1 The poor man who is wise carries his head high
and sits among the great.
2 Do not praise a man because he is handsome and do not hold a man in
contempt be cause of his appearance.
3 The bee is one of the smallest winged insects but she excels in the
exquisite sweetness of her honey.
4 Do 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?
5 Many tyrants have been over thrown and someone unknown has received the
crown.
6 Many powerful men have been completely disgraced and famous men handed
over into the power of others.
7 Do not reprehend anyone unless you have first been fully informed,
consider the case first and thereafter make your reproach.
8 Do not reply before you have listened; do not interrupt the one who is
speaking.
9 Do not interfere in what is not your business; do not meddle in the
disputes of sinners.
10 My 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 There are those who exhaust them selves, tire themselves out and be come
an xious, yet in the end they are only the poorer.
12 There 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.
13 He will raise their heads and many people will marvel on this account.
14 Good and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, all come from the
Lord.
17 The just can count on the generosity of the Lord and his goodness will
guide them for ever.
18 A man may become rich through being careful and miserly and this is his
reward.
19 The 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.
20 Remain faithful to your duty, give your life to it and grow old in your
work.
21 Do 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.
22 The blessing of the Lord is the just man��s reward and quickly, in an
instant, his benediction will bear fruit.
23 Do not say, ��What do I need? What more could I have or desire?��
24 Do not say, ��I have all that is necessary, what misfortune can harm me
now?��
25 On good days, one forgets the bad; and on bad days one forgets the good.
26 Even when the end draws near, it is easy for the Lord to reward a man
according to the way he has lived.
27 The hour of adversity makes one forget pleasure; at the end of a man��s
life his deeds will be revealed.
28 Do not consider anyone as blessed before his death, for only then he will
be known.
29 Do not invite just anybody into your house for many are clever deceivers.
30 Like a partridge in its cage acting as a de coy, so is the heart of the
proud man; like a spy he watches out for your weaknesses.
31 He changes good things into evil, he lays his traps and criticizes even
the best things.
32 Just as a spark sets coals on fire, the wicked man prepares his snares in
order to draw blood.
33 Beware of the wicked man for he is planning evil. He might dishonor you
forever.
34 If you take a stranger into your house, he will cause you trouble; he
will estrange you from your household.
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Comments Sirach, Chapter 11
• 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.