Sirach 11

1 Wisdom raises the head of a humble person and seats him among the great. 2 Do not praise a man for his beauty or detest a person because of his appearance. 3 The bee is small among flying creatures, but her fruit is the finest of sweet things. 4 Do not boast in the clothes wrapped around you or exalt yourself on a day of glory. The Lord’s works are wonderful, and his works among human beings are hidden. 5 Many tyrants have sat on the ground, while someone no one suspected has worn the crown.

6 Many powerful people have been greatly dishonored, and renowned people have been handed over to others. 7 Do not blame anyone before examining the matter. Understand first, and then correct. 8 Do not answer before you have listened, and do not interrupt in the middle of a conversation. 9 Do not argue about something that does not concern you or sit in judgment with sinners. 10 My child, do not become involved in too many activities. If you multiply them, you will not go unpunished; if you chase them, you will not catch them, and running away will not help you escape.

11 One person labors, struggles, and hurries, yet falls farther behind. 12 Another person moves slowly, needs help, lacks strength, and is deeply poor. Yet the Lord looks on him for good and raises him from humiliation. 13 The Lord raises his head, and many people marvel at him. 14 Good and evil, life and death, poverty and wealth come from the Lord. 15 Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the law come from the Lord; love and the way of good works come from him. [a]

16 Error and darkness began together with sinners, and evil grows old with those who glory in it. [b] 17 The Lord’s gift remains with the devout, and his good pleasure brings lasting success. 18 One person becomes rich through diligence and self-denial, and this is the portion of his wages: 19 He says, “I have found rest, and now I will keep eating from my good things.” Yet he does not know how much time will pass before he must leave them to others and die. 20 Stand firm in your covenant, give your attention to it, and grow old in your work.

21 Do not marvel at a sinner’s works. Trust the Lord and remain at your labor, because it is easy in the Lord’s sight to make a poor person rich suddenly. 22 The Lord’s blessing is the reward of the devout, and in a moment he makes that person’s blessing flourish. 23 Do not say, “What do I need, and what good things will be mine from now on?” 24 Do not say, “I have enough, and what harm can come to me from now on?” 25 On a day of good things, evil is forgotten; on a day of evil, good things are no longer remembered.

26 It is easy for the Lord on the day of death to repay a person according to his ways. 27 An hour of suffering makes pleasure forgotten, and at the end of a person’s life his works are revealed. 28 Call no one blessed before death, because a man is known through his children. 29 Do not bring everyone into your house, because a deceitful person sets many traps. 30 A proud heart is like a decoy partridge in a basket; like a spy, it watches for your fall.

31 It lies in ambush, turns good into evil, and finds fault with things worthy of praise. 32 A pile of coals grows from a spark of fire, and a sinful person lies in ambush for blood. 33 Watch out for an evildoer, because he devises evil and may give you a lasting stain. 34 Let an outsider live in your house, and he will throw you into turmoil and estrange you from your own family.