Sirach 41

O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions,

Unto the man ^athat hath nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things:

Yea unto him that is yet able to receive meat!

²O death, acceptable is thy sentence unto the needy,

And unto him whose strength faileth, ^aathat is now in the last age,

And is vexed with all things,

And to him that ^bdespaireth, and ^chath lost patience!

³Fear not the sentence of death,

Remember them that have been before thee, and that come after;

For this is the sentence of the Lord over all flesh.

⁴And why art thou against the pleasure of the most High?

There is no inquisition in the grave,

Whether thou have lived ten, or an hundred, or a thousand years.

⁵The children of sinners are abominable children,

And they that are conversant in the dwelling of the ungodly.

^6dThe inheritance of sinners’ children shall perish,

And their posterity shall have a perpetual reproach.

⁷The children will complain of an ungodly father,

^eBecause they shall be reproached for his sake.

⁸Woe be unto you, ungodly men,

Which have forsaken the law of the most high God!

For if you increase, it shall be to your destruction:

⁹And if you be born, you shall be born to a curse;

And if you die, a curse shall be your portion.

^10fAll that are of the earth shall turn to earth again:

So the ungodly shall go from a curse to destruction.

¹¹The mourning of men is about their bodies:

But ^gan ill name of sinners shall be blotted out.

¹²Have regard to thy name; for ^hthat shall continue with thee

Above a thousand great treasures of gold.

¹³A good life hath but ⁱfew days:

But a good name endureth for ever.

¹⁴My children, keep discipline in peace:

For ^kwisdom that is hid, and a treasure that is not seen,

What profit is in them both?

^15lA man that hideth his foolishness is better

^lThan a man that hideth his wisdom.

¹⁶Therefore be shamefast according to my word:

^mFor it is not good to retain all shamefastness;

ⁿNeither is it altogether approved in every thing.

¹⁷Be ashamed of whoredom ^obefore father and mother:

And of a lie ^obefore a prince and a mighty man;

¹⁸Of an offence ^obefore a judge and ruler;

Of iniquity ^obefore a congregation and people;

Of unjust dealing ^obefore thy partner and friend;

¹⁹And ^pof theft ^oin regard of the place where thou sojournest,

And ^oin regard of ^qthe truth of God and his covenant;

And ^oto lean with thine elbow upon the meat;

And ^oof scorning to give and take;

²⁰And of silence ^obefore them that salute thee;

And ^oto look upon a harlot;

²¹And ^oto turn away thy face from thy kinsman;

Or ^oto take away a portion or a gift;

Or ^oto ^rgaze upon ^sanother man’s wife;

²²Or to be overbusy with his maid,

And come not near her bed;

Or ^tof upbraiding speeches ^obefore friends;

And ^uafter thou hast given, upbraid not;

²³Or ^oof ^xiterating and speaking again that which thou hast heard;

And ^oof ^yrevealing of secrets.

²⁴So shalt thou be truly shamefast,

And ^zfind favour before all men.

XLII.