Category: Sirach

1 He who touches pitch will be defiled, and he who has fellowship with a proud man will become like him. 2 A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. 3 The rich man has done wrong, and yet he adds more wealth; when the poor man is wronged,…

1 My son, have you sinned? Do so no more, but ask forgiveness for your past sins. 2 Flee from sin as from a serpent, for if you approach it, it will bite you; its teeth are lion’s teeth, and can destroy human lives. 3 To do righteousness is more acceptable to the Lord than…

1 No evil will befall him who fears the Lord, but in trials such a one will be rescued again and again. 2 A wise man hates not the law, but he that is a hypocrite therein is as a ship in a storm. 3 A man of small means who fears God is better…

1 The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. 2 When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. 3 By his command he sends the driving snow and speeds the lightnings of his judgment. 4…

1 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 2 Blessed is he whose conscience has not condemned him, and who has not given up hope in the Lord’s mercy. 3 Riches are not fitting for a fool, and what is a poor man’s knowledge…

1 A slothful man is like a filthy stone, and everyone hisses at his disgrace. 2 A fool raises his voice when he laughs, but a clever person smiles quietly. 3 An undisciplined child is a disgrace to its father; if it be a daughter, she brings him to poverty. 4 A stubborn wife is…

1 The hopes of a man void of understanding are vain and false, and dreams lift up fools. 2 He who fears the Lord will not be afraid or alarmed, for he is his hope. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 What…

1 Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations. 2 Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also for their sake. 3 Praise of the Ancestors – Leaders of the people in their generations by the Lord’s covenant, and their renown of great men through the ages. 4 Leaders of…

1 He who fears the Lord will do this, and he who holds to the law will obtain wisdom. 2 And if you will, you can keep the commandments and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. 3 With the bread of understanding you shall feed him, and give him the water…

1 O Lord, Father and Master of my life, do not abandon me to their counsel, and let me not fall because of them. 2 Who will set a guard over my mouth, and an effective seal upon my lips, so that I may not fall because of them, and my tongue may not destroy…