Sirach 7

¹ Do not choose to do evil, and evil will not take hold of you.

² Withdraw from the iniquitous, and evil will withdraw from you.

³ Son, do not sow evil in the furrows of injustice, and you will not reap them sevenfold.

⁴ Do not seek a role of leadership from the Lord, and do not seek a seat of honor from the king.

⁵ You 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 king.

⁶ Do 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 integrity.

⁷ You should not sin against the multitude of a city, nor should you cast yourself against the people.

⁸ And you should not bind two sins together. For even in one sin, you will not go unpunished.

⁹ Do not be cowardly in your soul.

¹⁰ You should not be unwilling to beg, nor to give alms.

¹¹ You 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.”

¹² You should not ridicule a man in bitterness of soul. For there is One who humbles and who exalts: the all-seeing God.

¹³ Do not love a lie against your brother, nor should you act the same toward your friend.

¹⁴ Do not be willing to devise a lie of any kind. For the practice of lying is not good.

¹⁵ Do not choose to be verbose among a multitude of elders, and you should not repeat the words of your prayers.

¹⁶ You should not hate laborious works, nor the rustic life created by the Most High.

¹⁷ You should not consider yourself to be among the multitude of the undisciplined.

¹⁸ Remember wrath. For it will not be delayed.

¹⁹ Humble your spirit greatly. For the retribution against the flesh of the impious is with fire and worms.

²⁰ Do not betray your friend for the sake of money, and you should not spurn your dearest brother for the sake of gold.

²¹ Do 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 gold.

²² You should not harm the servant whose works are honest, nor the hired hand who entrusts his life to you.

²³ Let an understanding servant be loved by you like your own soul. You should not cheat him out of freedom, nor abandon him to destitution.

²⁴ Are cattle yours? Tend to them. And if they are useful, let them remain with you.

²⁵ Are sons yours? Instruct them, and bow them down from their childhood.

²⁶ Are daughters yours? Watch over their bodies. And you should not display a light-hearted attitude toward them.

²⁷ Give your daughter in marriage, and give her to an understanding man, and you will be doing a great work.

²⁸ If a wife in accord with your soul is yours, you should not reject her. But do not entrust yourself to her who is hateful.

²⁹ With your whole heart, honor your father. And you should not forget the complaints of your mother.

³⁰ Remember that you would not have been born except through them. And so, give back to them as they also have done for you.

³¹ With all your soul, fear the Lord, and consider his priests to be holy.

³² With all your strength, love him who made you, and you should not abandon his ministers.

³³ Honor God from your whole soul, and confer honor on the priests, and continue to purify yourself with your strength.

³⁴ Give 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 offering.

³⁵ You should offer to the Lord the gift of your strength, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first-fruits of what is holy.

³⁶ And reach out your hand to the poor, so that your atonement and your blessing may be perfected.

³⁷ A gift has grace in the sight of all the living, but you should not prohibit grace for the dead.

³⁸ You should not fail to console those who are weeping, nor to walk with those who are mourning.

³⁹ Do not let yourself be slow to visit the sick. For in this way, you will be confirmed in love.

⁴⁰ In all your works, remember your very end, and so you will not sin, unto eternity.