The memory of Josias is like the composition of a sweet smell made by the art of a perfumer:

His remembrance shall be sweet as honey in every mouth, and as music at a banquet of wine.

He was directed by God unto the repentance of the nation, and he took away the abominations of wickedness.

And he directed his heart towards the Lord, and in the days of sinners he strengthened godliness.

Except David, and Ezechias and Josias, all committed sin.

For the kings of Juda forsook the law of the most High, and despised the fear of God.

So they gave their kingdom to others, and their glory to a strange nation,

They burnt the chosen city of holiness, and made the streets thereof desolate according to the prediction of Jeremias.

For they treated him evil, who was consecrated a prophet from his mother’s womb, to overthrow, and pluck up, and destroy, and to build again, and renew.

It was Ezechiel that saw the glorious vision, which was shewn him upon the chariot of cherubims.

For he made mention of the enemies under the figure of rain, and of doing good to them that shewed right ways.

And may the bones of the twelve prophets spring up out of their place: for they strengthened Jacob, and redeemed themselves by strong faith.

How shall we magnify Zorobabel? for he was as a signet on the right hand;

In like manner Jesus the son of Josedec who in their days built the house, and set up a holy temple to the Lord, prepared for everlasting glory.

And let Nehemias be a long time remembered, who raised up for us our walls that were cast down, and set up the gates and the bars, who rebuilt our houses.

No man was born upon earth like Henoch: for he also was taken up from the earth.

Nor as Joseph, who was a man born prince of his brethren, the support of his family, the ruler of his brethren, the stay of the people:

And his bones were visited, and after death they prophesied.

Seth and Sem obtained glory among men: and above every soul Adam in the beginning.

Simon the high priest, the son of Onias, who in his life propped up the house, and in his days fortified the temple.

By him also the height of the temple was founded, the double building and the high walls of the temple.

In his days the wells of water flowed out, and they were filled as the sea above measure.

He took care of his nation, and delivered it from destruction.

He prevailed to enlarge the city, and obtained glory in his conversation with the people: and enlarged the entrance of the house and the court.

He shone in his days as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full.

And as the sun when it shineth, so did he shine in the temple of God.

And as the rainbow giving light in bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of the spring, and as the lilies that are on the brink of the water, and as the sweet smelling frankincense in the time of summer.

As a bright fire, and frankincense burning in the fire.

As a massy vessel of gold, adorned with every precious stone.

As an olive tree budding forth, and a cypress tree rearing itself on high, when he put on the robe of glory, and was clothed with the perfection of power.

When he went up to the holy altar, he honoured the vesture of holiness.

And when he took the portions out of the hands of the priests, he himself stood by the altar. And about him was the ring of his brethren: and as the cedar planted in mount Libanus,

And as branches of palm trees, they stood round about him, and all the sons of Aaron in their glory.

And the oblation of the Lord was in their hands, before all the congregation of Israel: and finishing his service, on the altar, to honour the offering of the most high King,

He stretched forth his hand to make a libation, and offered of the blood of the grape.

He poured out at the foot of the altar a divine odour to the most high Prince.

Then the sons of Aaron shouted, they sounded with beaten trumpets, and made a great noise to be heard for a remembrance before God.

Then all the people together made haste, and fell down to the earth upon their faces, to adore the Lord their God, and to pray to the Almighty God the most High.

And the singers lifted up their voices, and in the great house the sound of sweet melody was increased.

And the people in prayer besought the Lord the most High, until the worship of the Lord was perfected, and they had finished their office.

Then coming down, he lifted up his hands over all the congregation of the children of Israel, to give glory to God with his lips, and to glory in his name:

And he repeated his prayer, willing to shew the power of God.

And now pray ye to the God of all, who hath done great things in all the earth, who hath increased our days from our mother’s womb, and hath done with us according to his mercy.

May he grant us joyfulness of heart, and that there be peace in our days in Israel for ever:

That Israel may believe that the mercy of God is with us, to deliver us in his days.

There are two nations which my soul abhorreth: and the third is no nation: which I hate:

They that sit on mount Seir, and the Philistines, and the foolish people that dwell in Sichem.

Jesus the son of Sirach, of Jerusalem, hath written in this book the doctrine of wisdom and instruction, who renewed wisdom from his heart.

Blessed is he that is conversant in these good things and he that layeth them up in his heart, shall be wise always.

For if he do them, he shall be strong to do all things: because the light of God guideth his steps.

A prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise thee, O God my Saviour.

I will give glory to thy name: for thou hast been a helper and protector to me.

And hast preserved my body from destruction, from the snare of an unjust tongue, and from the lips of them that forge lies, and in the sight of them that stood by, thou hast been my helper.

And thou hast delivered me, according to the multitude of the mercy of thy name, from them that did roar, prepared to devour.

Out of the hands of them that sought my life, and from the gates of afflictions, which compassed me about:

From the oppression of the flame which surrounded me, and in the midst of the fire I was not burnt.

From the depth of the belly of hell, and from an unclean tongue, and from lying words, from an unjust king, and from a slanderous tongue:

My soul shall praise the Lord even to death.

And my life was drawing near to hell beneath.

They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I looked for the succour of men, and there was none.

I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning of the world.

How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations.

Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away.

I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.

I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard.

And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time.

Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord.

When I was yet young, before I wandered about, I sought for wisdom openly in my prayer.

I prayed for her before the temple, and unto the very end I will seek after her, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.

My heart delighted in her, my foot walked in the right way, from my youth up I sought after her.

I bowed down my ear a little, and received her.

I found much wisdom in myself, and profited much therein.

To him that giveth me wisdom, will I give glory.

For I have determined to follow her: I have had a zeal for good, and shall not be confounded.

My soul hath wrestled for her, and in doing it I have been confirmed.

I stretched forth my hands on high, and I bewailed my ignorance of her.

I directed my soul to her, and in knowledge I found her.

I possessed my heart with her from the beginning: therefore I shall not be forsaken.

My entrails were troubled in seeking her: therefore shall I possess a good possession.

The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward: and with it I will praise him.

Draw near to me, ye unlearned, and gather yourselves together into the house of discipline.

Why are ye slow and what do you say of these things? your souls are exceeding thirsty.

I have opened my mouth, and have spoken: buy her for yourselves without silver,

And submit your neck to the yoke, and let your soul receive discipline: for she is near at hand to be found.

Behold with your eyes how I have laboured a little, and have found much rest to myself.

Receive ye discipline as a great sum of money, and possess abundance of gold by her.

Let your soul rejoice in his mercy and you shall not be confounded in his praise.

Work your work before the time, and he will give you your reward in his time.

For he is found by them that tempt him not: and he sheweth himself to them that have faith in him.

For perverse thoughts separate from God: and his power, when it is tried, reproveth the unwise:

For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.

For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and will withdraw himself from thoughts that are without understanding, and he shall not abide when iniquity cometh in.

For the spirit of wisdom is benevolent, and will not acquit the evil speaker from his lips: for God is witness of his reins, and he is a true searcher of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue.

For the Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world: and that which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the voice.

Therefore he that speaketh unjust things, cannot be hid, neither shall the chastising judgment pass him by.

For inquisition shall be made into the thoughts of the ungodly, and the hearing of his words shall come to God, to the chastising of his iniquities.

For the ear of jealousy heareth all things, and the tumult of murmuring shall not be hid.

Keep yourselves, therefore, from murmuring, which profiteth nothing, and refrain your tongue from detraction, for an obscure speech shall not go for nought: and the mouth that belieth, killeth the soul.

Seek not death in the error of your life, neither procure ye destruction by the works of your hands.

For God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.

For he created all things that they might be: and he made the nations of the earth for health: and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor kingdom of hell upon the earth.

For justice is perpetual and immortal.

But the wicked with works and words have called it to them: and esteeming it a friend, have fallen away and have made a covenant with it: because they are worthy to be of the part thereof.

For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell:

For we are born of nothing, and after this we shall be as if we had not been: for the breath in our nostrils is smoke: and speech a spark to move our heart,

Which being put out, our body shall be ashes, and our spirit shall be poured abroad as soft air, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, which is driven away by the beams of the sun, and overpowered with the heat thereof:

And our name in time shall be forgotten, and no man shall have any remembrance of our works.

For our time is as the passing of a shadow, and there is no going back of our end: for it is fast sealed, and no man returneth:

Come, therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth.

Let us fill ourselves with costly wine, and ointments: and let not the flower of the time pass by us.

Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be withered: let no meadow escape our riot.

Let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us every where leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot.

Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor honour the ancient grey hairs of the aged.

But let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth.

Let us, therefore, lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life.

He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God.

He is become a censurer of our thoughts.

He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men’s, and his ways are very different.

We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father.

Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be.

For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies.

Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness, and try his patience.

Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words.

These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them.

And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls.

For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him.

But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:

And they follow him that are of his side.

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.

In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery:

And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.

And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.

Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he hath proved them, and as a victim of a holocaust, he hath received them, and in time there shall be respect had to them.

The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds.

They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.

They that trust in him shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love, shall rest in him: for grace and peace are to his elect.

But the wicked shall be punished according to their own devices: who have neglected the just, and have revolted from the Lord.

For he that rejecteth wisdom, and discipline, is unhappy: and their hope is vain, and their labours without fruit, and their works unprofitable.

Their wives are foolish, and their children wicked.

Their offspring is cursed, for happy is the barren: and the undefiled, that hath not known bed in sin, she shall have fruit in the visitation of holy souls.

And the eunuch, that hath not wrought iniquity with his hands, nor thought wicked things against God for the precious gift of faith shall be given to him, and a most acceptable lot in the temple of God.

For the fruit of good labours is glorious, and the root of wisdom never faileth.

But the children of adulterers shall not come to perfection, and the seed of the unlawful bed shall be rooted out.

And if they live long, they shall be nothing regarded, and their last old age shall be without honour.

And if they die quickly, they shall have no hope, nor speech of comfort in the day of trial.

For dreadful are the ends of a wicked race.