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Sirach · Revised Version with Apocrypha

Sirach 12 Revised Version with Apocrypha

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About RV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Critical text
  • Protestant, with the Apocrypha
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1895
  • Public domain

Sirach is not in RV1909.

RV Revised Version with Apocrypha
RV1909 Reina-Valera 1909
1 If thou do good, know to whom thou doest it; And thy good deeds shall have thanks.
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2 Do good to a godly man, and thou shalt find a recompense; And if not from him, yet from the Most High.
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3 There shall no good come to him that continueth to do evil, Nor to him that giveth no alms.
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4 Give to the godly man, And help not the sinner.
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5 Do good to one that is lowly, And give not to an ungodly man: Keep back his bread, and give it not to him, Lest he overmaster thee thereby: For thou shalt receive twice as much evil For all the good thou shalt have done unto him.
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6 For the Most High also hateth sinners, And will repay vengeance unto the ungodly.
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7 Give to the good man, And help not the sinner.
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8 A man’s friend will not be fully tried in prosperity; And his enemy will not be hidden in adversity.
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9 In a man’s prosperity his enemies are grieved; And in his adversity even his friend will be separated [from him. ]
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10 Never trust thine enemy: For like as the brass rusteth, so is his wickedness.
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11 Though he humble himself, and go crouching, Yet take good heed, and beware of him, And thou shalt be unto him as one that hath wiped a mirror, And thou shalt know that he hath not utterly rusted it.
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12 Set him not by thee, Lest he overthrow thee and stand in thy place; Let him not sit on thy right hand, Lest he seek to take thy seat, And at the last thou acknowledge my words, And be pricked with my sayings.
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13 Who will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent, Or any that come nigh wild beasts?
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14 Even so [who will pity ] him that goeth to a sinner, And is mingled with him in his sins?
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15 For a while he will abide with thee, And if thou give way, he will not hold out.
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16 And the enemy will speak sweetly with his lips, And in his heart take counsel how to overthrow thee into a pit: The enemy will weep with his eyes, And if he find opportunity, he will not be satiated with blood.
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17 If adversity meet thee, thou shalt find him there before thee; And as though he would help thee, he will trip up thy heel.
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18 He will shake his head, and clap his hands, And whisper much, and change his countenance.
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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).

  1. Quotes verse 12:4 Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine (Book III, Chapters 12–16)

    It is written: "Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner." The latter clause of this sentence seems to forbid benevolence; for it says, "help not a sinner." Understand, therefore, that "sinner" is put figuratively for sin, so that it is his sin you are not to help.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  2. Quotes verse 12:13 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily IX)

    "But who," it is said, "will pity a charmer that is bitten with a serpent?" For we ought, knowing its cruel tyranny, to flee that slavery, and destroy that grievous longing.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  3. Quotes verse 12:4 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm CII)

    "Help not a sinner:" and, "give not to the ungodly;" and yet, "give unto every man that asketh of thee." But it is a sinner who asketh of me.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)