Ben Sira 17:1-8

1 The Lord created human beings out of earth, and makes them return to it again.

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.

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]