Sirach · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Sirach 11 Revised Version with Apocrypha
1 The wisdom of the lowly shall lift up his head, And make him to 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 Commend not a man for his beauty; And abhor not a man for his outward appearance.
2 Don’t commend a man for his good looks. Don’t abhor a man for his outward appearance.
3 The bee is little among such as fly; And her fruit is the chief of sweetmeats.
3 The bee is little among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of confections.
4 Glory not in the putting on of raiment, And exalt not thyself in the day of honour; For the works of the Lord are wonderful, And his works are hidden among men.
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 kings have sat down upon the ground; And one that was never thought of hath worn a diadem.
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 disgraced; And men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands.
6 Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced. Men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands.
7 Blame not before thou hast examined: Understand first, and then rebuke.
7 Don’t blame before you investigate. Understand first, and then rebuke.
8 Answer not before thou hast heard; And interrupt not in the midst of speech.
8 Don’t answer before you have heard. Don’t interrupt while someone else is speaking.
9 Strive not in a matter that concerneth thee not; And where sinners judge, sit not thou with them.
9 Don’t argue about a matter that doesn’t concern you. Don’t sit with sinners when they judge.
10 My son, be not busy about many matters: For if thou meddle much, thou shalt not be unpunished; And if thou pursue, thou shalt not overtake; And thou shalt not escape by fleeing.
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 one that toileth, and laboureth, and maketh haste, And is so much the more behind.
11 There is one who toils, labors, and hurries, and is even more behind.
12 There is one that is sluggish, and hath need of help, Lacking in strength, and that aboundeth in poverty; And the eyes of the Lord looked upon him for good, And he set him up from his low estate,
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 And lifted up his head; And many marvelled at him.
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 the Lord.
14 Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and riches, are from the Lord.
15 Not in this translation
15 Not in this translation
17 The gift of the Lord remaineth with the godly, And his good pleasure shall prosper for ever.
17 The Lord’s gift remains with the godly. His good pleasure will prosper forever.
18 There is that waxeth rich by his wariness and pinching, 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 When he saith, I have found rest, And now will I eat of my goods; Yet he knoweth not what time shall pass, And he shall leave them to others, and die.
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 Be stedfast in thy covenant, and be conversant therein, And wax old in thy work.
20 Be steadfast in your covenant and be doing it, and grow old in your work.
21 Marvel not at the works of a sinner; But trust the Lord, and abide in thy labour: For it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord swiftly on the sudden to make a poor man rich.
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 The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of the godly; And in an hour that cometh swiftly he maketh his blessing to flourish.
22 The Lord’s blessing is in the reward of the godly. He makes his blessing flourish in an hour that comes swiftly.
23 Say not, What use is there of me? And what from henceforth shall my good things be?
23 Don’t say, “What use is there of me? What further good things can be mine?”
24 Say not, I have sufficient, And from henceforth what harm shall happen unto me?
24 Don’t say, “I have enough. What harm could happen to me now?”
25 In the day of good things there is a forgetfulness of evil things; And in the day of evil things a man will not remember things that are good.
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 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.
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 The affliction of an hour causeth forgetfulness of delight; And in the last end of a man is the revelation of his deeds.
27 The affliction of an hour causes delights to be forgotten. In the end, a man’s deeds are revealed.
28 Call no man blessed before his death; And a man shall be known in his children.
28 Call no man happy before his death. A man will be known in his children.
29 Bring not every man into thine house; For many are the plots of the deceitful man.
29 Don’t bring every man into your house, for many are the tricks of a deceitful man.
30 [As ] a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a proud man; And as one that is a spy, he looketh upon [thy ] falling.
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 For he lieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil; And in things that are praiseworthy he will lay blame.
31 For he lies in wait to turn things that are good into evil, and assigns blame in things that are praiseworthy.
32 From a spark of fire a heap of many coals is kindled; And a sinful man lieth in wait for blood.
32 From a spark of fire, a heap of many coals is kindled, and a sinful man lies in wait to shed blood.
33 Take heed of an evil-doer, for he contriveth wicked things; Lest haply he bring upon thee blame for ever.
33 Take heed of an evil-doer, for he plans wicked things, lest perhaps he ruin your reputation forever.
34 Receive a stranger into thine house, and he will distract thee with brawls, And estrange thee from thine own.
34 Receive a stranger into your house, and he will distract you with arguments and estrange you from your own family.
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)