Jul 15 - Sirach 7-9
Sirach
1Do not choose to do evil, and evil will not take hold of you2Withdraw from the iniquitous, and evil will withdraw from you3Son, do not sow evil in the furrows of injustice, and you will not reap them sevenfold4Do not seek a role of leadership from the Lord, and do not seek a seat of honor from the king5You should not justify yourself before God, for he is the Knower of hearts. And by no means should you wish to seem wise before the king6Do not seek to become a judge, unless you have sufficient strength to shatter iniquities. Otherwise, you might fear the face of the powerful, and so establish a scandal within your integrity7You should not sin against the multitude of a city, nor should you cast yourself against the people8And you should not bind two sins together. For even in one sin, you will not go unpunished9Do not be cowardly in your soul10You should not be unwilling to beg, nor to give alms11You should not say: "God will look with favor on the multitude of my gifts, and when I make an offering to the most high God, he will accept my gift.12You should not ridicule a man in bitterness of soul. For there is One who humbles and who exalts: the all-seeing God13Do not love a lie against your brother, nor should you act the same toward your friend14Do not be willing to devise a lie of any kind. For the practice of lying is not good15Do not choose to be verbose among a multitude of elders, and you should not repeat the words of your prayers16You should not hate laborious works, nor the rustic life created by the Most High17You should not consider yourself to be among the multitude of the undisciplined18Remember wrath. For it will not be delayed19Humble your spirit greatly. For the retribution against the flesh of the impious is with fire and worms20Do not betray your friend for the sake of money, and you should not spurn your dearest brother for the sake of gold21Do not choose to depart from a good and understanding wife, whom you have been allotted in the fear of the Lord. For the grace of her modesty is above gold22You should not harm the servant whose works are honest, nor the hired hand who entrusts his life to you23Let an understanding servant be loved by you like your own soul. You should not cheat him out of freedom, nor abandon him to destitution24Are cattle yours? Tend to them. And if they are useful, let them remain with you25Are sons yours? Instruct them, and bow them down from their childhood26Are daughters yours? Watch over their bodies. And you should not display a light-hearted attitude toward them27Give your daughter in marriage, and give her to an understanding man, and you will be doing a great work28If a wife in accord with your soul is yours, you should not reject her. But do not entrust yourself to her who is hateful.29With your whole heart, honor your father. And you should not forget the complaints of your mother30Remember that you would not have been born except through them. And so, give back to them as they also have done for you31With all your soul, fear the Lord, and consider his priests to be holy32With all your strength, love him who made you, and you should not abandon his ministers33Honor God from your whole soul, and confer honor on the priests, and continue to purify yourself with your strength34Give them their portion, just as it has been commanded of you, from the first-fruits and from the purifications. And for your ignorant offenses, purify yourself with a smaller offering35You should offer to the Lord the gift of your strength, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first-fruits of what is holy36And reach out your hand to the poor, so that your atonement and your blessing may be perfected37A gift has grace in the sight of all the living, but you should not prohibit grace for the dead38You should not fail to console those who are weeping, nor to walk with those who are mourning39Do not let yourself be slow to visit the sick. For in this way, you will be confirmed in love40In all your works, remember your very end, and so you will not sin, unto eternity
1You should not quarrel with a powerful man, lest perhaps you may fall into his hands2You should not contend with a wealthy man, lest perhaps he may bring an action against you3For gold and silver have destroyed many, and have reached and corrupted even the hearts of kings4You should not quarrel with a man who is full of words, for you should not cast wood upon his fire5You should not confide in an ignorant man, lest he speak evil about your family6You should not despise a man who turns himself away from sin, nor reproach him with it. Remember that we are all subject to correction7You should not spurn a man in his old age. For we are all subject to growing old8Do not be willing to rejoice at the death of your enemy, knowing that we all die, and that we do not want others to rejoice over us9You should not despise the discourse of those who are old and wise; instead, ponder their proverbs10For from them, you will learn wisdom and intelligent doctrine, so as to serve great men without blame11Do not allow the discourse of your elders to pass you by. For they have learned from their fathers12And from them, you will learn understanding, and you will learn what response to give in a time of necessity13You should not kindle the coals of sinners by arguing with them. For you might be scorched by the flame from the fire of their sins14You should not stand against the face of a contemptuous person, otherwise he may sit down as if waiting in ambush against your words15You should not lend to a man who is stronger than you. But if you do lend, consider it lost16You should not promise beyond your ability. But if you do promise, consider how to fulfill it17You should not judge against a judge. For he judges according to what is just18You should not go forth on the way with an audacious man, lest perhaps he may burden you with his evils. For he goes forth according to his own will, and you will perish with him in his folly19You should not start a conflict with an angry man, and you should not go into the desert with an audacious man. For shedding blood is nothing to him, and in a place where there is no help for you, he will overthrow you20You should not hold counsel with the foolish. For they are not able to love anything except what pleases them21You should not take counsel in the sight of an outsider. For you do not know what he will do next22You should not reveal your heart to every man, lest perhaps he may offer a false kindness to you, and then speak reproachfully about you
1You should not be jealous of the wife of your bosom, lest she reveal, because of you, the malice of a wicked lesson2You should not give authority over your soul to a woman, lest she obtain your strength, and then you would be confounded3You should not look with favor on a woman with many desires, lest perhaps you may fall into her traps4You should not be continually in need of entertainment, nor should you be persuaded by it, lest perhaps you may perish by its effectiveness5You should not stare at a virgin, lest perhaps you may be scandalized by her beauty6You should not give your soul, in any way, to fornicators, lest you destroy yourself and your inheritance7Do not choose to look around in the streets of the city, nor should you wander along its thoroughfares8Avert your face from an ornate woman, for you should not gaze upon strange beauty9Many have perished because of the beauty of a woman; and by this, desire is kindled like a fire10Every woman who is a fornicator will be trampled down, like the filth in the street11Many, by admiring the beauty of the wife of another, have become reprobate. For familiarity with her flares up like a fire12You should not sit down at all with another man’s wife, nor recline with her on a couch13And you should not argue with her over wine, lest perhaps your heart may turn toward her, and by your emotion, you would be toppled into perdition14You should not abandon an old friend. For a new one will not be similar to him15A new friend is like new wine. It will grow old, and then you will enjoy drinking it16You should not envy the glory and wealth of a sinner. For you do not know what may be his undoing in the future17The injury of the unjust should not please you, knowing that, until they are in hell, the impious will not please18Keep yourself far from a man having the power to kill, and then you will not have the fear of death suspended over you19But if you do approach him, do nothing to offend, lest perhaps he may take away your life20Know that this is a communion with death. For you would be entering the midst of snares, and walking upon the arms of the grieving21According to your ability, be cautious of your neighbor, and treat him as the wise and prudent would22Let just men be your companions, and let your glory be in the fear of God23And let the thought of God be in your mind, and let all your discourse be on the precepts of the Most High24Works will be praised for the hands of the artists, and a leader of the people will be praised for the wisdom of his words, yet truly, the word of the elders will be praised for its understanding25A man full of words is a dread to his city, but one who speaks rashly will be hated for his word