Ben Sira 46:1-10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 46
Joshua, Caleb, the Judges, and Samuel
1 Valiant warrior was Joshua,[a] son of Nun,
aide to Moses in the prophetic office,
Formed to be, as his name implies,
the great savior of God’s chosen ones,
To punish the enemy
and to give to Israel their heritage.(A)
2 What glory was his when he raised his hand,
to brandish his sword against the city!(B)
3 Who could withstand him
when he fought the battles of the Lord?[b]
4 Was it not by that same hand the sun stopped,
so that one day became two?(C)
5 He called upon the Most High God
when his enemies beset him on all sides,
And God Most High answered him
with hailstones of tremendous power,
6 That rained down upon the hostile army
till on the slope he destroyed the foe;
That all the doomed nations might know
the Lord was watching over his people’s battles.
He was indeed a devoted follower of God
7 and showed himself loyal in Moses’ lifetime.
He and Caleb,[c] son of Jephunneh,
when they opposed the rebel assembly,
Averted God’s anger from the people
and suppressed the wicked complaint.(D)
8 Because of this, these two alone were spared
from the six hundred thousand infantry,
To lead the people into their heritage,
the land flowing with milk and honey.(E)
9 The strength God gave to Caleb
remained with him even in old age
Till he won his way onto the summits of the land;
his family too received a heritage,(F)
10 That all the offspring of Jacob might know
how good it is to be a devoted follower of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 46:1–6 Joshua: whose name means “the Lord is savior” (v. 1), was the instrument through which God delivered his people in marvelous ways (vv. 2–6) by destroying their enemies, whose land he gave to the Israelites as a heritage (v. 1).
- 46:3 The battles of the Lord: cf. Jos 6–11.
- 46:7–10 Caleb: with Joshua he advised Moses to enter Canaan, despite the counsel of their companion scouts and the rebellion of the people. He led the next generation of Israelites into the promised land. He received a portion of land which he himself had conquered; cf. Jos 15:13–14.
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