Sirach 48 — WBMS
48Verse 1And Elijah, the prophet, rose up as fire, that is, burning in the fervent love of God; for why his word burnt as a brand. [And Elijah, the prophet, rose as fire; and his word as a brand burned.]Verse 2Which brought in hunger on them, and they pursuing [or follow-ing] him were made few for envy; for they might not suffer the command-ments of the Lord.Verse 3By the word of the Lord he held together heaven, and casted down from it fire to the earth, that is, by the virtue of his prayer, he made fire come down from heaven, on his burnt sacrifice.Verse 4So Elijah was alarged in his marvels; and who may have glory in like manner with thee,Verse 5which tookest away a dead man from hells [or the which hast borne up the dead from hell], from the heritage [or lot] of death, in the word of the Lord God?Verse 6Which castedest down kings to death, and hast broken altogether lightly the power of them, and glor-ious men from their bed.Verse 7Which heardest doom in Sinai, and in Horeb dooms of defence, that is, of God’s vengeance.Verse 8Which anointest kings to penance, and makest prophets to be successors after thee.Verse 9Which were received in a whirl-wind of fire, in a chariot of horses of fire [or of fiery horses].Verse 10Which art written in the dooms of times, to please the wrathfulness [or to assuage the wrath] of the Lord, to reconcile, [or to join, or accord], the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the lineages of Jacob.Verse 11They be blessed [or Blessful be they], that saw thee, and were made fair in thy friendship; for why we live only in life, but after death our name shall not be such [or such shall not be our name].Verse 12Elijah, that was covered in a whirlwind; and his spirit was filled into Elisha. Elisha in his days dreaded not the prince, and no man overcame him by power [or by might];Verse 13neither any word overcame him, and his dead body prophesied.Verse 14In his life he did wonders against kind [or huge marvels]; and in death he wrought marvels.Verse 15In all these things the people did not penance, and [they] went not away from their sins, till when they were cast away from their land, and were scattered into each land. And a full few folk was left, and a prince in the house of David.Verse 16Some of them did that, that pleased God; but others did many sins.Verse 17Hezekiah made strong [or strengthened] his city, and brought water into the midst thereof; and he digged a rock with iron, and builded a pit to water.Verse 18In his days Sennacherib went up, and sent Rabshakeh; and he raised his hand against Zion, and was made proud in his power [or might].Verse 19Then the hearts and hands of them were moved; and they had sorrow as women travailing of [or with] child.Verse 20And they called to help the merciful Lord, and they spreaded abroad [or stretching out] the hands, and raised them[un] to heaven; and the holy Lord God heard soon the voice of them. He had not mind on [or remembered not] their sins, neither gave them to their enemies; but he purged them in the hand of Isaiah, the holy prophet, by Isaiah praying for them.Verse 21The angel of the Lord casted down the castles of Assyrians, and all-brake them. [He threw down the tents of Assyrians, and them bruised the angel of the Lord.]Verse 22For why Hezekiah did that that pleased the Lord, and went strongly in the way of David, his father; which way Isaiah, the great prophet, and faithful in the sight of God, com-manded [or sent] to him.Verse 23In the days of him the sun went again aback; and God increased life to the king. [In his days backward went again the sun; and added to the king’s life.]Verse 24With [a] great spirit he saw the last things; and he comforted the mourners in Zion, into without end.Verse 25He showed things to coming and hid things, before that those came. [He showed things to come, and hid, ere that they fell.]