Ecclesiasticus 7

Ecclesiasticus

Chapter 7

7:1 Do no evils, and no evils shall lay hold of thee.

7:2 Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.

7:3 My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.

7:4 Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.

7:5 Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.

7:6 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.

7:7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, neither cast thyself in upon the people,

7:8 Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

7:9 Be not fainthearted in thy mind:

7:10 Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.

7:11 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.

7:12 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth

7:13 Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.

7:14 Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

7:15 Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.

7:16 Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.

7:17 Number not thyself among the multitude of the disorderly.

7:18 Remember wrath, for it will not tarry long.

7:19 Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.

7:20 Do not transgress against thy friend deferring money, nor despise thy dear brother for the sake of gold.

7:21 Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou best gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.

7:22 Hurt not the servant that worketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life.

7:23 Let a wise servant be dear to thee as thy own soul, defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy.

7:24 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee.

7:25 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their childhood.

7:26 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thy countenance gay towards them.

7:27 Marry thy daughter well, and then shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.

7:28 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,

7:29 Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:

7:30 Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.

7:31 With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests.

7:32 With all thy strength love him that made thee: and forsake not his ministers.

7:33 Honour God with all thy soul, and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.

7:34 Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.

7:35 Offer to the Lord the gift of thy shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things:

7:38 And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.

7:37 A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.

7:38 Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.

7:39 Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.

7:40 In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Douay Rheims Version of the Catholic Bible