, namely, silver vessels, which Sedecias the son of Joints kiiit; of Juda had made, 9 After that NaWuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away Jechonias, and the princes, and the captives and the mighty men, and the people of the land from Jerusalem, and brought them unto Babylon. 10 And they said, Behold, we have sent you money to buy you burnt offerings, and fin oflt rings, and inc-nse, and prepare ye manna, and offer upon the altar of the Lord our God; II And pray for the life of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and for the life of Balthasar his son, that their days may be upon earth as the days of heaven: . 11 And the Lord «ill give us strength, and lighten our ryes, and we shall live under the shadow of Nabuchodonosor Wing of Babylon, and under the shadow of Balthasar his son, and we shall serve them many days, and find favour in their fight. 13 Pray for us also unto the Lord onr God, for we have sinned against the Lord our God; and nnto this day the fury of the Lord and his wrath it not turned from Vs. 14 And ye shall read this book which we have sent unto you, to make confession in the house of the Lord, upon the feasts and so'emn days. 15 And ye (hall fay. To the Lord ocr God behngcth righteousness, but unto ui the confusion of faces, as // it cometopa: this day, unto them of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 16 And to our kings, and to our princes, and to our priests, and to ocr prophets, and to our fathers: 17 For we have finned before th; Lord, 18 And disobeyed him, and have not hearkened unto the voice of the Lord our God, to « alk in the commandœe":; that he gave us openly: \cj Since the da v that the Lord brought our forefathers out of the land of Egypt, nnto this present day, we have been disobedient unto the Lord our God, and we have been negligent in not hearing his voice. 20 Wherefore the evils cleaved unto us, and the curse which the Lord appointed by Mosts his servant at the time that he brought our father? out of the land of Egypt, to give us a land thi: (loweth with, mtlk and honey, like as it ii to see th;s day. »i Nevertheless we have not hearkened unto the voice of the Lord our God, according unto all the words cf the prophets, whom he sent unto u§: it But every roan followed the imagination of his own wicked heart, to sei ve strange godr, and to do evil in th; fight of the Lord our God. CHAP. II. ■The prayer and confession •which the Jea a! Baby/on mad., and sent in that be: t unto th: brethr n at Jerusalem. THEREFORE the Lord hath made good his word, which he pronounced against us, and against our judges that judged Israel, and against our kings, and against our princes, and against the men of Israel and Juda, a To bring upon usgreat plagues, socli as never happened under the wbolc heaven, as it came to pals in Jerusalem, according Apocrypha. Chap cording to the things that were written in the law of Moses j 3 That a man should eat the flesh of his own son, and the flesh of his own daughter. 4 Moreover he hath delivered them to be in subjection to all the kingdoms that are round about us, to be as a reproach and desolation among ail the people round about, where the Lord hath scattered them. e Thus we were cast down, and not exalted, because we have finned against the Lord our God, and have not been obedient unto his voice; 6 To the Lord our God appcrtainelh righteousness: but unto us and to our fathers open fliame, as appeareth this day. 7 For all these plagues are come upon us, which the Lord hath pronounced against us. 8 Yet have we not prayed before the Lord, that we might turn every one from the imaginations of his wicked heart. 9 Wherefore the Lord watched over us for evil, and the Lord hath brought it upon us: for the Lord is righteous in all his works which he hath commanded us. 10 Vet we have not hearkened unto his voice, to waik in the commandments of the Lord, that he hath set before as. 11 And now, O Lord God of Israel, th"at hast brought thy people out of the land of Ejypt with a mighty hand, and high arm, and with signs, and with wonders, and with great power, and hast gotten thyself a name, as afpedreth this day: x j O Lord our God, we have sinned, we have done ungodly, we have dealt unrighteously in all thine ordinances. 13 Let thy wrath turn from us: for we are but a few left among the heathen, where thou hast scattered us. 14 Hear onr prayers, O lord, and our petitions, and deliver 113 for thine own take, and give us favour in the sight of them which have led us away: - 15 That all the earth may know that thou art the Lord our God, because Israel and his posterity is called by thy name. 16 O Lord, look down from thine holy house, and consider us: bow down thine ear, O Lord, to hear us. 17 Open thine eyes, and behold, for the dead that are in the giaves, whose fouls are taken from their bodies, will ii. Apccrjs/ra. give unto the Lord neither praise nor righteousness f ■' 1& But the foul that is greatly vexed, which goelh stooping and feeble, and the eyes that tail, and the hungry ibul, will give thee piaise and righteousness,' O Lord. 19 Therefore we do not make our nimble supplication before thee, U Lord cur God, tor the righteousness of our fathers, and of our king's. »o For thou hast sent o\it thy wrath and indignation upon 115, as thou hast spoken by thy servants the prophets, laying. at Thus faith the Lord, Bow down your thou ders to serve the king of Babylon: to liiall ) e remain in the land that .1 gave unto your fathers. » aa But if ye will not hear the voice of the Lord, to serve the king of Babylon, 13 1 will cause to cease out of the cities of Juda, and from without Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: and the whole land shall be desolate of inhabitants. 24 But we would not hearken unto thy voice, to serve the king of Babylon': therefore haft thou made good the words that thou spakest by thv iVrva&ts the' prophets, namely, that the bones of our kings, and the hones of o:ir fathers, should be taken eut ot their places. 25 And, lo, they are cast out to the best of the day, and to the frost of.the night, and they died in great miseries by famine, by sword, And bv pestilence. 16 And the house which is called by lh> name hall thou laid waste, as // ir tn bs foeti this day, for the wickedness of the house of Israel aud the house of Judah. *7 O Lord our God, thou hast dealt with us after all thy goodness, and according to all that great mercy ot' thine, 28 As thou spakest by thy servant Moses in the day when thou ciicSst command him to wtite thy'Iaw before the children of Israel, saying, 19 If ye will not hear my voice, surely this very great multitude (hall be turned into a small numier-among the nations, where I will scatter them. 30 For I knew that they would not hear me, because it is a stistnecked people; but in the land of their captivities they (hall rsrnember themselves, 31 And shall know that 1 am the Lord their God: for I will give them an heart, and ears to hear: |