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Joshua and Caleb

46 Joshua, Nun’s son,
was powerful in battle,
        and he was Moses’ successor
        in prophecy.
    As his name suggests,
    he was mighty
    to deliver the Lord’s chosen ones,
        and to take revenge on enemies
        when they rose against them,
        so that he might give Israel
        an inheritance.
How glorious he was
when he raised his hands
    and when he extended his sword
    against cities!
Who among those who came before
stood as he did?
    Indeed, he fought the Lord’s wars.
Wasn’t the sun restrained by his hand,
    and one day lasted for two?
He called upon the Most High,
the mighty one,
    when his enemies pressed in on him
    from every side,
        and the great Lord responded to him
        with hailstones of mighty power.
He rushed headlong against a nation
in battle,
    and on a hill he destroyed those
    who opposed him,
        so that the nations might know
        how well-equipped he was,
    because his war was fought
    in the Lord’s presence.
    Indeed, he was a follower
    of the mighty one.
In the days of Moses
he performed acts of mercy,
    he and Caleb, Jephunneh’s son.
They opposed the congregation,
    restrained the people from sin,
    and put an end
    to their wicked grumbling.
So out of six hundred thousand soldiers,
        the two were spared to lead the people into their inheritance,
            into a land full of milk and honey.
The Lord gave Caleb strength,
    and it remained with him
    until he was old,
    so that he went up to the highlands,
    and his descendants had it
    as an inheritance.
10 In this way, all the Israelites
    could see that it is a good thing
    to follow the Lord.

Judges

11 May the memories of the judges
bring blessings,
    each with their own name,
    whose hearts remained faithful
        and who didn’t turn away from the Lord.
12 May their bones send forth new shoots of life from their burial places,
    and their names,
    honored by all humanity,
    continue in their descendants.[a]

Samuel

13 Samuel was dearly loved by his Lord.
    As a prophet from the Lord,
    he established a kingdom
    and anointed rulers over his people.
14 He judged the congregation
by the Lord’s law,
    and the Lord watched over Jacob.
15 He proved to be a reliable prophet
because of his faithfulness,
    and through his words
    he became known as a trustworthy seer.
16 He called upon the Lord, the mighty one,
    with an offering of a nursing lamb
    when his enemies pressed on him
    from every side.
17 The Lord thundered from heaven,
    and he made his voice loudly heard.
18 He destroyed the leaders
of the people of Tyre[b]
    and all the rulers of the Philistines.
19 Before the time of his eternal sleep,
Samuel testified
    before the Lord and his anointed one,
    “No property, not even a pair of sandals,
    have I taken from anyone!
        And not one person accused him.
20 Samuel prophesied
after he had fallen asleep,[c]
    and he showed the king
    what his end would be.
He made his voice heard from the ground
        in prophecy to wipe out
        the people’s lawless behavior.

Footnotes

  1. Sirach 46:12 Heb may their names be renewed in their descendants.
  2. Sirach 46:18 Heb he subdued the deputies of the enemy
  3. Sirach 46:20 Heb after he died

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