Sirach 7 — WBMS
7Verse 1Do not thou do evils, and those [or they] shall not take [or catch] thee.Verse 2Depart thou from wickedness, and evils shall fail from thee. [Go away from the wicked, and there shall fail evils from thee.]Verse 3Sow thou not evils in the furrows of unrightfulness [or unrightwiseness], and thou shalt not reap those [or them] in sevenfold.Verse 4Do not thou seek of a man leading [or the dignity of a leader], neither of a king the chair of honour.Verse 5Justify thou not thee before God, for he is the knower of the heart; and do not thou desire to be seen wise with the king.Verse 6Do not thou seek to be made a judge [or a doomsman], no but thou mayest break wickednesses by thy virtue; lest thou dread the face of a mighty man, and set cause of stumbling in thy swiftness [or thine hither and thither deliberateness].Verse 7Do not thou sin in the multitude of a city, neither send thee into the people;Verse 8neither bind thou [to] double sins, for thou shalt not be guiltless in one.Verse 9Do not thou be a coward in thy soul, to pray; and despise thou not to do alms-[deeds].Verse 10Say thou not, God shall behold in the multitude of my gifts; and when I shall offer to God alder-highest [or to the highest God], he shall take my gifts.Verse 11Scorn thou not a man in the bitterness of soul; for why God is the beholder, that maketh meek, and enhanceth.Verse 12Do not thou love a leasing against thy brother; neither do thou in like manner against a friend.Verse 13Do not thou desire to lie any leasing; for why the continuance thereof [or the busyness forsooth of them] is not good.Verse 14Do not thou be a jangler [or full of words] in the multitude of priests; and rehearse thou not a word in thy prayer.Verse 15Hate thou not travailous works, and earth-tilthing [or churlish doing] made of the Highest.Verse 16Areckon thou not thee in the multitude of unlearned men [or men without discipline]. Have thou mind on ire [or wrath], for it shall not tarry.Verse 17Make thou meek greatly thy spirit [or Meek greatly thy spirit], for why the vengeance of the flesh of an unpious man is fire, and worms.Verse 18Do not thou trespass against thy friend delaying money; neither despise thou a full dearworthy brother for gold.Verse 19Do not thou depart [or go away] from a wise woman, and good, whom thou hast gotten in the dread of the Lord; for why the grace of her shamefastness is above gold.Verse 20Hurt thou not a servant working in truth, neither an hired man giving his life.Verse 21A witting servant be dearworthy to thee as thy own soul; defraud thou not him of freedom, neither forsake thou him when needy [or helpless].Verse 22Beasts be to thee? take thou heed to those [or them]; and if those be profitable, dwell those still at thee, [or if they be profitable, abide they still with thee].Verse 23Sons be to thee? teach thou them, and bow thou them under chastising from their childhood.Verse 24Daughters be to thee? keep thou the body of them, and show thou not glad face to them [or show thou not thy face glad to them].Verse 25Give thy daughter to marriage, and thou doest a great work; and give thou her to a wise man.Verse 26If a woman is to thee after thy soul, cast her not away; and betake thou not thee in all thine heart to an hateful woman.Verse 27Honour thy father; and forget thou not the wailings of thy mother.Verse 28Have thou mind that thou haddest not been, but by them, and yield thou to them as they did to thee.Verse 29In all thy soul dread thou God, and hallow thou his priests.Verse 30In all thy virtue [or strength] love thou him that made thee; and forsake thou not his ministers [or servants].Verse 31Honour thou God of all thy soul; and honour thou priests, and cleanse thee with thine arms, that is, by offerings gotten with thy travail. Give thou to them the part of the first fruits, and of purging, as also it is commanded to thee; and of thy negligence purge thou thee with few men. Thou shalt offer to the Lord the gift of thine arms, and the sacrifice of hallowing, the beginnings, that is, the first fruits and dimes, or tithes, of holy men [or the beginnings of holy things].Verse 32And dress thine hand to a poor man [or to the poor], that thy mercy and blessing be performed.Verse 33Grace is given in the sight of each that liveth; and forbid thou not grace to a dead man.Verse 34Fail thou not in to do comfort to them that weep; and go thou with them that mourn.Verse 35Be thou not slow to visit a sick man [or the sick]; for by these things thou shalt be made steadfast in love.Verse 36In all thy works have thou mind on [or have in mind] thy last things; and thou shalt not do sin without end.