Ben Sira 38:1-7

1 Give doctors the honor they deserve, for the Lord gave them their work to do.
2 Their skill came from the Most High, and kings reward them for it.
3 Their knowledge gives them a position of importance, and powerful people hold them in high regard.
4 The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible person will not hesitate to use them.
5 Didn't a tree once make bitter water fit to drink, so that the Lord's power might be known? 1
6 He gave medical knowledge to human beings, so that we would praise him for the miracles he performs.
7 The druggist mixes these medicines, and the doctor will use them to cure diseases and ease pain. There is no end to the activities of the Lord, who gives health to the people of the world.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 38.5Exodus 15.23-25.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. [Hebrew] gave them their work to do; [Greek] created them.
  • [b]. the Lord's power; [or] its healing properties.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.