Ben Sira 41:1-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 41
1 O death! How bitter is the thought of you[a]
for the one at peace in his home,
For the one who is serene and always successful,
who can still enjoy life’s pleasures.
2 O death! How welcome is your sentence
to the weak, failing in strength,
Stumbling and tripping on everything,
with sight gone and hope lost.(A)
3 Do not fear death’s decree for you;
remember, it embraces those before you and those to come.(B)
4 This decree for all flesh is from God;
why then should you reject a law of the Most High?
Whether one has lived a thousand years, a hundred, or ten,
in Sheol there are no arguments about life.
Footnotes
- 41:1–13 Whether death seems bitter to one who enjoys peace, success, and pleasure, or welcome to one who is weak and in despair, it comes to all and must be accepted as the will of God (vv. 1–4). The human body passes away (v. 11). Sinners as well as their offspring pass away as if they had never been (vv. 5–10). Only the good name of the virtuous endures (vv. 11–13).
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