“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.