Ben Sira 17:2-12

2 He gave them a fixed number of days, but granted them authority over everything on the earth.

3 He endowed them with strength like his own, and made them in his own image.

4 He put the fear of them in all living beings, and gave them dominion over beasts and birds.

6 Discretion and tongue and eyes, ears and a mind for thinking he gave them.

7 He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and showed them good and evil.

8 He put the fear of him into their hearts to show them the majesty of his works.

10 And they will praise his holy name, 9 to proclaim the grandeur of his works.

11 He bestowed knowledge upon them, and allotted to them the law of life.

12 He established with them an eternal covenant, and revealed to them his decrees.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lat: Gk [it]
• [b]. Lat: Gk [proper to them]
• [c]. Syr: Gk [him]
• [d]. Other ancient authorities add as verse 5, [They obtained the use of the five faculties of the Lord; as sixth he distributed to them the gift of mind, and as seventh, reason, the interpreter of one's faculties.]
• [e]. Other ancient authorities read [He set his eye upon]
• [f]. Other ancient authorities add [and he gave them to boast of his marvels forever]
• [g]. Other ancient authorities add [so that they may know that they who are alive now are mortal]