Sirach 24 — RVA

24Verse 1Wisdom shall praise⁺herself,
And shall glory in the midst of her people.
^{Verse 2}In the congregation of the Most High shall she open her mouth,
And glory in the presence of his power.
^{Verse 3}I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
And covered the earth as a mist.
^{Verse 4}I dwelt in high places,
And my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.
^{Verse 5}Alone I compassed the circuit of heaven,
And walked in the depth of the abyss.
^{Verse 6}In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth,
And in every people and nation, I got a possession.
^{Verse 7}With all these I sought rest;
And in whose inheritance shall I lodge?
^{Verse 8}Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment;
And he that created me made my tabernacle to rest,
And said, Let thy tabernacle be in Jacob,
And thine inheritance in Israel.
^{Verse 9}He created me from the beginning before the world;
And to the end I shall not fail.
^{Verse 10}In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him;
And so was I established in Sion.
^{Verse 11}In the beloved city likewise he gave me rest;
And in Jerusalem was my authority.
^{Verse 12}And I took root in a people that was glorified,
Even in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.
^{Verse 13}I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus,
And as a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.
^{Verse 14}I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore,
And as rose plants in Jericho,
And as a fair olive tree in the plain;
And I was exalted as a plane tree.
^{Verse 15}As cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent of perfumes;
And as choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant odour;
As⁺galbanum, and onyx, and stacte,
And as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.
^{Verse 16}As the terebinth I stretched out my branches;
And my branches are branches of glory and grace.
^{Verse 17}As the vine I put forth grace;
And my flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.^{Verse 18
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Verse 19}Come unto me, ye that are desirous of me,
And be ye filled with my produce.
^{Verse 20}For my memorial is sweeter than honey,
And mine inheritance than the honeycomb.
^{Verse 21}They that eat me shall yet be hungry;
And they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.
^{Verse 22}He that obeyeth me shall not be ashamed;
And they that work in me shall not do amiss.^{Verse 23}All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God,
Even the law which Moses commanded us for a heritage unto the assemblies of Jacob.^{Verse 24
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Verse 25}It is he that maketh wisdom abundant, as Pishon,
And as Tigris in the days of new fruits;
^{Verse 26}That maketh understanding full as Euphrates,
And as Jordan in the days of harvest;
^{Verse 27}That maketh instruction to shine forth as the light,
As Gihon in the days of vintage.
^{Verse 28}The first man knew her not perfectly;
And in like manner the last hath not traced her out.
^{Verse 29}For her thoughts are filled from the sea,
And her counsels from the great deep.^{Verse 30}And I came out as a⁺stream from a river,
And as a conduit into a garden.
^{Verse 31}I said, I will water my garden,
And will water abundantly my garden bed;
And, lo, my stream became a river,
And my river became a sea.
^{Verse 32}I will yet bring instruction to light as the morning,
And will make⁺these things to shine forth afar off.
^{Verse 33}I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy,
And leave it unto generations of ages.
^{Verse 34}Behold that I have not laboured for myself only,
But for all them that diligently seek her.