Ben Sira 18:1-10

1 He who lives for ever created the whole universe;

2 the Lord alone will be declared righteous.

4 To none has he given power to proclaim his works; and who can search out his mighty deeds?

5 Who can measure his majestic power? And who can fully recount his mercies?

6 It is not possible to diminish or increase them, nor is it possible to trace the wonders of the Lord.

7 When a man has finished, he is just beginning, and when he stops, he will be at a loss.

8 What is man, and of what use is he? What is his good and what is his evil?

9 The number of a man's days is great if he reaches a hundred years.

10 Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand so are a few years in the day of eternity.