Of physicians and medicines: what is to be done in sickness, and how we are to mourn for the dead. Of the employments of labourers and artificers.
1
Honor the physician because of necessity, and because the Most High created him.
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For all healing is from God, and so he will receive gifts from the King.
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The expertise of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men, he will be praised.
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The Most High has created medicines from the earth, and a prudent man will not abhor them.
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Was not bitter water made sweet with wood?
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The benefits of these things is recognized by men, and the Most High has given this knowledge to men, so that he may be honored in his wonders.
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By these things, he will cure or mitigate their suffering, and the pharmacist will make soothing ointments, and he will form healing medicines, and there will be no end to his works.
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For the peace of God is upon the surface of the earth.
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Son, in your infirmity, you should not neglect yourself, but pray to the Lord, and he will cure you.
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Turn away from sin, and direct your hands, and cleanse your heart from every offense.
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Give a sweet offering, and a memorial of fine flour, and fatten your oblation, but also give a place to the physician.
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For the Lord created him. And so, do not let him depart from you, for his works are necessary.
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For there is a time when you may fall into their hands.
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Truly, they will beseech the Lord, so that he may direct their treatments and cures, for the sake of their way of life.
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He who sins in the sight of the One who made him will fall into the hands of the physician.
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Son, shed tears over the dead, and begin to weep, as if you had suffered dreadfully. And according to judgment, cover his body, and you should not neglect his burial.
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And though you will sink down into bitterness, bear his mourning for one day, and then be consoled in your sadness.
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And carry out his mourning, according to his merit, for one or two days because of this loss.
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Yet sadness hastens death and overwhelms strength, and the sorrow of the heart bows down the neck.
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When one is taken away, sorrow remains. But the resources of a destitute man is found in his heart.
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You should not give your heart over to sadness, but push it away from you. And remember the very end.
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Do not be willing to forget this; for there is no turning back. Otherwise, it will not benefit you, and you will cause great harm to yourself.
23
Call to mind my judgment. For so shall it be for you also. Yesterday is mine, and today is yours.
24
When the deceased is at rest, let his memory rest also. And console him at the departure of his spirit.
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The wisdom of a scribe is found in his time of leisure. So whoever has less to do will gain wisdom.(a)
26
With what wisdom will someone be filled who holds the plow, and who boasts of the cattle prod that drives the oxen forward, and who is occupied in these labors, and whose only conversation is about the offspring of bulls?
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He will give his mind over to the plowing of furrows, and his vigilance to the fattening of the cows.
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Similarly, every craftsman and artisan, who crafts in the night as well as in the day, who sculpts graven seals, and who, by his diligence, varies the image, will give his mind over to the likeness of the image. And he will complete the work by his vigilance.
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The blacksmith, sitting by his anvil and considering a work of iron, is similar. The steam from the fire singes his flesh, and he struggles against the heat of the furnace.
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The voice of the hammer is ever in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the ironwork.
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He gives his heart to the completion of his work, and his vigilance adorns it to perfection.
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The potter, sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet, is similar. He has settled into a continual concern for his work, and there is a rhythm in all that he does.
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He forms the clay with his arm, and he bends his strength over his feet.
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He will give his heart over to the completion of the glazing, and his vigilance to the cleansing of the furnace.
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All these persons trust in their own hands, and each one is wise in his own art.
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Without these persons, a city is not built.
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But they will neither inhabit nor walk around in the city. And they will not go across to the church.
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They will not sit upon the seats of judges, and they will not understand a decree of judgment. And they will not make clear discipline and judgment, and they will not be found to understand parables.
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But they will strengthen the state of the world, and their prayer will be in their artistic works, applying their soul, and searching the law of the Most High.
Footnotes