Ecclesiasticus 17

¹The Lord created man of the earth,[#See Wis. 7.1.]

And turned him back unto it again.

²He gave them days by number, and a set time,[#Job 14.1,5.]

And gave them authority over the things that are thereon.

³He endued them with strength proper to them;

And made them according to his own image.

⁴He put the fear of man upon all flesh,[#Gen. 9.2. Ps. 8.6-8.; #17.4 Gr. him.]

And gave him to have dominion over beasts and fowls.

⁶Counsel, and tongue, and eyes,

Ears, and heart, gave he them to understand withal.

⁷He filled them with the knowledge of wisdom,[#Cp. ch. 1.10.]

And shewed them good and evil.

⁸He set his eye upon their hearts,

To shew them the majesty of his works.

¹⁰And they shall praise the name of his holiness,[#Cp. Ps. 107.8,15,21,31.]

That they may declare the majesty of his works.

¹¹He added unto them knowledge,

And gave them a law of life for a heritage.

¹²He made an everlasting covenant with them,[#See Deut. 5.2,3.]

And shewed them his judgements.

¹³Their eyes saw the majesty of his glory;

And their ear heard the glory of his voice.

¹⁴And he said unto them, Beware of all unrighteousness;

And he gave them commandment, each man concerning his neighbour.

¹⁵Their ways are ever before him;[#Cp. ch. 15.19 & Job 34.21.]

They shall not be hid from his eyes.

¹⁷For every nation he appointed a ruler;[#17.17 The preceding part of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.; #Cp. Rom. 13.1.]

And Israel is the Lord's portion.

¹⁹All their works are as the sun before him;

And his eyes are continually upon their ways.

²⁰Their iniquities are not hid from him;

And all their sins are before the Lord.

²²With him the alms of a man is as a signet;[#Cp. ch. 29.12,13. See Tob. 4.7.; #Jer. 22.24.]

And he will keep the bounty of a man as the apple of the eye.

²³Afterwards he will rise up and recompense them,[#Prov. 19.17. Cp. Mat. 25.34,35.]

And render their recompense upon their head.

²⁴Howbeit unto them that repent he granteth a return;[#Cp. Acts 3.19 & 2 Pet. 3.9.]

And he comforteth them that are losing patience.

²⁵RETURN unto the Lord, and forsake sins:[#Jer. 3.12.]

Make thy prayer before his face, and lessen the offence.

²⁶Turn again to the Most High, and turn away from iniquity;[#17.26 A line is here omitted by the best authorities.]

And greatly hate the abominable thing.

²⁷Who shall give praise to the Most High in the grave,[#Bar. 2.17. See Ps. 6.5.; #17.27 Gr. Hades.]

Instead of them which live and return thanks?

²⁸Thanksgiving perisheth from the dead, as from one that is not:

He that is in life and health shall praise the Lord.

²⁹How great is the mercy of the Lord,[#Ps. 103.11 & 117.2.]

And his forgiveness unto them that turn unto him!

³⁰For all things cannot be in men,

Because the son of man is not immortal.

³¹What is brighter than the sun? yet this faileth:[#Cp. Job 25.5,6.]

And an evil man will think on flesh and blood.

³²He looketh upon the power of the height of heaven:

And all men are earth and ashes.