1The poor man who is wise carries his head high and sits among the great.
2Do not praise a man because he is handsome and do not hold a man in contempt be cause of his appearance.
3The bee is one of the smallest winged insects but she excels in the exquisite sweetness of her honey.
4Do not be proud because of the clothes you wear; do not be proud when people honor you. Do you know what the Lord is preparing in a mysterious way? 5Many tyrants have been over thrown and someone unknown has received the crown.
6Many powerful men have been completely disgraced and famous men handed over into the power of others.
7Do not reprehend anyone unless you have first been fully informed, consider the case first and thereafter make your reproach.
8Do not reply before you have listened; do not interrupt the one who is speaking.
9Do not interfere in what is not your business; do not meddle in the disputes of sinners.
10My child, do not undertake too many activities. If you keep adding to them, you will not be without reproach; if you run after them, you will not succeed nor will you ever be free, although you try to escape.
Put your trust in God
11 ① There are those who exhaust themselves, tire themselves out and become anxious, yet in the end they are only the poorer.
12There are those who are weak, needing support, lacking goods and in great poverty, yet the eyes of the Lord look on them with favor. The Lord will redress their humiliation. 13He will raise their heads and many people will marvel on this account.
14Good and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, all come from the Lord.
15* 16* 17The just can count on the generosity of the Lord and his goodness will guide them for ever.
18A man may become rich through being careful and miserly and this is his reward. 19The day on which he thinks, “I have earned my rest, now I can live on my possessions,” he does not know how long he is going to live. He will have to die and leave his goods to others.
20Remain faithful to your duty, give your life to it and grow old in your work.
21Do not be disconcerted at the success of sinners but have confidence in God and persevere in your own efforts. It is easy for the Lord in an instant to make the poor man rich.
22The blessing of the Lord is the just man’s reward and quickly, in an instant, his benediction will bear fruit.
23Do not say, “What do I need? What more could I have or desire?”
24Do not say, “I have all that is necessary, what misfortune can harm me now?”
25On good days, one forgets the bad; and on bad days one forgets the good.
26Even when the end draws near, it is easy for the Lord to reward a man according to the way he has lived.
27The hour of adversity makes one forget pleasure; at the end of a man’s life his deeds will be revealed.
28Do not consider anyone as blessed before his death, for only then he will be known.
29Do not invite just anybody into your house for many are clever deceivers.
30Like a partridge in its cage acting as a decoy, so is the heart of the proud man; like a spy he watches out for your weaknesses.
31He changes good things into evil, he lays his traps and criticizes even the best things.
32Just as a spark sets coals on fire, the wicked man prepares his snares in order to draw blood.
33Beware of the wicked man for he is planning evil. He might dishonor you forever.
34If you take a stranger into your house, he will cause you trouble; he will estrange you from your household.
- Sir 11,11 These thoughts are not new in the Bible which encourages us on every page to trust in God. Ben Sira foretells what we will find on the lips of Jesus concerning wealth (see Lk 12:16). And he says: Love the Covenant, dedicate your life to it. The Covenant means following the Law. Jesus, too, will speak of seeking the kingdom of God instead of being preoccupied with providing for the future. Note the end of this text. The Book of Sirach, like certain parts of the Book of Job, affirms that God may wait until death to give a reward; but he does not risk speaking of what will follow: faith in the resurrection was as yet undeveloped.
