1 Do no evil, so shall no harm come unto thee. 2 Depart from the unjust, and iniquity shall turn away from thee. 3 My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold. 4 Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the seat of honour. 5 Justify not thyself before the Lord; and boast not of thy wisdom before the king. 6 Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, and lay a stumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness. 7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people. 8 Bind not one sin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished. 9 Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it. 10 Be not fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms. 11 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth. 12 Devise not a lie against thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend. 13 Use not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good. 14 Use not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayest. 15 Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the most High hath ordained. 16 Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember that wrath will not tarry long. 17 Humble thy soul greatly: for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms. 18 Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Suphir. 19 Forego not a wise and good woman: for her grace is above gold. 20 Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil, nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee. 21 Let thy soul love a good servant, and defraud him not of liberty. 22 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee. 23 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth. 24 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thyself cheerful toward them. 25 Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding. 26 Hast thou a wife after thy mind? forsake her not. 27 Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother. 28 Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee? 29 Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence his priests. 30 Love him that made thee with all thy strength, and forsake not his ministers. 31 Fear the Lord, and honour 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. 32 And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected. 33 A gift hath grace in the sight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not. 34 Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn. 35 Be not slow to visit the sick: for that shall make thee to be beloved. 36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.
Sirach · Brenton's English Septuagint
Sirach 7 Brenton's English Septuagint
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
But ordinary phraseology would not have allowed the saying, "Be unwilling to make any manner of lie," had there not been also an evil will, whose wickedness separates if from that which the angels celebrated, "Peace on earth, of good will to men." For "good" is superfluous if there is no other kind of will but good will.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For we read in the ancient Scriptures, "The vengeance of the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms." It might have been more briefly said, "The vengeance of the ungodly." Why, then, was it said, "The flesh of the ungodly," unless because both the fire and the worm are to be the punishment of the flesh?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)