Ben Sira 39:14-24

14 Bloom like a sweet-smelling lily, and send your fragrance into the air like incense. Sing the Lord's praises, and thank him for all that he has done.
15 Proclaim his glory in grateful praise! To the music of the harp, sing this song:
16 All that the Lord has done is very good; all that he commands is sooner or later done.
17 No one should ask why things are as they are; these questions will be answered at the right time. He commanded, and the water piled up high, great walls of water arose when he spoke.
18 Whatever he commands is promptly done; there are no limits to his power to save.
19 He sees all that every human being does; there is no way to hide from his sight.
20 He sees the whole of time, from beginning to end, and nothing takes him by surprise.
21 No one should ask why things are as they are; everything in creation has its purpose.
22 His blessings overflow like the Nile, enriching the world in a fertile flood.
23 He turns fresh water into salt water, and he turns his anger on the nations.
24 For the devout, his ways are straight; for the wicked, they are laid with traps.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. takes him by surprise; [or] is too marvelous for him.
  • [b]. [Hebrew] overflow . . . flood; [Greek] cover the dry land like a river and drench it like a flood.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.