44:1 Let me now sing the praises of men of piety, Of our fathers in their generations.
44:2 Great glory did the Most High allot them, And they were great from the days of old.
44:3 [Men] who wielded dominion over the earth in their royalty, And men of renown in their might; Counsellors in their discernment, And seers in their prophetic power.
44:4 Princes of nations in their intentions, And leaders in their decrees; Wise in speech in their scribal office, And speakers of wise sayings in their tradition;
44:5 Arrangers of psalms according to rule, And authors of written proverbs;
44:6 Men of ability and supported with strength, And living at ease in their dwelling-places.
44:7 All these were honored in their generation, And in their days had glory.
44:8 Some of them have left a name That men might tell their praise;
44:9 And some of them have no memorial, There was an end of them when they came to their end; They were as though they had not been, And also their children after them.
44:10 Nevertheless, these were men of piety, And their hope has not ceased;
44:11 With their seed their goodness remains sure, And their inheritance to their children's children.
44:12 Their seed stands fast in the covenants, And in their children for their sakes;
44:13 Their memory abides forever, And their righteousness will not be forgotten.
44:14 Their bodies were buried in peace, But their name lives to all generations.
44:15 The assembly repeats their wisdom, And the congregation declares their praise.
44:16 Enoch was found perfect, and he walked with Yahweh, and was taken; A sign of knowledge to every generation.
44:17 Noah the righteous was found perfect, In the time of destruction he became the renewer; For his sake there was a remnant, And because of his covenant the Flood ceased;
44:18 An eternal covenant [God] made with him Not to destroy all flesh [again].
44:19 Abraham, the father of a multitude of nations, Put no blemish on his honor;
44:20 He kept the commandments of the Most High, And entered into a covenant with him; In his flesh he made a covenant with him, And in temptation he was found faithful.
44:21 Wherefore, with an oath he swore to him, To bless nations in his seed; To multiply him as the dust of the earth, And to exalt his seed as the stars; To cause them to inherit from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
44:22 And also Isaac he established likewise, For the sake of Abraham his father; He gave him the covenant of all his ancestry.
44:23 And a blessing rested on the head of Israel; And he gave him the title of Firstborn, And gave him his inheritance; And he set him for tribes, To be divided into twelve. And he brought out from him a man of mercy, Who found grace in the sight of all living.