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