A   Symon ^note the sonne of Onias the hye preste, whyche in hys lyfe sett vp the house agayne, and in hys dayes made fast þe; temple. The heygth of the temple also was founded of hym, the double buyldynge, and the hye walles of the temple. In hys dayes the welles of water flowed out, and were exceadynge full as the see. He toke care for hys people, and delyuered them fr&obar; destruccion. He kepte his cytie and made it strong, that it shuld not be beseged. He dwelt in honoure and worshyppe amonge his people, ∧ enlarged the entraunce of þe; house, and the court. He gaue lyght as the mornynge starre in the myddest of the cloudes, and as the moone wh&abar; it is full. He shyned as the sunne in the temple of God. He is as bryght as the rayne bowe in the fayre cloudes, and florisheth as the floures &abar;d roses in the spring of the yeare, and as lylyes by the ryuers of water:Lyke as the braunches vpon the mo&ubar;t Libanus in the tyme of Sommer: as a fyre and incense that is kyndled. Lyke as an whole ornament of pure golde, sett with all maner of precious stones, &abar;d as an Olyue tree that is frutefull, &abar;d as a Cipres tree which groweth vp an hye.

B   When he put on the garment of honoure, and was clothed wyth all bewtye: when he went to the holy aulter, to garnish the coueryng of the Sanctuary: when he toke þe; porcions out of the Prestes hande, he hym selfe stode by the herth of the aulter, and his brethren rounde about in ordre. As the braunches of Cedre tree vpon þe; mount Libanus, so stode they rounde about him. And as the braunches of the Olyue tree, so stode all the sonnes of Aaron in theyr glorye. And þt; he myght suffyciently perfourme hys seruyce vpon þe; aulter, and garnysh the offrynge of the hyest God, he stretched out hys hande, and toke of þe; drynckofferyng, and powred in of the wyne: so he powred vpon the botome of the aulter a good smell vnto the hyest Prynce.

Then beganne the sonnes of Aaron to syng, and to blowe with trompettes, and to make a great noyse, for a rem&ebar;braunce and prayse vnto the Lorde. Then were the people afrayed, and fell downe to the earth vp&obar; their faces, to worshypp the Lord their God. &abar;d to geue thanckes to the almyghty God. They songe goodly also with their voyces, so þt; there was a pleasaunt noyse in þe; great house of the Lorde. And the people in theyr prayer besought the Lord the hyest, that he wolde be mercyfull, tyll þe; honour of þe; Lord were perfourmed, thus ended they theyr minystracion ∧ seruyce. C   Then went he downe and stretched out his handes ouer the whole multitude of the people of Israel, that they shulde geue prayse and thankes out of their lyppes vnto the Lord, ∧ to reioyse in his name. He beganne yet once also to praye, that

he myght openly shewe the thankesgeuyng before þe; Hyest, namely thus: O geue prayse and th&abar;kes (ye all) vnto the Lord our God, which hath euer done noble and great thynges: which hath increased oure dayes from our mothers wombe, and dealt wyth vs accordyng to his mercy: that he wyll geue vs the ioyfulnes of hert, and peace for oure tyme in Israell. Which faythfully kepeth his mercy for vs euermore, and alwaye delyuereth vs in due season.

D   There be two maner of people that I abhorre fro my hert: as for the thirde, whom I hate, it is no people. They that syt vpon the mountayne of Samaria, the Phylystynes, and the foolysh people that dwell in Sichimis.

I Iesus the sonne of Syrach Eleazarus of Ierusalem, haue tokened vp these informacyons and documentes of wysdome and vnderst&abar;dyng in thys boke, and poured out the wysdome of my herte. Blessed is he that excercyseth hym selfe therin: and who so taketh soch to hert, shalbe wyse for euer. Yf he do these thinges, he shal be str&obar;ge in all. For the lyght of the Lorde ledeth hym.

Previous section

Next section