Sirach · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Sirach 11 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 The wisdom of the humble shall exalt his head, and shall make him sit in the midst of great men.
1 The wisdom of the lowly will lift up his head, and make him sit in the midst of great men.
2 Praise not a man for his beauty, neither despise a man for his look.
2 Don’t commend a man for his good looks. Don’t abhor a man for his outward appearance.
3 The bee is small among flying things, but her fruit hath the chiefest sweetness.
3 The bee is little among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of confections.
4 Glory not in apparel at any time, and be not exalted in the day of thy honour: for the works of the Highest only are wonderful, and his works are glorious, and secret, and hidden.
4 Don’t boast about the clothes you wear, and don’t exalt yourself in the day of honor; for the Lord’s works are wonderful, and his works are hidden among men.
5 Many tyrants have sat on the throne, and he whom no man would think on, hath worn the crown.
5 Many kings have sat down upon the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
6 Many mighty men have been greatly brought down, and the glorious have been delivered into the hand of others.
6 Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced. Men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands.
7 Before thou inquire, blame no man: and when thou hast inquired, reprove justly.
7 Don’t blame before you investigate. Understand first, and then rebuke.
8 Before thou hear, answer not a word: and interrupt not others in the midst of their discourse.
8 Don’t answer before you have heard. Don’t interrupt while someone else is speaking.
9 Strive not in a matter which doth not concern thee, and sit not in judgment with sinners.
9 Don’t argue about a matter that doesn’t concern you. Don’t sit with sinners when they judge.
10 My son, meddle not with many matters: and if thou be rich, thou shalt not be free from sin: for if thou pursue after thou shalt not overtake: and if thou run before thou shalt not escape.
10 My son, don’t be busy about many matters; for if you meddle much, you will not be unpunished. If you pursue, you will not overtake, and you will not escape by fleeing.
11 There is an ungodly man that laboureth, and maketh haste, and is in sorrow, and is so much the more in want.
11 There is one who toils, labors, and hurries, and is even more behind.
12 Again, there is an inactive man that wanteth help, is very weak in ability, and full of poverty:
12 There is one who is sluggish, and needs help, lacking in strength, and who abounds in poverty, but the Lord’s eyes looked upon him for good, and he raised him up from his low condition,
13 Yet the eye of God hath looked upon him for good, and hath lifted him up from his low estate, and hath exalted his head: and many have wondered at him, and have glorified God.
13 and lifted up his head so that many marveled at him.
14 Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from God.
14 Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and riches, are from the Lord.
15 Wisdom and discipline, and the knowledge of the law are with God. Love and the ways of good things are with him.
15 Not in this translation
16 Error and darkness are created with sinners: and they that glory in evil things, grow old in evil.
16 Not in this translation
17 The gift of God abideth with the just, and his advancement shall have success for ever.
17 The Lord’s gift remains with the godly. His good pleasure will prosper forever.
18 There is one that is enriched by living sparingly, and this is the portion of his reward.
18 One grows rich by his diligence and self-denial, and this is the portion of his reward:
19 In that he saith: I have found me rest, and now I will eat of my goods alone:
19 when he says, “I have found rest, and now I will eat of my goods!” he doesn’t know how much time will pass until he leaves them to others and dies.
20 And he knoweth not what time shall pass, and that death approacheth, and that he must leave all to others, and shall die.
20 Be steadfast in your covenant and be doing it, and grow old in your work.
21 Be steadfast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein, and grow old in the work of thy commandments.
21 Don’t marvel at the works of a sinner, but trust the Lord and stay in your labor; for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord to swiftly and suddenly make a poor man rich.
22 Abide not in the works of sinners. But trust in God, and stay in thy place.
22 The Lord’s blessing is in the reward of the godly. He makes his blessing flourish in an hour that comes swiftly.
23 For it is easy in the eyes of God on a sudden to make the poor man rich.
23 Don’t say, “What use is there of me? What further good things can be mine?”
24 The blessing of God maketh haste to reward the just, and in a swift hour his blessing beareth fruit.
24 Don’t say, “I have enough. What harm could happen to me now?”
25 Say not: What need I, and what good shall I have by this?
25 In the day of good things, bad things are forgotten. In the day of bad things, a man will not remember things that are good.
26 Say not: I am sufficient for myself: and what shall I be made worse by this?
26 For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord to reward a man in the day of death according to his ways.
27 In the day of good things be not unmindful of evils: and in the day of evils be not unmindful of good things:
27 The affliction of an hour causes delights to be forgotten. In the end, a man’s deeds are revealed.
28 For it is easy before God in the day of death to reward every one according to his ways.
28 Call no man happy before his death. A man will be known in his children.
29 The affliction of an hour maketh one forget great delights, and in the end of a man is the disclosing of his works.
29 Don’t bring every man into your house, for many are the tricks of a deceitful man.
30 Praise not any man before death, for a man is known by his children.
30 Like a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a proud man. Like a spy, he looks for your weakness.
31 Bring not every man into thy house: for many are the snares of the deceitful.
31 For he lies in wait to turn things that are good into evil, and assigns blame in things that are praiseworthy.
32 For as corrupted bowels send forth stinking breath, and as the partridge is brought into the cage, and as the roe into the snare: so also is the heart of the proud, and as a spy that looketh on the fall of his neighbour.
32 From a spark of fire, a heap of many coals is kindled, and a sinful man lies in wait to shed blood.
33 For he lieth in wait and turneth good into evil, and on the elect he will lay a blot.
33 Take heed of an evil-doer, for he plans wicked things, lest perhaps he ruin your reputation forever.
34 Of one spark cometh a great fire, and of one deceitful man much blood: and a sinful man lieth in wait for blood.
34 Receive a stranger into your house, and he will distract you with arguments and estrange you from your own family.
35 Take heed to thyself of a mischievous man, for he worketh evils: lest he bring upon thee reproach for ever.
35 Not in this translation
36 Receive a stranger in, and he shall overthrow thee with a whirlwind, and shall turn thee out of thy own.
36 Not in this translation
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).
Only do not thou feel secure in praising any sort of life: "judge no man blessed before his death."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)