The Lord’s knowledge (Sir 42:18-42:20)

“The Lord searches out the abyss.

He searches out the human heart.

He understands their innermost secrets.

The Most High knows

All that may be known.

He sees from old

The things that are to come.

He sees the signs of the age.

He discloses what has been.

He discloses what is to be.

He reveals the traces of hidden things.

No thought escapes him.

Nothing is hidden from him.”

The Lord knows the depths of everything. He knows the secrets of the human heart. The Most High God knows all that can be known since he knows about the past and the things to come. He understands the signs of the ages. He can tell you about the past and the future. He knows all about the hidden things, since nothing escapes him. Nothing is hidden from him because the Lord is all-knowing.

The happy wise person (Sir 14:20-14:27)

“Happy is the person

Who meditates on wisdom,

Who reasons intelligently,

Who reflects in his heart on her ways,

Who ponders her secrets,

Who pursues wisdom like a hunter,

Who lies in wait on her paths,

Who peers through her windows,

Who listens at her doors,

Who encamps near her house,

Who fastens his tent peg to her walls,

Who pitches his tent near her,

Who so occupies an excellent lodging place,

Who places his children under her shelter,

Who lodges under her boughs,

Who is sheltered by her from the heat,

Who dwells in the midst of her glory.”

Sirach describes the happy person who has a relationship to wisdom. These happy people will meditate on wisdom. They will reason intelligently. They will reflect on wisdom. They will ponder the secrets of wisdom. They will pursue wisdom like a hunter who lies in wait for wisdom. They will look through the windows and listen at the doors of wisdom. They will camp near the house of wisdom. They will have tent pegs on the walls of the house of wisdom. They will have pitched a tent next to the house of wisdom, which is an excellent lodging place. They will place their children under the shelter of wisdom. They will live under the branches of wisdom, so that they will be sheltered by wisdom from the midday sun. They will live in the glory of wisdom. These happy people will really like wisdom.