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.
1 Do no evil, so shall no harm come unto thee.
1 Do no evil, so no evil will overtake you.
2 Depart from the unjust, and iniquity shall turn away from thee.
2 Depart from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
3 My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.
3 My son, don’t sow upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and you won’t reap them sevenfold.
4 Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the seat of honour.
4 Don’t seek preeminence from the Lord, nor the seat of honor from the king.
5 Justify not thyself before the Lord; and boast not of thy wisdom before the king.
5 Don’t justify yourself in the presence of the Lord, and don’t display your 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.
6 Don’t seek to be a judge, lest you not be able to take away iniquities, lest perhaps you fear the person of a mighty man, and lay a stumbling block in the way of your uprightness.
7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people.
7 Don’t sin against the multitude of the city. Don’t disgrace yourself in the crowd.
8 Bind not one sin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished.
8 Don’t commit a sin twice, for even in one you will 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.
9 Don’t say, “He will look upon the multitude of my gifts. When I make an offering to the Most High God, he will accept it.”
10 Be not fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms.
10 Don’t be faint-hearted in your prayer. Don’t neglect to give alms.
11 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth.
11 Don’t laugh a man to scorn when he is in the bitterness of his soul, for there is one who humbles and exalts.
12 Devise not a lie against thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend.
12 Don’t devise a lie against your brother, or do the same to a friend.
13 Use not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.
13 Refuse to utter a lie, for that habit results in no good.
14 Use not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayest.
14 Don’t babble in the assembly of elders. Don’t repeat your words in your prayer.
15 Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the most High hath ordained.
15 Don’t hate hard labor or farm work, which the Most High has created.
16 Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember that wrath will not tarry long.
16 Don’t number yourself among the multitude of sinners. Remember that wrath will not wait.
17 Humble thy soul greatly: for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms.
17 Humble your soul greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm.
18 Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Suphir.
18 Don’t exchange a friend for something, neither a true brother for the gold of Ophir.
19 Forego not a wise and good woman: for her grace is above gold.
19 Don’t deprive yourself of a wise and good wife, for her grace is worth more than gold.
20 Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil, nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee.
20 Don’t abuse a servant who works faithfully, or a hireling who gives you his life.
21 Let thy soul love a good servant, and defraud him not of liberty.
21 Let your soul love a wise servant. Don’t defraud him of liberty.
22 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.
22 Do you have cattle? Look after them. If they are profitable to you, let them stay by you.
23 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth.
23 Do you have children? Correct them, and make them obedient from their youth.
24 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thyself cheerful toward them.
24 Do you have daughters? Take care of their bodies, and don’t be overly indulgent toward them.
25 Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding.
25 Give your daughter in marriage, and you will have accomplished a great matter. Give her to a man of understanding.
26 Hast thou a wife after thy mind? forsake her not.
26 Do you have a wife who pleases you? Don’t cast her out. But don’t trust yourself to one who is hateful.
27 Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother.
27 Honor your father with your whole heart, and don’t forget the birth pangs of your mother.
28 Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee?
28 Remember that you were born of them. What will you repay them for the things that they have done for you?
29 Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence his priests.
29 Fear the Lord with all your soul; and revere his priests.
30 Love him that made thee with all thy strength, and forsake not his ministers.
30 With all your strength love him who made you. Don’t forsake 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.
31 Fear the Lord and honor the priest. Give him his portion, even as it is commanded you: the first fruits, the trespass offering, the gift of the shoulders, the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of holy things.
32 And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected.
32 Also stretch out your hand to the poor man, that your blessing may be complete.
33 A gift hath grace in the sight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not.
33 A gift has grace in the sight of every living man. Don’t withhold grace for a dead man.
34 Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn.
34 Don’t avoid those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn.
35 Be not slow to visit the sick: for that shall make thee to be beloved.
35 Don’t be slow to visit a sick man, for by such things you will gain love.
36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.
36 In all your words, remember eternity, and you will never sin.
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)