Sirach 11

¹ The wisdom of one who is humble will exalt his head, and will cause him to sit down in the midst of great men.

² You should not praise a man for his beauty, and you should not despise a man for his appearances.

³ The bee is small among flying things, but its fruit holds the summit of sweetness.

⁴ You should not glory in clothing at any time, and you should not let yourself be extolled in the day of your honor. For the works of the Most High alone are wondrous; and glorious and hidden and unseen are his works.

⁵ Many tyrants have sat upon a throne, and one whom no one would admire has worn a diadem.

⁶ Many powerful men have been powerfully cast down, and the illustrious have been handed over into the hands of others.

⁷ Before you inquire, you should not place blame on anyone; and when you have inquired, reprove justly.

⁸ Before you listen, you should not respond a word; and you should not interrupt in the middle of a discourse.

⁹ You should not contend in a matter which does not concern you, and you should not sit in judgment together with sinners.

¹⁰ Son, you should not be involved in many matters. And if you become rich, you will not be free from transgression. For if you pursue, you will not apprehend; and if you run ahead, you will not escape.

¹¹ There is an impious man who labors and hurries and grieves, but all the more will he be without abundance.

¹² There is a debilitated man in need of recovery, who is lacking in strength and abundant in poverty.

¹³ Yet the eye of God has looked with favor upon him for his benefit, and he has lifted him up from his humiliation, and he has exalted his head. And many have wondered at him, and they have honored God.

¹⁴ Good things and misfortune, life and death, poverty and wealth, are from God.

¹⁵ Wisdom, and discipline, and knowledge of the law are with God. Love and the ways of good things are with him.

¹⁶ Error and darkness have been created by sinners. And those who exult in evil, grow old in evil.

¹⁷ The gift of God remains with the just man, and his advancement will have success unto eternity.

¹⁸ There is one who is enriched by spending sparingly, and this is the extent of his reward.

¹⁹ About this, he says: “I have found rest for myself, and now I alone will eat from my goods.”

²⁰ But he does not know how much time will pass before death approaches, and then he must leave everything behind to others and die.

²¹ Stand fast in your covenant, and become familiar with it, and grow old in the work of your commandments.

²² You should not spend time in the works of sinners. Instead, trust in God and remain in your own place.

²³ For it is easy, in the eyes of God, to make a pauper suddenly rich.

²⁴ The blessing of God hurries to reward the just man, and in a fleeting hour his advancement bears fruit.

²⁵ You should not say: “What do I need?” or, “What good will there be for me in this?”

²⁶ You should not say: “I have enough for myself,” or, “What could be worse than this?”

²⁷ In a day of good things, you should not be forgetful of misfortunes. And in a day of misfortunes, you should not be forgetful of good things.

²⁸ For it is easy, in the sight of God, on the day of one’s passing, to repay each one according to his ways.

²⁹ The affliction of an hour causes one to forget great delights, and in the end of a man is the uncovering of his works.

³⁰ You should not praise any man before death. For a man is known by his children.

³¹ You should not bring every man into your house. For many are the snares of the deceitful.

³² For as a stomach with a bad smell vomits, and as a partridge is led into a cage, and like a deer led into a snare, so also is the heart of the arrogant. And it is like a bystander watching his neighbor fall.

³³ For it lies in ambush, and then turns good into evil, and it will place the blame on the elect.

³⁴ From one spark, a great fire grows; and from one deceitful man, much blood flows. But a very sinful man lies in ambush for blood.

³⁵ Pay close attention to yourself before a harmful man, for he fabricates evils. Otherwise, he may lead over you a whispered reproach unceasingly.

³⁶ Receive a stranger to yourself, and he will overthrow you with a whirlwind, and he will alienate you from what is your very own.