Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 11

¹ The poor man’s wisdom keeps his head erect, and gives him a place with the great.

² Do not praise a man for his good looks, nor dislike anybody for his appearance.

³ Small among winged creatures is the bee but her produce is the sweetest of the sweet.

⁴ Do not preen yourself on your fine clothes, nor be swollen headed on your day of glory; for the Lord’s deeds are marvellous, though hidden from mankind.

⁵ Many monarchs have been made to sit on the ground, and the man nobody thought of has worn the crown.

⁶ Many influential men have been utterly disgraced, and prominent men have fallen into the power of others.

⁷ Do not find fault before making thorough inquiry; first reflect, then give a reprimand.

⁸ Listen before you answer, and do not interrupt a speech in the middle.

⁹ Do not wrangle about something that does not concern you, nor interfere in the squabbles of sinners.

¹⁰ My son, do not take on a great amount of business; if you multiply your interests, you are bound to suffer for it; hurry as fast as you can, yet you will never arrive, nor will you escape by running away.

¹¹ A man labours and toils and forges ahead, only to find himself the more out-distanced.

¹² Another man is a poor creature begging for assistance, badly off for support, but rich in poverty, and the Lord turns a favourable eye on him, sets him on his feet out of his abject condition,

¹³ and enables him to hold his head high, to the utter amazement of many.

¹⁴ Good and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, all come from the Lord.

¹⁷ The Lord’s gift remains constant to the devout, and his goodwill means a good journey for ever.

¹⁸ A man grows rich by his sharpness and grabbing, and here is the reward he receives. for it:

¹⁹ he says, ‘I have found rest, and now I can enjoy my goods’; but he does not know how long this will last; he will have to leave his goods for others and die.

²⁰ Persevere at your duty, take pleasure in doing it, and grow old at your work.

²¹ Do not be astonished at the sinner’s achievements; trust the Lord and keep to your duty; since it is a trifle in the eyes of the Lord, in a moment, suddenly to make a poor man rich.

²² The devout man receives the Lord’s blessing as his reward, in a moment God brings his blessing to flower.

²³ Do not say, ‘What are my needs, what will be my profits in future?’

²⁴ And do not say, ‘I am self-supporting, what losses can I suffer in future?’

²⁵ In a time of profit, losses are forgotten, and in a time of loss, no one remembers profits.

²⁶ Yet it is a trifle for the Lord on the day a man dies to repay him as his conduct deserves.

²⁷ A moment’s adversity, and pleasures are forgotten; in a man’s last hour his deeds will stand revealed.

²⁸ Call no man fortunate before his death; it is by his end that a man will be known.

²⁹ Do not bring every man home with you, for many are the traps of the crafty.

³⁰ Like a decoy partridge in a basket, such is the proud man’s heart; like a spy he watches for your downfall.

³¹ The slanderer twists good into evil, will cast a slur on what deserves most praise.

³² A hearthful of glowing coals starts from a single spark, and the sinner lurks for the chance to spill blood.

³³ Beware of a scoundrel and his evil contrivances, in case he puts a smear on you for ever.

³⁴ Bring a stranger home with you and he will start trouble, and estrange you from your own family.