Sirach 11:1-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Deceptiveness of Appearances
11 The wisdom of the humble lifts their heads high
and seats them among the great.(A)
2 Do not praise individuals for their good looks
or loathe anyone because of appearance alone.(B)
3 The bee is small among flying creatures,
but what it produces is the origin of sweet things.(C)
4 Do not mock those wearing only a loincloth
or make fun of those whose day is bitter,[a]
for the works of the Lord are wonderful
and his works are concealed from humans.(D)
5 Many oppressed have sat upon a throne,[b]
and one whom no one expected has worn a crown.(E)
6 Many rulers have been utterly disgraced,
and the honored have been handed over to others.(F)
Deliberation and Caution
7 Do not find fault before you investigate;
examine first and then criticize.(G)
8 Do not answer before you listen,
and do not interrupt when another is speaking.(H)
9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case.
Sirach 11:18-28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
18 A person becomes rich through diligence and self-denial,
and the reward allotted to him is this:(A)
19 when he says, “I have found rest,
and now I shall feast on my goods!”
he does not realize how time passes by;
he will leave them to others and will die.(B)
20 Stand by your agreement and attend to it,
and grow old in your work.
21 Do not wonder at the works of a sinner,
but trust in the Lord and keep at your job,
for it is easy in the sight of the Lord
to make the poor person suddenly rich, in an instant.(C)
22 The blessing of the Lord is[a] the reward of the pious,
and quickly his blessing flourishes.
23 Do not say, “What do I need,
and what further benefit can be mine?”(D)
24 Do not say, “I have enough,
and what harm can come to me now?”(E)
25 In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten,
and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.(F)
26 For it is easy for the Lord on the day of death
to reward individuals according to their conduct.(G)
27 An hour’s misery makes one forget delights,
and at the close of one’s life one’s deeds are revealed.(H)
28 Call no one happy before his death;
by how he ends, a person becomes known.[b]
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.