Sirach 30

Sirach 30

¹He who loves his son will whip him often,[#Prov 13.24; 29.17; Sir 42.5]

so that he may rejoice at the way he turns out.

²He who disciplines his son will profit by him

and will boast of him among acquaintances.

³He who teaches his son will make his enemies envious[#Deut 4.9; 6.7]

and will glory in him among his friends.

⁴When the father dies, he will not seem to be dead,[#1 Kings 1.48]

for he has left behind him one like himself,

⁵whom in his life he looked upon with joy

and at death, without grief.

⁶He has left behind him an avenger against his enemies[#1 Kings 2.5, 7, 8]

and one to repay the kindness of his friends.

⁷Whoever cherishes his son will bind up his wounds,

and at every cry his heart will be troubled.

⁸An unbroken horse turns out stubborn,[#Prov 29.15]

and an unchecked son turns out headstrong.

⁹Pamper a child, and he will terrorize you;

play with him, and he will grieve you.

¹⁰Do not laugh with him, or you will have sorrow with him,

and in the end you will gnash your teeth.

¹¹Give him no freedom in his youth;[#30.11 Other ancient authorities add and do not ignore his errors. Bow down his neck in his youth,]

¹²beat his sides while he is young,[#Prov 17.21; Sir 7.23]

or else he will become stubborn and disobey you.

¹³Discipline your son and make his yoke heavy,[#Prov 22.6; Eph 6.4; #30.13 Heb: Gk take pains with him]

so that you may not be offended by his shamelessness.

¹⁴Better off poor, healthy, and fit[#Eccl 5.12]

than rich and afflicted in body.

¹⁵Health and fitness are better than any gold

and a robust body than countless riches.

¹⁶There is no wealth better than health of body

and no gladness above joy of heart.

¹⁷Death is better than a life of misery[#Sir 41.2]

and eternal sleep than chronic sickness.

Concerning Foods

¹⁸Good things poured out upon a mouth that is closed[#Tob 4.17]

are like offerings of food placed upon a grave.

¹⁹Of what use to an idol is a sacrifice?[#Ps 115.6; Bel 7]

For it can neither eat nor smell.

So is the one punished by the Lord;

²⁰he sees with his eyes and groans[#Sir 20.4]

as a eunuch groans when embracing a young woman.

²¹Do not give yourself over to sorrow,[#Prov 12.25; 15.13; 17.22]

and do not distress yourself deliberately.

²²A joyful heart is life itself,[#Prov 17.22]

and rejoicing lengthens one’s life span.

²³Indulge yourself and take comfort,[#Sir 38.18; 2 Cor 7.10; #30.23 Other ancient authorities read Beguile yourself]

and remove sorrow far from you,

for sorrow has destroyed many,

and no advantage ever comes from it.

²⁴Jealousy and anger shorten life,[#Prov 14.30]

and anxiety brings on premature old age.

²⁵Those who are cheerful and merry at table[#Eccl 8.15; 9.7]

will benefit from their food.