The Holy Bible
« Chapter 6 «--- Sirach ---» Chapter 8»
Sirach 7 : 1 - 40
Chapter 7
| 1 | Do no evils, and no evils shall lay hold of thee.
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| 2 | Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.
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| 3 | My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.
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| 4 | Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.
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| 5 | Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.
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| 6 | Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.
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| 7 | Offend not against the multitude of a city, neither cast thyself in upon the people,
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| 8 | Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.
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| 9 | Be not fainthearted in thy mind:
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| 10 | Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.
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| 11 | Say not: God will have respect to the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept my offerings.
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| 12 | Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth
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| 13 | Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.
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| 14 | Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.
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| 15 | Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.
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| 16 | Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.
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| 17 | Number not thyself among the multitude of the disorderly.
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| 18 | Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.
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| 19 | Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.
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| 20 | Do not transgress against thy friend deferring money, nor despise thy dear brother for the sake of gold.
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| 21 | Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou best gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.
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| 22 | Hurt not the servant that worketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life.
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| 23 | Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy own soul, defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy.
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| 24 | Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.
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| 25 | Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their childhood.
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| 26 | Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thy countenance gay towards them.
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| 27 | Marry thy daughter well, and then shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.
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| 28 | If thou hast a wife according to thy soul, cast her not off: and to her that is hateful, trust not thyself. With thy whole heart,
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| 29 | Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:
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| 30 | Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.
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| 31 | With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests.
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| 32 | With all thy strength love him that made thee: and forsake not his ministers.
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| 33 | Honour God with all thy soul, and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.
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| 34 | Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.
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| 35 | Offer to the Lord the gift of thy shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things:
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| 36 | 37 A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.
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| 37 | 38 And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.
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| 38 | Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.
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| 39 | Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.
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| 40 | In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.
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Acknowledgement
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