Sirach 3

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Children, pay heed to a father's right; do so that you may live.	1 The sons of wisdom are the Church of the just: and their generation is obedience and love.
2 For the LORD sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons.	2 Sons, listen to the judgment of your father, and act accordingly, so that you may be saved.
3 He who honors his father atones for sins;	3 For God has honored the father in the sons, and, when seeking the judgment of the mother, he has confirmed it in the children.
4 he stores up riches who reveres his mother.	4 He who loves God will plead with him on behalf of sins, and will keep himself away from sin, and will be heeded in the prayers of his days.
5 He who honors his father is gladdened by children, and when he prays he is heard.	5 And, like one who stores up treasure, so also is he who honors his mother.
6 He who reveres his father will live a long life; he obeys the LORD who brings comfort to his mother.	6 He who honors his father will find happiness in his own children, and he will be heeded in the day of his prayer.
7 He who fears the LORD honors his father, and serves his parents as rulers.	7 He who honors his father will live a long life. And he who obeys his father will be a refreshment to his mother.
8 In word and deed honor your father that his blessing may come upon you;	8 He who fears the Lord honors his parents, and he will serve them as masters, for it is they who conceived him.
9 For a father's blessing gives a family firm roots, but a mother's curse uproots the growing plant.	9 In word and deed, and in all things, honor your father with patience,
10 Glory not in your father's shame, for his shame is no glory to you!	10 so that a blessing may come to you from him, and so that his blessing may remain to the very end.
11 His father's honor is a man's glory; disgrace for her children, a mother's shame.	11 The blessing of the father strengthens the houses of the sons; but the curse of the mother uproots even its foundation.
12 My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives.	12 Do not boast in the disgrace of your father; for his shame is not your glory.
13 Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength.	13 For the glory of a man is from the honor of his father, and a father without honor is a discredit to the son.
14 For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering--it will take lasting root.	14 Son, support your father in his old age, and do not grieve him in his life.
15 In time of tribulation it will be recalled to your advantage, like warmth upon frost it will melt away your sins.	15 And if his mind should fail, show kindness; and do not spurn him when you are in your strength. For almsgiving to the father will never be forgotten.
16 A blasphemer is he who despises his father; accursed of his Creator, he who angers his mother.	16 For even in return for the sin of the mother, good will be repaid to you.
17 My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.	17 And you will be built up in justice, and you will be remembered in the day of tribulation. And your sins will dissolve like ice in warm weather.
18 Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.	18 What an evil form has he who forsakes his father! And whoever exasperates his mother is accursed by God.
19 For great is the power of God; by the humble he is glorified.	19 Son, perform your works in meekness, and you shall be loved beyond the glory of men.
20 What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.	20 However great you may be, humble yourself in all things, and you will find grace in the presence of God.
21 What is committed to you, attend to; for what is hidden is not your concern.	21 For only the power of God is great, and he is honored by the humble.
22 With what is too much for you meddle not, when shown things beyond human understanding.	22 You should not seek the things that are too high for you, and you should not examine the things that are beyond your ability. But as for the things that God has entrusted to you, consider these always. But you should not be curious in too many of his works.
23 Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment.	23 For it is not necessary for you to see with your own eyes the things that are hidden.
24 Where the pupil of the eye is missing, there is no light, and where there is no knowledge, there is no wisdom.	24 In unnecessary matters, do not choose to be an examiner of many different things, and you should not be curious about too many of his works.
25 A stubborn man will fare badly in the end, and he who loves danger will perish in it.	25 For many things have been revealed to you, beyond the understanding of men.
26 A stubborn man will be burdened with sorrow; a sinner will heap sin upon sin.	26 Yet uncertainty in these things has also undermined many persons and has detained their minds in vanity.
27 For the affliction of the proud man there is no cure; he is the offshoot of an evil plant.	27 A hardened heart will have evil in the very end, and he who loves peril will perish in it.
28 The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man's joy.	28 A heart advancing in two directions will not have success, and the depraved heart will be scandalized in this way.
29 Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.	29 A wicked heart will be burdened with sorrows, and a sinner will add further sins.
30 He who does a kindness is remembered afterward; when he falls, he finds a support.	30 The synagogue of the arrogant will not be healed. For the stalk of sinfulness will take root in them, and it will not be understood.
	31 The heart of the wise is understood by wisdom, and a good ear will listen to wisdom with all its desire.
	32 A wise and understanding heart will abstain from sins, and will have success in works of justice.
	33 Water extinguishes a burning fire, and almsgiving withstands sins.
	34 And God is the watchman for him who repays a kindness. He remembers him afterwards, and in the time of his fall, he will find a firm support.