Sirach · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Sirach 7 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Sirach is not in RV1909.
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
RV1909 Reina-Valera 1909
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
2 Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.
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2 Depart from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
3 My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.
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3 My son, don’t sow upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and you won’t reap them sevenfold.
4 Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.
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4 Don’t seek preeminence from the Lord, nor the seat of honor from the king.
5 Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.
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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 made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.
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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, neither cast thyself in upon the people,
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7 Don’t sin against the multitude of the city. Don’t disgrace yourself in the crowd.
8 Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.
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8 Don’t commit a sin twice, for even in one you will not be unpunished.
9 Be not fainthearted in thy mind:
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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 Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.
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10 Don’t be faint-hearted in your prayer. Don’t neglect to give alms.
11 Say not: God will have respect to the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept my offerings.
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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 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth all.
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12 Don’t devise a lie against your brother, or do the same to a friend.
13 Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.
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13 Refuse to utter a lie, for that habit results in no good.
14 Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.
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14 Don’t babble in the assembly of elders. Don’t repeat your words in your prayer.
15 Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.
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15 Don’t hate hard labor or farm work, which the Most High has created.
16 Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.
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16 Don’t number yourself among the multitude of sinners. Remember that wrath will not wait.
17 Number not thyself among the multitude of the disorderly.
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17 Humble your soul greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm.
18 Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.
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18 Don’t exchange a friend for something, neither a true brother for the gold of Ophir.
19 Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.
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19 Don’t deprive yourself of a wise and good wife, for her grace is worth more than gold.
20 Do not transgress against thy friend deferring money, nor despise thy dear brother for the sake of gold.
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20 Don’t abuse a servant who works faithfully, or a hireling who gives you his life.
21 Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou best gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.
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21 Let your soul love a wise servant. Don’t defraud him of liberty.
22 Hurt not the servant that worketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life.
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22 Do you have cattle? Look after them. If they are profitable to you, let them stay by you.
23 Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy own soul, defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy.
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23 Do you have children? Correct them, and make them obedient from their youth.
24 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.
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24 Do you have daughters? Take care of their bodies, and don’t be overly indulgent toward them.
25 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their childhood.
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25 Give your daughter in marriage, and you will have accomplished a great matter. Give her to a man of understanding.
26 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thy countenance gay towards them.
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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 Marry thy daughter well, and then shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.
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27 Honor your father with your whole heart, and don’t forget the birth pangs of your mother.
28 If thou hast a wife according to thy soul, cast her not off: and to her that is hateful, trust not thyself. With thy whole heart,
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28 Remember that you were born of them. What will you repay them for the things that they have done for you?
29 Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:
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29 Fear the Lord with all your soul; and revere his priests.
30 Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.
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30 With all your strength love him who made you. Don’t forsake his ministers.
31 With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests.
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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 With all thy strength love him that made thee: and forsake not his ministers.
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32 Also stretch out your hand to the poor man, that your blessing may be complete.
33 Honour God with all thy soul, and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.
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33 A gift has grace in the sight of every living man. Don’t withhold grace for a dead man.
34 Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.
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34 Don’t avoid those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn.
35 Offer to the Lord the gift of thy shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things:
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35 Don’t be slow to visit a sick man, for by such things you will gain love.
36 And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.
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36 In all your words, remember eternity, and you will never sin.
37 A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.
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37 Not in this translation
38 Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.
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38 Not in this translation
39 Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.
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39 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).
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)