“As for me,
I was like
A canal from a river.
I was like
A water channel into a garden.
I said.
‘I will water my garden.
I will drench my flower-beds.’
Behold!
My canal became a river.
My river became a sea.
I will again
Make instruction
Shine forth
Like the dawn.
I will make it clear
From far away.
I will again
Pour out teaching
Like prophecy.
I will leave it
To all future generations.
Observe!
I have not labored
For myself alone.
I have labored
For all who seek instruction.”
Sirach says that he was like a little channel from a river. He used that water to irrigate his garden and flowers. Then the channel became a river and the river became a sea. His instructions shined forth like the dawn of a new day. The brightness could be seen from a long distance away. His teaching was like prophecy for all future generations. He was not working for himself, but to give instructions to all seeking it.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 