Sirach 4
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Duties toward the Poor and the Oppressed
4 My son, deprive not the poor of his living,
and do not keep needy eyes waiting.
2 Do not grieve the one who is hungry,
nor anger a man in want.
3 Do not add to the troubles of an angry mind,
nor delay your gift to a beggar.
4 Do not reject an afflicted suppliant,
nor turn your face away from the poor.
5 Do not avert your eye from the needy,
nor give a man occasion to curse you;
6 for if in bitterness of soul he calls down a curse upon you,
his Creator will hear his prayer.
7 Make yourself beloved in the congregation;
bow your head low to a great man.
8 Incline your ear to the poor,
and answer him peaceably and gently.
9 Deliver him who is wronged from the hand of the wrongdoer;
and do not be fainthearted in judging a case.
10 Be like a father to orphans,
and instead of a husband to their mother;
you will then be like a son of the Most High,
and he will love you more than does your mother.
The Rewards of Wisdom
11 Wisdom exalts her sons
and gives help to those who seek her.
12 Whoever loves her loves life,
and those who seek her early will be filled with joy.
13 Whoever holds her fast will obtain glory,
and the Lord will bless the place she[a] enters.
14 Those who serve her will minister to the Holy One;[b]
the Lord loves those who love her.
15 He who obeys her will judge the nations,
and whoever gives heed to her will dwell secure.
16 If he has faith in her he will obtain her;
and his descendants will remain in possession of her.
17 For at first she will walk with him on tortuous paths,
she will bring fear and cowardice upon him,
and will torment him by her discipline
until she trusts him,
and she will test him with her ordinances.
18 Then she will come straight back to him and gladden him,
and will reveal her secrets to him.
19 If he goes astray she will forsake him,
and hand him over to his ruin.
20 Observe the right time, and beware of evil;[c]
and do not bring shame on yourself.
21 For there is a shame which brings sin,
and there is a shame which is glory and favor.
22 Do not show partiality, to your own harm,
or deference, to your downfall.
23 Do not refrain from speaking at the crucial time,[d]
and do not hide your wisdom.[e]
24 For wisdom is known through speech,
and education through the words of the tongue.
25 Never speak against the truth,
but be mindful of your ignorance.
26 Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,
and do not try to stop the current of a river.
27 Do not subject yourself to a foolish fellow,
nor show partiality to a ruler.
28 Strive even to death for the truth
and the Lord God will fight for you.
29 Do not be reckless in your speech,
or sluggish and remiss in your deeds.
30 Do not be like a lion in your home,
nor be a faultfinder with your servants.
31 Let not your hand be extended to receive,
but withdrawn when it is time to repay.
Footnotes
- Sirach 4:13 Or he
- Sirach 4:14 Or at the holy place
- Sirach 4:20 Or an evil man
- Sirach 4:23 Cn: Gk at a time of salvation
- Sirach 4:23 So some Gk Mss and Heb Syr Vg: other Gk Mss omit and do not hide your wisdom
Sirach 4
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
4 Son, defraud not the poor of alms, and turn not away thy eyes from the poor.
2 Despise not the hungry soul: and provoke not the poor in his want.
3 Afflict not the heart of the needy, and defer not to give to him that is in distress.
4 Reject not the petition of the afflicted: and turn not away thy face from the needy.
5 Turn not away thy eyes from the poor for fear of anger: and leave not to them that ask of thee to curse thee behind thy back.
6 For the prayer of him that curseth thee in the bitterness of his soul, shall be heard, for he that made him will hear him.
7 Make thyself affable to the congregation of the poor, and humble thy soul to the ancient, and bow thy head to a great man.
8 Bow down thy ear cheerfully to the poor, and pay what thou owest, and answer him peaceable words with mildness.
9 Deliver him that suffereth wrong out of the hand of the proud: and be not fainthearted in thy soul.
10 In judging be merciful to the fatherless as a father, and as a husband to their mother.
11 And thou shalt be as the obedient son of the most High, and he will have mercy on thee more than a mother.
12 Wisdom inspireth life into her children, and protecteth them that seek after her, and will go before them in the way of justice.
13 And he that loveth her, loveth life: and they that watch for her, shall embrace her sweetness.
14 They that hold her fast, shall inherit life: and whithersoever she entereth, God will give a blessing.
15 They that serve her, shall be servants to the holy one: and God loveth them that love her.
16 He that hearkeneth to her, shall judge nations: and he that looketh upon her, shall remain secure.
17 If he trust to her, he shall inherit her, and his generation shall be in assurance.
18 For she walketh with him in temptation, and at the first she chooseth him.
19 She will bring upon him fear and dread and trial: and she will scourge him with the affliction of her discipline, till she try him by her laws, and trust his soul.
20 Then she will strengthen him, and make a straight way to him, and give him joy,
21 And will disclose her secrets to him, and will heap upon him treasures of knowledge and understanding of justice.
22 But if he go astray, she will forsake him, and deliver him into the hands of his enemy.
23 Son, observe the time, and fly from evil.
24 For thy soul be not ashamed to say the truth.
25 For there is a shame that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that bringeth glory and grace.
26 Accept no person against thy own person, nor against thy soul a lie.
27 Reverence not thy neighbour in his fall:
28 And refrain not to speak in the time of salvation. Hide not thy wisdom in her beauty.
29 For by the tongue wisdom is discerned: and understanding, and knowledge, and learning by the word of the wise, and steadfastness in the works of justice.
30 In nowise speak against the truth, but be ashamed of the lie of thy ignorance.
31 Be not ashamed to confess thy sins, but submit not thyself to every man for sin.
32 Resist not against the face of the mighty, and do not strive against the stream of the river.
33 Strive for justice for thy soul, and even unto death fight for justice, and God will overthrow thy enemies for thee.
34 Be not hasty in thy tongue: and slack and remiss in thy works.
35 Be not as a lion in thy house, terrifying them of thy household, and oppressing them that are under thee.
36 Let not thy hand be stretched out to receive, and shut when thou shouldst give.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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