Hymn in Honour of Our Ancestors ^*

44Let us now sing the praises of famous men,
   our ancestors in their generations.
²The Lord apportioned to them^* great glory,
   his majesty from the beginning.
³There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
   and made a name for themselves by their valour;
those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;
   those who spoke in prophetic oracles;
⁴those who led the people by their counsels
   and by their knowledge of the people’s lore;
   they were wise in their words of instruction;
⁵those who composed musical tunes,
   or put verses in writing;
⁶rich men endowed with resources,
   living peacefully in their homes—
⁷all these were honoured in their generations,
   and were the pride of their times.
⁸Some of them have left behind a name,
   so that others declare their praise.
⁹But of others there is no memory;
   they have perished as though they had never existed;
they have become as though they had never been born,
   they and their children after them.
¹⁰But these also were godly men,
   whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
¹³Their offspring will continue for ever,
   and their glory will never be blotted out.
¹⁴Their bodies are buried in peace,
   but their name lives on generation after generation.