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Wisdom of Ben Sira 32:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 32:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 32
The Proper Behavior at Banquets[a]
1 If you are chosen to preside at a banquet, do not become puffed up with your own importance;
mingle with the guests as one of them.
Do not sit down yourself until you have first taken care of them;
2 then, when you have discharged all of your duties, you may take your place,
so that you may share in their joy
and win praise for your service as an excellent host.
3 As you grow older, you may speak, for you are entitled to do so,
but do not flaunt your knowledge and do not interrupt the music.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 32:1 Under the influence of the Greeks or the Romans, the custom took hold in Palestine of holding elaborate banquets with an organizing chairman or steward chosen by lot or by vote, who was responsible for preparing the menu, choosing the wine, seating the guests, and the like (see 2 Mac 2:27; Jn 2:8). Later, the rabbis warned against these customs. Here, the author is laying down the rules of good manners at such events.
