Sirach Chapter 38

Other Translations

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Honora medicum propter necessitatem: etenim illum creavit Altissimus.

2 A Deo est enim omnis medela, et a rege accipiet donationem.

3 Disciplina medici exaltabit caput illius, et in conspectu magnatorum collaudabitur.

4 Altissimus creavit de terra medicamenta, et vir prudens non abhorrebit illa.

5 Nonne a ligno indulcata est aqua amara?

6 Ad agnitionem hominum virtus illorum, et dedit hominibus scientiam Altissimus, honorari in mirabilibus suis.

7 In his curans mitigabit dolorem, et unguentarius faciet pigmenta suavitatis, et unctiones conficiet sanitatis, et non consummabuntur opera eius.

8 Pax enim Dei super faciem terræ.

9 Fili in tua infirmitate ne despicias te ipsum, sed ora Dominum, et ipse curabit te.

10 Averte a delicto, et dirige manus, et ab omni delicto munda cor tuum.

11 Da suavitatem et memoriam similaginis, et impingua oblationem, et da locum medico:

12 etenim illum Dominus creavit: et non discedat a te, quia opera eius sunt necessaria.

13 Est enim tempus quando in manus illorum incurras:

14 ipsi vero Dominum deprecabuntur, ut dirigat requiem eorum, et sanitatem, propter conversationem illorum.

15 Qui delinquit in conspectu eius, qui fecit eum, incidet in manus medici.

16 Fili in mortuum produc lacrymas, et quasi dira passus incipe plorare, et secundum iudicium contege corpus illius, et non despicias sepulturam illius.

17 Propter delaturam autem amare fer luctum illius uno die, et consolare propter tristitiam,

18 et fac luctum secundum meritum eius uno die, vel duobus propter detractionem.

19 A tristitia enim festinat mors, et cooperit virtutem, et tristitia cordis flectit cervicem.

20 In abductione permanet tristitia: et substantia inopis secundum cor eius.

21 Ne dederis in tristitia cor tuum, sed repelle eam a te: et memento novissimorum,

22 noli obliviscari: neque enim est conversio, et huic nihil proderis, et teipsum pessimabis.

23 Memor esto iudicii mei: sic enim erit et tuum: mihi heri, et tibi hodie.

24 In requie mortui requiescere fac memoriam eius, et consolare illum in exitu spiritus sui.

25 Sapientia scribæ in tempore vacuitatis: et qui minoratur actu, sapientiam percipiet: qua sapientia replebitur

26 qui tenet aratrum, et qui gloriatur in iaculo, stimulo boves agitat, et conversatur in operibus eorum, et enarratio eius in filiis taurorum.

27 Cor suum dabit ad versandos sulcos, et vigilia eius in sagina vaccarum.

28 Sic omnis faber et architectus, qui noctem tamquam diem transigit, qui sculpit signacula sculptilia, et assiduitas eius variat picturam: cor suum dabit in similitudinem picturæ, et vigilia sua perficiet opus.

29 Sic faber ferrarius sedens iuxta incudem, et considerans opus ferri: Vapor ignis uret carnes eius, et in calore fornacis concertatur:

30 Vox mallei innovat aurem eius, et contra similitudinem vasis oculus eius:

31 Cor suum dabit in consummationem operum, et vigilia sua ornabit in perfectionem.

32 Sic figulus sedens ad opus suum, convertens pedibus suis rotam, qui in solicitudine positus est semper propter opus suum, et in numero est omnis operatio eius.

33 In brachio suo formabit lutum, et ante pedes suos curvabit virtutem suam.

34 Cor suum dabit ut consummet linitionem, et vigilia sua mundabit fornacem.

35 Omnes hi in manibus suis speraverunt, et unusquisque in arte sua sapiens est.

36 sine his omnibus non ædificatur civitas.

37 Et non inhabitabunt, nec inambulabunt, et in ecclesiam non transilient.

38 Super sellam iudicis non sedebunt, et testamentum iudicii non intelligent, neque palam facient disciplinam et iudicium, et in parabolis non invenientur:

39 sed creaturam ævi confirmabunt, et deprecatio illorum in operatione artis, accomodantes animam suam, et conquirentes in lege Altissimi.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).