Sirach 7

¹Do no evils, and no evils shall lay hold of thee.

²Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.

³My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.

⁴Seek not of the Lord a preeminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.

⁵Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.

⁶Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.

⁷Offend not against the multitude of a city, neither cast thyself in upon the people,

⁸Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

⁹Be not fainthearted in thy mind:

¹⁰Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.

¹¹Say not: God will have respect to the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept my offerings.

¹²Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth all.

¹³Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.

¹⁴Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

¹⁵Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.

¹⁶Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.

¹⁷Number not thyself among the multitude of the disorderly.

¹⁸Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.

¹⁹Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.

²⁰Do not transgress against thy friend deferring money, nor despise thy dear brother for the sake of gold.

²¹Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou hast gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.

²²Hurt not the servant that worketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life.

²³Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy own soul, defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy.

²⁴Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.

²⁵Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their childhood.

²⁶Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thy countenance gay towards them.

²⁷Marry thy daughter well, and thou shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.

²⁸If thou hast a wife according to thy soul, cast her not off: and to her that is hateful, trust not thyself. With thy whole heart,

²⁹Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:

³⁰Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.

³¹With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests.

³²With all thy strength love him that made thee: and forsake not his ministers.

³³Honour God with all thy soul and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.

³⁴Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.

³⁵Offer to the Lord the gift of thy shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things:

³⁶And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.

³⁷A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.

³⁸Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.

³⁹Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.

⁴⁰In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.

Sirach 7

¹Do no evil, so shall no harm come unto thee.

²Depart from the unjust, and iniquity shall turn away from thee.

³My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.

⁴Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the seat of honour.

⁵justify not thyself before the Lord; and boast not of thy wisdom before the king.

⁶Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, an stumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness.

⁷Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people.

⁸Bind not one sin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

⁹Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it.

¹⁰Be not fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms.

¹¹Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth.

¹²Devise not a lie against thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend.

¹³Use not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

¹⁴Use not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayest.

¹⁵Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the most High hath ordained.

¹⁶Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember that wrath will not tarry long.

¹⁷Humble thyself greatly: for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms.

¹⁸Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Ophir.

¹⁹Forego not a wise and good woman: for her grace is above gold.

²⁰Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil. nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee.

²¹Let thy soul love a good servant, and defraud him not of liberty.

²²Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.

²³Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth.

²⁴Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thyself cheerful toward them.

²⁵Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding.

²⁶Hast thou a wife after thy mind? forsake her not: but give not thyself over to a light woman.

²⁷Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother.

²⁸Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee?

²⁹Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence his priests.

³⁰Love him that made thee with all thy strength, and forsake not his ministers.

³¹Fear the Lord, and honor the priest; and give him his portion, as it is commanded thee; the firstfruits, and the trespass offering, and the gift of the shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things.

³²And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected.

³³A gift hath grace in the sight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not.

³⁴Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn.

³⁵Be not slow to visit the sick: for that shall make thee to be beloved.

³⁶Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.