Sirach 27–31: Forgive Your Neighbor the Hurt That He Has Done": Anger, Lending, Children, and the Table
Scripture: World English Bible
Many have sinned for profit.He who seeks to multiply wealth will turn his eye away.As a nail will stick fast between the joinings of stones,so sin will thrust itself in between buying and selling.Unless a person holds on diligently to the fear of the Lord,his house will be overthrown quickly.
In the shaking of a sieve, the refuse remains,so does the filth of man in his thoughts.The furnace tests the potter’s vessels;so the test of a person is in his thoughts.The fruit of a tree discloses its cultivation,so is the utterance of the thought of a person’s heart.Praise no man before you hear his thoughts,for this is how people are tested.
If you follow righteousness, you will obtain it,and put it on like a long robe of glory.Birds will return to their own kind,so truth will return to those who practice it.The lion lies in wait for prey.So does sin for those who do evil.
The discourse of a godly man is always wise,but the fool changes like the moon.Limit your time among people void of understanding,but persevere among the thoughtful.The talk of fools is offensive.Their laughter is wantonly sinful.Their talk with much swearing makes hair stand upright.Their strife makes others plug their ears.The strife of the proud leads to bloodshed.Their abuse of each other is a grievous thing to hear.
He who reveals secrets destroys trust,and will not find a close friend.Love a friend, and keep faith with him;but if you reveal his secrets,you shall not follow him;for as a man has destroyed his enemy,so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor.As a bird which you have released out of your hand,so you have let your neighbor go, and you will not catch him again.Don’t pursue him, for he has gone far away,and has escaped like a gazelle out of the snare.For a wound may be bound up, and after abuse there may be reconciliation;but he who reveals secrets is without hope.
One who winks the eye contrives evil things;and those who know him will keep their distance.When you are present, he will speak sweetly,and will admire your words;but afterward he will twist his speechand set a trap in your words.I have hated many things, but nothing like him.The Lord will hate him.
One who casts a stone straight up casts it on his own head.A deceitful blow opens wounds.He who digs a pit will fall into it.He who sets a snare will be caught in it.He who does evil things, they will roll back upon him,and he will not know where they came from.Mockery and reproach are from the arrogant.Vengeance lies in wait for them like a lion.Those who rejoice at the fall of the godly will be caught in a snare.Anguish will consume them before they die.
Wrath and anger, these also are abominations.A sinner will possess them.He who takes vengeance will find vengeance from the Lord,and he will surely make his sins firm.Forgive your neighbor the hurt that he has done,and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.Does anyone harbor anger against anotherand expect healing from the Lord?Upon a man like himself he has no mercy,and does he make supplication for his own sins?He himself, being flesh, nourishes wrath.Who will make atonement for his sins?Remember your last end, and stop enmity.Remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments.Remember the commandments, and don’t be angry with your neighbor.Remember the covenant of the Highest, and overlook ignorance.
Abstain from strife, and you will diminish your sins,for a passionate man will kindle strife.A man who is a sinner will trouble friendsand sow discord among those who are at peace.As is the fuel of the fire, so it will burn;and as the stoutness of the strife is, so it will burn.As is the strength of the man, so will be his wrath;and as is his wealth, so he will exalt his anger.A contention begun in haste kindles a fire;and hasty fighting sheds blood.
If you blow on a spark, it will burn;and if you spit upon it, it will be quenched.Both of these come out of your mouth.
Curse the whisperer and double-tongued,for he has destroyed many who were at peace.A slanderer has shaken many,and dispersed them from nation to nation.It has pulled down strong citiesand overthrown the houses of great men.A slanderer has cast out brave womenand deprived them of their labors.He who listens to it will not find rest,nor will he live quietly.The stroke of a whip makes a mark in the flesh,but the stroke of a tongue will break bones.Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,yet not so many as those who have fallen because of the tongue.Happy is he who is sheltered from it,who has not passed through its wrath,who has not drawn its yoke,and has not been bound with its bands.For its yoke is a yoke of iron,and its bands are bands of brass.Its death is an evil death,and Hades is better than it.It will not have rule over godly men.They will not be burned in its flame.Those who forsake the Lord will fall into it.It will burn among them, and won’t be quenched.It will be sent against them like a lion.It will destroy them like a leopard.As you hedge your possession about with thorns,and secure your silver and your gold,so make a balance and a weight for your words,and make a door and a bar for your mouth.Take heed lest you slip with it,lest you fall before one who lies in wait.
He who shows mercy will lend to his neighbor.He who strengthens him with his hand keeps the commandments.Lend to your neighbor in time of his need.Repay your neighbor on time.Confirm your word, and keep faith with him;and at all seasons you will find what you need.Many have considered a loan to be a windfall,and have given trouble to those who helped them.Until he has received, he will kiss a man’s hands.For his neighbor’s money he will speak submissively.Then when payment is due, he will prolong the time,return excuses, and complain about the season.If he prevails, the creditor will hardly receive half;and he will count it as a windfall.If not, he has deprived him of his money,and he has gotten him for an enemy without cause.He will pay him with cursing and railing.Instead of honor, he will pay him disgrace.Many on account of fraud have turned away.They are afraid of being defrauded for nothing.However be patient with a man in poor estate.Don’t keep him waiting for your alms.Help a poor man for the commandment’s sake.According to his need don’t send him empty away.Lose your money for a brother and a friend.Don’t let it rust under a stone and be lost.Allocate your treasure according to the commandments of the Most Highand it will profit you more than gold.Store up almsgiving in your store-chambersand it will deliver you out of all affliction.It will fight for you against your enemybetter than a mighty shield and a ponderous spear.
A good man will be surety for his neighbor.He who has lost shame will fail him.Don’t forget the kindness of your guarantor,for he has given his life for you.A sinner will waste the property of his guarantor.He who is thankless will fail him who delivered him.Being surety has undone many who were prosperingand shaken them as a wave of the sea.It has driven mighty men from their homes.They wandered among foreign nations.A sinner who falls into suretiship and undertakes contracts for workwill fall into lawsuits.Help your neighbor according to your power,and be careful not to fall yourself.
The essentials of life are water, bread,a garment, and a house for privacy.Better is the life of a poor man under a shelter of logsthan sumptuous fare in another man’s house.With little or with much, be well satisfied.It is a miserable life to go from house to house.Where you are a guest, you dare not open your mouth.You will entertain, serve drinks, and have no thanks.In addition to this, you will hear bitter words.“Come here, you sojourner, set a table,and if you have anything in your hand, feed me with it.”“Leave, you sojourner, for an honored guest is here.My brother has come to be my guest. I need my house.”These things are grievous to a man of understanding:The scolding about lodging and the insults of creditors.
He who loves his son will continue to lay stripes upon him,that he may have joy from him in the end.He who chastises his son will have profit from him,and will brag about him among his acquaintances.He who teaches his son will provoke his enemy to jealousy.Before friends, he will rejoice in him.His father dies, and is as though he had not died;for he has left one behind him like himself.In his life, he saw his son and rejoiced.When he died, it was without regret.He left behind him an avenger against his enemies,and one to repay kindness to his friends.
He who makes too much of his son will bind up his wounds.His heart will be troubled at every cry.An unbroken horse becomes stubborn.An unrestrained son becomes headstrong.Pamper your child, and he will make you afraid.Play with him, and he will grieve you.Don’t laugh with him, lest you have sorrow with him,and you gnash your teeth in the end.Give him no liberty in his youth,and don’t ignore his follies.Bow down his neck in his youth,and beat him on the sides while he is a child,lest he become stubborn, and be disobedient to you,and there be sorrow to your soul.Chastise your son, and give him work,lest his shameless behavior be an offense to you.
Better is a poor man who is healthy and fit,than a rich man who is afflicted in his body.Health and fitness are better than all gold,and a strong body better than wealth without measure.There is no wealth better than health of body.There is no gladness above the joy of the heart.Death is better than a bitter life,and eternal rest than a continual sickness.
Good things poured out upon a mouth that is closedare like food offerings laid upon a grave.What does an offering profit an idol?For it can’t eat or smell.So is he who is punished by the Lord,seeing with his eyes and groaning,like a eunuch embracing a virgin and groaning.
Don’t give your soul to sorrow.Don’t afflict yourself deliberately.Gladness of heart is the life of a man.Cheerfulness of a man lengthens his days.Love your own soul, and comfort your heart.Remove sorrow far from you,for sorrow has destroyed many,and there is no profit in it.Envy and wrath shorten life.Anxiety brings old age before its time.Those who are cheerful and merrywill benefit from their food.Wakefulness that comes from riches consumes the flesh,and anxiety about it takes away sleep.Wakeful anxiety will crave slumber.In a severe disease, sleep will be broken.
A rich man toils in gathering money together.When he rests, he is filled with his good things.A poor man toils in lack of substance.When he rests, he becomes needy.He who loves gold won’t be justified.He who follows destruction will himself have his fill of it.Many have been given over to ruin for the sake of gold.Their destruction meets them face to face.It is a stumbling block to those who sacrifice to it.Every fool will be taken by it.Blessed is the rich person who is found blameless,and who doesn’t go after gold.Who is he, that we may call him blessed?For he has done wonderful things among his people.Who has been tried by it, and found perfect?Then let him boast.Who has had the power to transgress, and has not transgressed?And to do evil, and has not done it?His prosperity will be made sure.The congregation will proclaim his alms.
Do you sit at a great table? Don’t be greedy there.Don’t say, “There is a lot of food on it!”Remember that a greedy eye is a wicked thing.What has been created more greedy than an eye?Therefore it sheds tears from every face.Don’t stretch your hand wherever it looks.Don’t thrust yourself with it into the dish.Consider your neighbor’s feelings by your own.Be discreet in every point.Eat like a human being those things which are set before you.Don’t eat greedily, lest you be hated.Be first to stop for manners’ sake.Don’t be insatiable, lest you offend.And if you sit among many,Don’t reach out your hand before them.
How sufficient to a well-mannered man is a very little.He doesn’t breathe heavily in his bed.Healthy sleep comes from moderate eating.He rises early, and his wits are with him.The pain of wakefulness, colic,and griping are with an insatiable man.And if you have been forced to eat,rise up in the middle of it, and you shall have rest.Hear me, my son, and don’t despise me,and in the end you will appreciate my words.In all your works be skillful,and no disease will come to you.
People bless him who is liberal with his food.The testimony of his excellence will be believed.The city will murmur at him who is stingy with his food.The testimony of his stinginess will be accurate.
Don’t show yourself valiant in wine,for wine has destroyed many.The furnace tests the temper of steel by dipping;so does wine test hearts in the quarreling of the proud.Wine is as good as life to men,if you drink it in moderation.What life is there to a man who is without wine?It has been created to make men glad.Wine drunk in season and in moderationis joy of heart and gladness of soul:Wine drunk excessively is bitterness of soul,with provocation and conflict.Drunkenness increases the rage of a fool to his hurt.It diminishes strength and adds wounds.
Don’t rebuke your neighbor at a banquet of wine.Don’t despise him in his mirth.Don’t speak a word of reproach to him.Don’t distress him by making demands of him.