Sirach chapter 7
[This chapter is in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles] Wisdom for living in our local society. Wisdom for our personal relationships.
The Book of Sirach is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches
WISDOM FOR LIVING IN OUR LOCAL SOCIETY
VERSE 1. Do no evil, so will no evil overtake you.
VERSE 2. Depart from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
VERSE 3. My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, And you shall not reap them sevenfold.
VERSE 4. Seek not of the Lord preeminence, Neither of the king the seat of honor.
Seek not of the Lord preeminence. Avoid seeking authority.
However, this is exactly what people do in order to become religious leaders. Or to gain power in the religious system.
Pope Innocent III did this. He called himself the “Vicar of Christ.” He meant that he had absolute spiritual authority.
Neither … the seat of honor. Avoid seeking the most important seat.
VERSE 5. Justify not yourself in the presence of the Lord; And display not your wisdom before the king.
VERSE 6. Seek not to be a judge, Lest you be not able to take away iniquities; Lest haply you fear the person of a mighty man, And lay a stumbling block in the way of your uprightness.
VERSE 7. Sin not against the multitude of the city, And cast not yourself down in the crowd.
Sin not. It is best to walk the path of sincerity and to do what is right.
What does it mean to seek the LORD. It does not mean attending liturgies. Amos says God hates our liturgies! Micah delivers a splendid answer. Read more »
cast not yourself down. That is, do not disgrace yourself.
VERSE 8. Bind not up sin twice; For in one sin you will not be unpunished.
VERSE 9. Say not, He will look upon the multitude of my gifts, And when I offer to the Most High God, he will accept it.
VERSE 10. Be not faint-hearted in your prayer; And neglect not to give alms.
VERSE 11. Laugh not a man to scorn when he is in the bitterness of his soul; For there is one who humbles and exalts.
VERSE 12. Devise not a lie against your brother; Neither do the like to a friend.
VERSE 13. Love not to make any manner of lie; For the custom thereof is not for good.
VERSE 14. Prate not in the multitude of elders; And repeat not your words in your prayer.
repeat not your words in your prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ forbids us from saying repetitive prayers:
Matthew 6:7. In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
VERSE 15. Hate not laborious work; Neither husbandry, which the Most High has ordained.
Hate not laborious work. We should not be repulsed by hard work.
husbandry. That is, “farming.”
Scientists say agriculture has been the status quo for roughly 10,000 years.
VERSE 16. Number not yourself among the multitude of sinners: Remember that wrath will not wait.
Do not esteem yourself more than other people.
VERSE 17. Humble your soul greatly; For the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm.
Humble your soul greatly. We are to humble our pride.
WISDOM FOR OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
VERSE 18. Change not a friend for a thing indifferent; Neither a true brother for the gold of Ophir.
VERSE 19. Forgo not a wise and good wife; For her grace is above gold.
her grace is above gold. A godly wife is of infinite worth.
VERSE 20. Entreat not evil a servant that works truly, Nor a hireling that gives you his life.
VERSE 21. Let your soul love a wise servant; Defraud him not of liberty.
VERSE 22. Hast you cattle? have an eye to them; And if they are profitable to you, let them stay by you.
VERSE 23. Hast you children? correct them, And bow down their neck from their youth.
correct them. Parents need to teach their children how to live.
bow down their neck. That is, keep them from becoming prideful.
VERSE 24. Hast you daughters? give heed to their body, And make not your face cheerful toward them.
VERSE 25. Give your daughter in marriage, and you will have accomplished a great matter: And give her to a man of understanding.
Give your daughter in marriage. In those days, many people felt that women were the property of men.
When it came to a daughter, it was up to a man to decide whether to “give her away” or not.
That mindset persists even today. In many weddings, the father walks the bride down the aisle.
Then he “gives her away” to her fiancé.
This is a vestige from ancient times when women were the property of men.
VERSE 26. Hast you a wife after your mind? cast her not out: But trust not yourself to one that is hateful.
NAB translation. If you have a wife, let her not seem odious to you; but where there is ill-feeling, trust her not.
let her not seem odious to you. Unfortunately, many husbands have allowed themselves to grow bitter toward their wives.
But husbands are to not let that happen.
VERSE 27. Give glory to your father with your whole heart; And forget not the pangs of your mother.
Give glory to your father. This command assumes the parent is not abusive toward the child.
Otherwise, if the parent is abusive, the child must flee.
forget not … your mother. This command assumes the parent is not abusive toward the child.
Otherwise, if the parent is abusive, the child must flee.
VERSE 28. Remember that of them you were born: And what will you recompense them for the things that they have done for you?
VERSE 29. Fear the Lord with all your soul; And reverence his priests.
VERSE 30. With all your strength love him that made you; And forsake not his ministers.
VERSE 31. Fear the Lord, and glorify the priest; And give him his portion, even as it is commanded you; The first fruits, and the trespass offering, and the gift of the shoulders, And the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of holy things.
VERSE 32. Also to the poor man stretch out your hand, That your blessing may be perfected.
VERSE 33. A gift has grace in the sight of every man living; And for a dead man keep not back grace.
for a dead man keep not back grace. We should bury the bodies of dead people.
That is a kindness to them.
VERSE 34. Be not lacking to those who weep; And mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
VERSE 35. Be not slow to visit a sick man; For by such things you will gain love.
Salvation is by faith. Yet our eternity will be based on how we treat the weakest members of society. Read more »
VERSE 36. In all your matters remember your last end, And you will never do amiss.
SIRACH
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Chronology
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.