Ecclesiasticus / Sirach - The Old Testament

¹ The following things you should not be ashamed of, and do not sin from fear of what others think:

² of the Law of the Most High or of the covenant, of a verdict that acquits the godless,

³ of keeping accounts with a travelling companion, of settling property on your friends,

⁴ of being accurate over scales and weights, of making small and large profits,

⁵ of gaining from commercial transactions, of disciplining your children strictly, of lashing a wicked slave till you draw blood.

⁶ With an interfering wife, it is as well to use your seal, and where there are many hands, lock things up.

⁷ Whatever stores you issue, do it by number and weight, spendings and takings, put everything in writing.

⁸ Do not be ashamed to correct a stupid person or a fool, or an old dotard who bickers with young people. Then you will show yourself really educated and win the approval of everyone.

⁹ Unknown to her, a daughter keeps her father awake, the worry she gives him drives away his sleep: in her youth, in case she never marries, married, in case she should be disliked,

¹⁰ as a virgin, in case she should be defiled and found with child in her father's house, having a husband, in case she goes astray, married, in case she should be sterile!

¹¹ Your daughter is headstrong? Keep a sharp look-out that she does not make you the laughing-stock of your enemies, the talk of the town, the object of common gossip, and put you to public shame.

¹² Do not stare at any man for his good looks, do not sit down with women;

¹³ for moth comes out of clothes, and woman's spite out of woman.

¹⁴ Better a man's spite than a woman's kindness: women give rise to shame and reproach.

¹⁵ Next, I shall remind you of the works of the Lord, and tell of what I have seen. By the words of the Lord his works come into being and all creation obeys his will.

¹⁶ The shining sun looks down on all things, and the work of the Lord is full of his glory.

¹⁷ The Lord has not granted the Holy Ones the power to tell of all his marvels which the Almighty Lord has solidly constructed for the universe to stand firm in his glory.

¹⁸ He has fathomed both the abyss and the human heart and seen into their devious ways; for the Most High knows all there is to know and sees the signs of the times.

¹⁹ He declares what is past and what will be, and reveals the trend of hidden things.

²⁰ Not a thought escapes him, not a single word is hidden from him.

²¹ He has embellished the magnificent works of his wisdom, he is from everlasting to everlasting, nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away, he needs no one's advice.

²² How lovely, all his works, how dazzling to the eye!

²³ They all live and last for ever, and, whatever the circumstances, all obey.

²⁴ All things go in pairs, by opposites, he has not made anything imperfect:

²⁵ one thing complements the excellence of another. Who could ever grow tired of gazing at his glory?