A Prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach.
1 I will thank thee, O Lord and King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour: I do give praise unto thy name:
2 For thou art my defender and helper, and has preserved my body from destruction, and from the snare of the slanderous tongue, and from the lips that forge lies, and has been mine helper against mine adversaries:
3 And hast delivered me, according to the multitude of thy mercies and greatness of thy name, from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me, and out of the hands of such as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions which I had;
4 From the choking of fire on every side, and from the midst of the fire which I kindled not;
5 From the depth of the belly of hell, from an unclean tongue, and from lying words.
6 By an accusation to the king from an unrighteous tongue my soul drew near even unto death, my life was near to the hell beneath.
7 They compassed me on every side, and there was no man to help me: I looked for the succour of men, but there was none.
8 Then thought I upon thy mercy, O Lord, and upon thy acts of old, how thou deliverest such as wait for thee, and savest them out of the hands of the enemies.
9 Then lifted I up my supplications from the earth, and prayed for deliverance from death.
10 I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the days of my trouble, and in the time of the proud, when there was no help.
11 I will praise thy name continually, and will sing praises with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard:
12 For thou savedst me from destruction, and deliveredst me from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise thee, and bless they name, O Lord.
13 When I was yet young, or ever I went abroad, I desired wisdom openly in my prayer.
14 I prayed for her before the temple, and will seek her out even to the end.
15 Even from the flower till the grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her.
16 I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and gat much learning.
17 I profited therein, therefore will I ascribe glory unto him that giveth me wisdom.
18 For I purposed to do after her, and earnestly I followed that which is good; so shall I not be confounded.
19 My soul hath wrestled with her, and in my doings I was exact: I stretched forth my hands to the heaven above, and bewailed my ignorances of her.
20 I directed my soul unto her, and I found her in pureness: I have had my heart joined with her from the beginning, therefore shall I not be foresaken.
21 My heart was troubled in seeking her: therefore have I gotten a good possession.
22 The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward, and I will praise him therewith.
23 Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and dwell in the house of learning.
24 Wherefore are ye slow, and what say ye to these things, seeing your souls are very thirsty?
25 I opened my mouth, and said, Buy her for yourselves without money.
26 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: she is hard at hand to find.
27 Behold with your eyes, how that I have but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest.
28 Get learning with a great sum of money, and get much gold by her.
29 Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and be not ashamed of his praise.
30 Work your work betimes, and in his time he will give you your reward.
Siraxi ôab, Jesub di ǀgores
1 Tita ge ra gangan tsi, ǃKhū tsî Gao-aotse
tsî ra koa tsi, ti Elo tsî Hui-aotse.
Gangan tsi ta ge ra,
2 sats ra hui tsî sâu te amaga.
Sats ge ge sâuǂui te
ǁōb, ǁkhō ǂhumib tsî mîǁgaiǁgaide xu.
3 Sats ge sa kai ǀkhommi ǃaroma a ǂansa,
tsîts ge ge sâu te,
ǂgui ǃgomsigu hîa ta ge mû gu,
ǀā khākhoesib ti khākhoen dib,
hîa ra ǃgam te ǂgaon diba xu.
4 Ti khākhoen ge khau ǀaes,
ǀom ta nî ǃkhaisa ra ī ǁoa kaisa xu,
5 ǁōb ǂûba xu;
ǂkhaba mîǁgaiǁgaidi gao-aob ai ge ǃnurihede xu.
6 ǁŌb ǀkha ta ge aisa xu ais ǃoa ge hā-ūhe.
7 Ti khākhoen ge hoa ǀkhāgu ai xāǂgā te hâ;
hui te nî khoe-e ta ge kō-ôa,
xawe i ge ǀgui i tsîna ge ǀkhai i.
8 Xawe ta ge ǃKhūtse mâtikōsets a ǀkhomxaǃnâ
tsî tarenats ge ǃkharu ge ǁaeb ǃnâ dī hâ isa ge ǂâihō.
ǁNān sa ai ra ǂgomǃgânats ge huiǂui
tsî ǁîn di khākhoena xu sâu ǃkhaisa ta ge ge ǂâihō.
9 O ta ge ǃhūbaiba xu,
ǁōba xuts nî huiǂui tega sa ǃoa ra ǀgore.
10 ǀGore ta ge ge, “ǃKhūtse, sats ge a ti î;
tā ti ǂōǂōsigu ǃnâ ǁnāxūǃgâ te re,
ǁîǃgôasenxa khākhoen ǃoagu ta ga ǀgaioǃnâo.
11 Hugaǀgui ta ge koa tsi
tsî gangantsanade nî ǁnaeba tsi.”
Sats ge ti ǀgoresa ge ǁnâu-am
12 tsî ǁōba xu ge sâuǂui te.
ǁNā-amaga ta ge gangan tsî ra koa tsi.
ǃKhūtse, koa tsi ta ge ra!
Xoa-aob ge Gā-aisiba ra ôa
13 Noxopa ta ǂkham hîa, ti ǃnariǂoadi ǀkha ta nî tsoatsoas aiǃâ ta ge ǁkhoase Gā-aisiba ta ga hōsa gere ǀgore. 14 Tita ge Tempeli ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁîba gere ǂganbasen tsî ta ge ûi ta hâs kōse ǁîba nî ôa. 15 Ti ǂkhamsisa xu ti kairasis kōse ta ge ǁîba ge ǀnam i. ǂKham ta ge isa xu i ge xū-i xare-e Gā-aisiba ôasa xu ge ǁkhae te tama hâ i. 16 Tita ge Gā-aisiba ǁîba ta ra ǃgâtsoatsoa hîa ge ǃkhōǃoa tsî ta ge kai ǂans ǀkha ge mādawa-amhe. 17 Tita ge kai ta ge khami gā-ai tsî ǃKhūb, gā-aisiba ge mā teba ge koa. 18 Tita ge gā-aise ta ga ûisa ge ǂâibasen hâ i tsî ǃgâi xūn ǀguina dīsa ge māsenxa i; tsî ta ge ǃhausen tama hâ. 19 Gā-aisiba ta ge gere ǃkhamba tsî ti tanisens ǃnâ ge ǁkhō i. ǀGore ta gere, o ta ge Gā-aisib xa ta kaise ǀorose ǂan ǃkhaisa, ǃoa hâse gere ǁguiǁnâ. 20 Xawe ta ge ǁîba hōsa ge ǂâibasen hâ i tsî ta ge Gā-aisiba ǁoreba xu ūdawasens ǀkha ge hō. Tita ge Gā-aisib ǃnâ ge kaikhâi tsîb ge tātsē ǁnāxū te tide. 21 ǁÎba hō ǂgaos di turab xa ta ge ǁgarihe, amaga ta ge ǃkhū hâse ge mādawa-amhe. 22 ǃKhūb ge mîde ge ǀkhae te tsî ta ge ǁîde, ǁîba koas ǃaroma gere sîsenū.
23 ǁKhāǁkhāsen ǂgaots ra? ǁNās kao, tita ǃoa hā, îts tita xats nî ǁgauǃnâhena xu ǁkhāǁkhāsen. 24 ǀŪts a ǃkhaisats ga mîǂui, o tare-i ǃaromats ǂhâbats hâ gā-aisib ose ra aiǃgû. 25 Nēs ge ti ǀapemāsa: Gā-aits nî ǃkhais ge xū-i xare-e ǂgan tama hâ. 26 Jokhoesa ūkhâi, î Gā-aisiba xu ǁkhāǁkhāsen. Sats ge mâ xū-i hoa-e xu ǁkhāǁkhāsen ǁkhā. 27 Aitsama mûbasen! Tita ge ǀgaisase ge ǁkhāǁkhāsen tama hâ i, xawe ta ge ǂkhîba ge hō. 28 Sats ge Gā-aisiba ǁkhāǁkhāsensa xu, sats ra māǂuis ǃgâ-ai ǃnāsase nî hōǂgā. 29 ǃKhūb a ǀkhomxaǃnâ xuige ǃgâiaǂgao, î nauna mâtikōseb ǃgâi ǃkhaisa mîbasa tā tao. 30 ǁAebats ūhâ hîa Gā-aisibats nî hōse sîsen, ots ge sa mādawa-amsa, ǂhanu ǁaeb ai ǃKhūba xu nî hō.
