Sirach 3

Sirach 3

Duties toward Parents

¹Listen to me your father, O children;

act accordingly, that you may be safe.

²For the Lord honors a father above his children,[#Ex 20.12; Sir 7.27]

and he confirms a mother’s judgment over her sons.

³Those who honor their father atone for sins,[#vv 14, 15]

⁴and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure.[#1 Tim 6.19]

⁵Those who honor their father will have joy in their children,

and when they pray they will be heard.

⁶Those who respect their father will have long life,[#Ex 20.12]

and those who honor their mother obey the Lord;

⁷they will serve their parents as their masters.[#Lk 2.51; Eph 6.1; Col 3.20; #3.7 In other ancient authorities this line is preceded by Those who fear the honor their father,]

⁸Honor your father by word and deed,[#Ex 20.12; Sir 7.27]

that his blessing may come upon you.

⁹For a father’s blessing strengthens the houses of the children,[#Gen 27.27–29; 49.2–27]

but a mother’s curse uproots their foundations.

¹⁰Do not glorify yourself by your father’s dishonor,

for your father’s dishonor is no glory to you.

¹¹The honor of one’s father is one’s own glory,[#Prov 17.6]

and a mother dishonored is a disgrace to her children.

¹²My child, help your father in his old age,[#Mt 15.4–6; Mk 7.10–13; 1 Tim 5.4]

and do not grieve him as long as he lives;

¹³even if his mind fails, be patient with him;

do not despise him because you have all your faculties.

¹⁴For kindness to a father will not be forgotten[#v 3 ; Prov 23.22]

and will be credited to you against your sins;

¹⁵in the day of your distress it will be remembered in your favor;

like frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away.

¹⁶Whoever forsakes a father is like a blasphemer,[#Prov 30.17]

and whoever angers a mother is cursed by the Lord.

Humility

¹⁷My child, perform your tasks with humility;

then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

¹⁸The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;[#Prov 3.34; Phil 2.3; 1 Pet 5.5]

so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord.

²⁰For great is the might of the Lord,

but by the humble he is glorified.

²¹Neither seek what is too difficult for you[#Ps 131.1; Rom 12.3]

nor investigate what is beyond your power.

²²Reflect upon what you have been commanded,[#Deut 29.29]

for what is hidden is not your concern.

²³In matters greater than your own affairs, do not meddle,[#2 Thess 3.11]

for things beyond human understanding have been shown you.

²⁴For their conceit has led many astray,[#Prov 26.12; Rom 12.16]

and wrong opinion has impaired their judgment.

²⁵Without eyes there is no light;

without knowledge there is no wisdom.

²⁶A stubborn mind will fare badly at the end,

and whoever loves danger will perish in it.

²⁷A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles,[#Isa 30.1; Sir 5.5; 7.8]

and the sinner adds sin to sins.

²⁸When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing,[#Prov 28.14]

for an evil plant has taken root in him.

²⁹The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs,[#Prov 1.6]

and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.

Alms for the Poor

³⁰As water extinguishes a blazing fire,[#Ps 41.1, 2; Dan 4.27; Tob 4.10]

so almsgiving atones for sin.

³¹Those who repay favors give thought to the future;[#Mt 5.7]

when they fall they will find support.