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Ecclesiasticus
Chapter 10
The virtues and vices of men in power: the great evil of pride.
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A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a prudent man shall be steady. |
2 |
As the judge of the people is himself, so also are his ministers: and what manner of man the ruler of a city is, such also are they that dwell therein. |
3 |
An unwise king shall be the ruin of his people: and cities shall be inhabited through the prudence of the rulers. |
4 |
The power of the earth is in the hand of God, and in his time he will raise up a profitable ruler over it. |
5 |
The prosperity of man is in the hand of God, and upon the person of the scribe he shall lay his honour. |
6 |
Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, and do thou nothing by deeds of injury. |
7 |
Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable. |
8 |
A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits. |
9 |
But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth, and ashes proud? |
10 |
There is not a more wicked thing than to love money: for such a one setteth even his own soul to sale: because while he liveth he hath cast away his bowels. |
11 |
All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician. |
12 |
The physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to day, and to morrow he shall die. |
13 |
For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms. |
14 |
The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God: |
15 |
Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: he that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end. |
16 |
Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them. |
17 |
God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead. |
18 |
God hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations. |
19 |
The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation. |
20 |
He hath made some of them to wither away, and hath destroyed them, and hath made the memory of them to cease from the earth. |
21 |
God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind. |
22 |
Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women. |
23 |
That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth God: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord. |
24 |
In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes. |
25 |
The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor. |
26 |
Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich. |
27 |
The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honour: and there is none greater than he that feareth God. |
28 |
They that are free shall serve a servant that is wise: and a man that is prudent and well instructed will not murmur when he is reproved; and he that is ignorant, shall not be honoured. |
29 |
Extol not thyself in doing thy work, and linger not in the time of distress; |
30 |
Better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself and wanteth bread. |
31 |
My son, keep thy soul in meekness, and give it honour according to its desert. |
32 |
Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul? and who will honour him that dishonoureth his own soul? |
33 |
The poor man is glorified by his discipline and fear, and there is a man that is honoured for his wealth. |
34 |
But he that is glorified in poverty, how much more in wealth? and he that is glorified in wealth, let him fear poverty. |
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