Sirach 48

1 Then Elijah arose, the prophet like fire.
His word burned like a torch. 2 He brought a famine upon them,
and by his zeal made them few in number. 3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens.
He brought down fire three times. 4 How you were glorified, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is like yours? 5 You raised up a dead man from death,
from Hades, by the word of the Most High. 6 You brought down kings to destruction,
and honorable men from their sickbeds. 7 You heard rebuke in Sinai,
and judgments of vengeance in Horeb. 8 You anointed kings for retribution,
and prophets to succeed after you. 9 You were taken up in a tempest of fire,
in a chariot of fiery horses. 10 You were recorded for reproofs in their seasons,
to pacify anger, before it broke out into wrath,
to turn the heart of the father to the son,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed are those who saw you,
and those who have been beautified with love;
for we also shall surely live. 12 Elijah was wrapped in a whirlwind.
Elisha was filled with his spirit.
In his days he was not moved by the fear of any ruler,
and no one brought him into subjection. 13 Nothing was too hard for him.
When he was buried, his body prophesied. 14 As in his life he did wonders,
so his works were also marvelous in death. 15 For all this the people didn’t repent.
They didn’t depart from their sins,
until they were carried away as a plunder from their land,
and were scattered through all the earth.
The people were left very few in number,
but with a ruler from the house of David. 16 Some of them did that which was right,
but some multiplied sins. 17 Hezekiah fortified his city,
and brought water into its midst.
He tunneled through rock with iron,
and built cisterns for water. 18 In his days Sennacherib invaded,
and sent Rabshakeh, and departed.
He lifted up his hand against Zion,
and boasted great things in his arrogance. 19 Then their hearts and their hands were shaken,
and they were in pain, as women in labor. 20 But they called upon the Lord who is merciful,
spreading out their hands to him.
The Holy One quickly heard them out of Heaven,
and delivered them by the hand of Isaiah. 21 He struck the camp of the Assyrians,
and his angel utterly destroyed them. 22 For Hezekiah did that which was pleasing to the Lord,
and was strong in the ways of his ancestor David,
which Isaiah the prophet commanded,
who was great and faithful in his vision. 23 In his days the sun went backward.
He prolonged the life of the king. 24 He saw by an excellent spirit what would come to pass in the future;
and he comforted those who mourned in Zion. 25 He showed the things that would happen through the end of time,
and the hidden things before they came.

1 Ensuite se leva Élie, prophète semblable au feu, et sa parole était enflammée comme un flambeau. 2 Il fit venir la famine sur Israël, et, par son zèle, il le réduisit à un petit nombre. 3 Par la parole du Seigneur, il ferma le ciel ; de même, il en fit trois fois tomber le feu. 4 Combien tu t’es rendu glorieux, ô Élie, par tes prodiges, et qui pourrait se vanter d’être semblable à toi ? 5 Toi qui as fait lever un cadavre du sein de la mort, et du schéol, par la parole du Très-Haut ; 6 toi qui as précipité des rois dans la ruine, et d’illustres personnages de leur couche dans la mort ; 7 toi qui as entendu sur le Sinaï des remontrances, et sur l’Horeb des arrêts de vengeance ; 8 toi qui as sacré des rois pour exercer la vengeance, et des prophètes pour te succéder ; 9 toi qui fus enlevé dans un tourbillon de flamme, et dans un char aux chevaux de feu ; 10 toi qui as été désigné dans de sévères écrits pour des temps à venir, comme devant apaiser la colère avant qu’elle s’enflamme, ramener le cœur du père vers l’enfant, et rétablir les tribus d’Israël. 11 Heureux ceux qui te verront, et qui seront parés de l’amour de Dieu ! Car, nous aussi, nous serons certainement en vie. 12 Lorsque Élie eut été enveloppé dans le tourbillon, Élisée fut rempli de son esprit. Durant ses jours, il ne fut ébranlé par aucun prince, et personne ne le domina. 13 Rien ne lui fut impossible, et son corps, couché dans le tombeau, fit des miracles. 14 Pendant sa vie, il fit des prodiges, et, dans sa mort, il opéra des merveilles. 15 Malgré tout cela, le peuple ne se repentit point, et ne s’éloigna pas du péché, jusqu’à ce qu’il fût emmené loin de son pays, et dispersé par toute la terre. 16 Parmi ceux-ci, quelques-uns firent ce qui est agréable à Dieu, et d’autres multiplièrent les transgressions. 17 Ézéchias fortifia sa ville, et amena dans son enceinte le Gihon ; avec le fer, il creusa le rocher, et construisit des réservoirs pour les eaux. 18 De son temps Sennachérib monta, et envoya Rabsacès ; celui-ci partit, et leva la main contre Sion, et se vanta dans sa jactance. 19 Alors leurs cœurs et leurs mains tremblèrent, et ils furent dans la douleur comme les femmes qui enfantent. 20 Ils invoquèrent le Seigneur miséricordieux, étendant leurs mains vers lui, et le Saint les entendit aussitôt du ciel, et les délivra par le ministère d’Isaïe. 21 Il frappa l’armée des Assyriens, et son ange les extermina. 22 Car Ézéchias fit ce qui est agréable au Seigneur, et se tint ferme dans les voies de David, son père, que lui recommanda Isaïe le prophète, grand et véridique dans ses visions. 23 Pendant ses jours, le soleil rétrograda,
et Isaïe prolongea la vie du roi. 24 Sous une puissante inspiration, il vit les temps à venir,
et consola les affligés dans Sion.
Il annonça ce qui doit arriver jusqu’à la fin des temps,
et les choses cachées avant leur accomplissement.