Siracide 24

1La sagesse se loue elle-même, et se glorifie au milieu de son peuple.

2Elle ouvre la bouche dans l’assemblée du Très-Haut, et se glorifie en présence de sa Majesté :

3Je suis sortie de la bouche du Très-Haut, et, comme une nuée, je couvris la terre.

4J’habitai dans les hauteurs, et mon trône était sur une colonne de nuée.

5Seule, j’ai parcouru le cercle du ciel, et je me suis promenée dans les profondeurs de l’abîme.

6Dans les flots de la mer et sur toute la terre, dans tout peuple et toute nation j’ai exercé l’empire.

7Parmi eux tous j’ai cherché un lieu de repos, et dans quel domaine je devais habiter.

8Alors le Créateur de toutes choses me donna ses ordres, et celui qui m’a créée fit reposer ma tente ; et il me dit : « Habite en Jacob, aie ton héritage en Israël. »

9Avant tous les siècles, dès le commencement il m’a créée, et jusqu’à l’éternité je ne cesserai pas d’être.

10J’ai exercé le ministère devant lui dans le saint tabernacle, et ainsi j’ai eu une demeure fixe en Sion.

11De même, il m’a fait reposer dans la cité bien-aimée, et dans Jérusalem est le siège de mon empire.

12J’ai poussé mes racines dans le peuple glorifié, dans la portion du Seigneur, dans son héritage.

13Je me suis élevée comme le cèdre sur le Liban, et comme le cyprès sur la montagne d’Hermon.

14Je me suis élevée comme le palmier sur les rivages, et comme les rosiers à Jéricho ; comme un bel olivier dans la plaine, et je me suis élevée comme un platane.

15J’ai donné du parfum comme la canelle et comme le baume odorant, et comme une myrrhe choisie j’ai répandu une odeur suave, comme le galbanum, l’onyx et le stacte, et comme la vapeur de l’encens dans le tabernacle.

16J’ai étendu mes branches comme le térébinthe, et mes rameaux sont des rameaux de gloire et de grâce.

17Comme la vigne, j’ai produit des pousses charmantes, et mes fleurs ont donné des fruits de gloire et de richesse. [Je suis la mère du pur amour, de la crainte de Dieu, de la science et de la sainte espérance].

18Venez à moi, vous tous qui me désirez, et rassasiez-vous de mes fruits.

19Car mon souvenir est plus doux que le miel, et ma possession plus douce que le rayon de miel.

20Ceux qui me mangent auront encore faim, et ceux qui me boivent auront encore soif.

21Celui qui m’écoute n’aura jamais de confusion, et ceux qui agissent par moi ne pécheront point.

22Tout cela, c’est le livre de l’alliance du Dieu très haut, c’est la loi que Moïse a donnée, pour être l’héritage des assemblées de Jacob.

23Cette loi fait déborder la Sagesse, comme le Phison, et comme le Tigre au temps des fruits nouveaux.

24Elle répand à flots l’intelligence, comme l’Euphrate, comme le Jourdain au temps de la moisson.

25Elle fait jaillir la science, comme le Fleuve, comme le Géhon au temps de la vendange.

26Le premier qui l’a étudiée n’a pas achevé de la connaître, et de même, le dernier ne l’a pas pénétrée.

27Car son intelligence est plus vaste que la mer, et son conseil plus profond que le grand abîme.

28Et moi, j’ai coulé comme un canal dérivé d’un fleuve, comme un aqueduc arrosant un jardin de plaisance.

29J’ai dit : « J’arroserai mon jardin, j’abreuverai mon parterre. » Et voilà que mon canal est devenu un fleuve, que mon fleuve est devenu une mer.

30Je veux donc faire briller encore l’instruction comme l’aurore, faire connaître au loin ses maximes ;

31je veux encore répandre la doctrine comme une prophétie, et la laisser en héritage aux générations lointaines.

32Reconnaissez que je n’ai pas travaillé pour moi seul, mais pour tous ceux qui cherchent la Sagesse.

1[Sapientia laudabit animam suam, et in Deo honorabitur, et in medio populi sui gloriabitur,

2et in ecclesiis Altissimi aperiet os suum, et in conspectu virtutis illius gloriabitur,

3et in medio populi sui exaltabitur, et in plenitudine sancta admirabitur,

4et in multitudine electorum habebit laudem, et inter benedictos benedicetur, dicens:

5Ego ex ore Altissimi prodivi, primogenita ante omnem creaturam.

6Ego feci in cælis ut oriretur lumen indeficiens, et sicut nebula texi omnem terram.

7Ego in altissimis habitavi, et thronus meus in columna nubis.

8Gyrum cæli circuivi sola, et profundum abyssi penetravi: in fluctibus maris ambulavi.

9Et in omni terra steti: et in omni populo,

10et in omni gente primatum habui:

11et omnium excellentium et humilium corda virtute calcavi. Et in his omnibus requiem quæsivi, et in hæreditate Domini morabor.

12Tunc præcepit, et dixit mihi Creator omnium: et qui creavit me, requievit in tabernaculo meo.

13Et dixit mihi: In Jacob inhabita, et in Israël hæreditare, et in electis meis mitte radices.]

14[Ab initio et ante sæcula creata sum, et usque ad futurum sæculum non desinam: et in habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi.

15Et sic in Sion firmata sum, et in civitate sanctificata similiter requievi, et in Jerusalem potestas mea.

16Et radicavi in populo honorificato, et in parte Dei mei hæreditas illius, et in plenitudine sanctorum detentio mea.]

17[Quasi cedrus exaltata sum in Libano, et quasi cypressus in monte Sion:

18quasi palma exaltata sum in Cades, et quasi plantatio rosæ in Jericho:

19quasi oliva speciosa in campis, et quasi platanus exaltata sum juxta aquam in plateis.

20Sicut cinnamomum et balsamum aromatizans odorem dedi; quasi myrrha electa dedi suavitatem odoris:

21et quasi storax, et galbanus, et ungula, et gutta, et quasi Libanus non incisus vaporavi habitationem meam, et quasi balsamum non mistum odor meus.

22Ego quasi terebinthus extendi ramos meos, et rami mei honoris et gratiæ.

23Ego quasi vitis fructificavi suavitatem odoris: et flores mei fructus honoris et honestatis.

24Ego mater pulchræ dilectionis, et timoris, et agnitionis, et sanctæ spei.

25In me gratia omnis viæ et veritatis: in me omnis spes vitæ et virtutis.

26Transite ad me, omnes qui concupiscitis me, et a generationibus meis implemini:

27spiritus enim meus super mel dulcis, et hæreditas mea super mel et favum.

28Memoria mea in generatione sæculorum.

29Qui edunt me, adhuc esurient, et qui bibunt me, adhuc sitient.

30Qui audit me non confundetur, et qui operantur in me non peccabunt:

31qui elucidant me, vitam æternam habebunt.]

32[Hæc omnia liber vitæ, et testamentum Altissimi, et agnitio veritatis.

33Legem mandavit Moyses in præceptis justitiarum, et hæreditatem domui Jacob, et Israël promissiones.

34Posuit David, puero suo, excitare regem ex ipso fortissimum, et in throno honoris sedentem in sempiternum.

35Qui implet quasi Phison sapientiam, et sicut Tigris in diebus novorum:

36qui adimplet quasi Euphrates sensum, qui multiplicat quasi Jordanis in tempore messis:

37qui mittit disciplinam sicut lucem, et assistens quasi Gehon in die vindemiæ.

38Qui perficit primus scire ipsam, et infirmior non investigabit eam.

39A mari enim abundavit cogitatio ejus, et consilium illius ab abysso magna.

40Ego sapientiam effudi flumina:

41ego quasi trames aquæ immensæ de fluvio: ego quasi fluvii dioryx, et sicut aquæductus exivi de paradiso.

42Dixi: Rigabo hortum meum plantationum, et inebriabo prati mei fructum.

43Et ecce factus est mihi trames abundans, et fluvius meus appropinquavit ad mare:

44quoniam doctrinam quasi antelucanum illumino omnibus, et enarrabo illam usque ad longinquum.

45Penetrabo omnes inferiores partes terræ, et inspiciam omnes dormientes, et illuminabo omnes sperantes in Domino.

46Adhuc doctrinam quasi prophetiam effundam, et relinquam illam quærentibus sapientiam, et non desinam in progenies illorum usque in ævum sanctum.

47Videte quoniam non soli mihi laboravi, sed omnibus exquirentibus veritatem.]

1Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people,

2And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power,

3And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly.

4And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying:

5I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures:

6I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth:

7I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud.

8I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea,

9And have stood in all the earth: and in every people,

10And in every nation I have had the chief rule:

11And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord.

12Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle,

13And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.

14From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him.

15And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.

16And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.

17I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion.

18I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho:

19As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted.

20I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh:

21And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm.

22I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace.

23As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

24I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.

25In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

26Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits.

27For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

28My memory is unto everlasting generations.

29They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst.

30He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.

31They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

32All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth.

33Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel.

34He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever.

35Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits.

36Who maketh understanding to abound as the Euphrates, who multiplieth it as the Jordan in the time of harvest.

37Who sendeth knowledge as the light, and riseth up as Gehon in the time of the vintage.

38Who first hath perfect knowledge of her, and a weaker shall not search her out.

39For her thoughts are more vast than the sea, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean.

40I, wisdom, have poured out rivers.

41I, like a brook out of a river of a mighty water; I, like a channel of a river. and like an aqueduct, came out of paradise.

42I said: I will water my garden of plants, and I will water abundantly the fruits of my meadow.

43And behold my brook became a great river, and my river came near to a sea:

44For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off.

45I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord.

46I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and will leave it to them that seek wisdom, and will not cease to instruct their offspring even to the holy age.

47See ye that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all that seek out the truth.