Sirach 42
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
42 Of the following things do not be ashamed,
and do not let partiality lead you to sin:
2 of the law of the Most High and his covenant,
and of rendering judgment to acquit the ungodly;
3 of keeping accounts with a partner or with traveling companions,
and of dividing the inheritance of friends;
4 of accuracy with scales and weights,
and of acquiring much or little;
5 of profit from dealing with merchants,
and of much discipline of children,
and of whipping a wicked servant severely.[a]
6 Where there is an evil wife, a seal is a good thing;
and where there are many hands, lock things up.
7 Whatever you deal out, let it be by number and weight,
and make a record of all that you give out or take in.
8 Do not be ashamed to instruct the stupid or foolish
or the aged man who quarrels with the young.
Then you will be truly instructed,
and will be approved before all men.
Daughters and Fathers
9 A daughter keeps her father secretly wakeful,
and worry over her robs him of sleep;
when she is young, lest she do not marry,
or if married, lest she be hated;
10 while a virgin, lest she be defiled
or become pregnant in her father’s house;
or having a husband, lest she prove unfaithful,
or, though married, lest she be barren.
11 Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter,
lest she make you a laughingstock to your enemies,
a byword in the city and notorious[b] among the people,
and put you to shame before the great multitude.
12 Do not look upon any one for beauty,
and do not sit in the midst of women;
13 for from garments comes the moth,
and from a woman comes woman’s wickedness.
14 Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good;
and it is a woman who brings shame and disgrace.
The Works of God in Nature
15 I will now call to mind the works of the Lord,
and will declare what I have seen.
By the words of the Lord his works are done.
16 The sun looks down on everything with its light,
and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.
17 The Lord has not enabled his holy ones
to recount all his marvelous works,
which the Lord the Almighty has established
that the universe may stand firm in his glory.
18 He searches out the abyss, and the hearts of men,[c]
and considers their crafty devices.
For the Most High knows all that may be known,
and he looks into the signs[d] of the age.
19 He declares what has been and what is to be,
and he reveals the tracks of hidden things.
20 No thought escapes him,
and not one word is hidden from him.
21 He has ordained the splendors of his wisdom,
and he is from everlasting and to everlasting.
Nothing can be added or taken away,
and he needs no one to be his counselor.
22 How greatly to be desired are all his works,
and how sparkling they are to see![e]
23 All these things live and remain for ever
for every need, and are all obedient.
24 All things are twofold, one opposite the other,
and he has made nothing incomplete.
25 One confirms the good things of the other,
and who can have enough of beholding his glory?
Footnotes
- Sirach 42:5 Gk making the side of a wicked servant bleed
- Sirach 42:11 Gk called out
- Sirach 42:18 Gk and the heart
- Sirach 42:18 Gk sign
- Sirach 42:22 The Greek of this line is uncertain
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.
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