9:6. Give not thy soul to harlots in any point: lest thou destroy thyself and thy inheritance.
9:7. Look not round about thee in the ways of the city, nor wander up and down in the streets thereof.
9:8. Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up, and gaze not about upon another"s beauty.
9:9. For many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and hereby l.u.s.t is enkindled as a fire.
9:10. Every woman that is a harlot, shall be trodden upon as dung in the way.
9:11. Many by admiring the beauty of another man"s wife, have become reprobate, for her conversation burneth as fire.
9:12. Sit not at all with another man"s wife, nor repose upon the bed with her:
9:13. And strive not with her over wine, lest thy heart decline towards her and by thy blood thou fall into destruction.
9:14. Forsake not an old friend, for the new will not be like to him.
9:15. A new friend is as new wine: it shall grow old, and thou shalt drink it with pleasure.
9:16. Envy not the glory and riches of a sinner: for thou knowest not what his ruin shall be.
9:17. Be not pleased with the wrong done by the unjust, knowing that even to h.e.l.l the wicked shall not please.
9:18. Keep thee far from the man that hath power to kill, so thou shalt not suspect the fear of death.
9:19. And if thou come to him, commit no fault, lest he take away thy life.
9:20. Know it to be a communication with death: for thou art going in the midst of snares, and walking upon the arms of them that are grieved.
9:21. According to thy power beware of thy neighbour, and treat with the wise and prudent.
9:22. Let just men be thy guests, and let thy glory be in the fear of G.o.d.
9:23. And let the thought of G.o.d be in thy mind, and all thy discourse on the commandments of the Highest.
9:24. Works shall be praised for the hand of the artificers, and the prince of the people for the wisdom of his speech, but the word of the ancients for the sense.
9:25. A man full of tongue is terrible in his city, and he that is rash in his word shall be hateful.
Ecclesiasticus Chapter 10
The virtues and vices of men in power: the great evil of pride.
10:1. A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a prudent man shall be steady.
Judge his people... In the Greek it is, instruct his people.
10:2. As the judge of the people is himself, so also are his ministers: and what manner of man the ruler of a city is, such also are they that dwell therein.
10:3. An unwise king shall be the ruin of his people: and cities shall be inhabited through the prudence of the rulers.
10:4. The power of the earth is in the hand of G.o.d, and in his time he will raise up a profitable ruler over it.
10:5. The prosperity of man is in the hand of G.o.d, and upon the person of the scribe he shall lay his honour.
The scribe... That is, the man that is wise and learned in the law.
10:6. Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, and do thou nothing by deeds of injury.
10:7. Pride is hateful before G.o.d and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable.
10:8. A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits.
10:9. But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth, and ashes proud?
10:10. There is not a more wicked thing than to love money: for such a one setteth even his own soul to sale: because while he liveth he hath cast away his bowels.
10:11. All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician.
10:12. The physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to day, and to morrow he shall die.
10:13. For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms.
10:14. The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from G.o.d:
10:15. Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: he that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.
10:16. Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the a.s.semblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them.
10:17. G.o.d hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead.
10:18. G.o.d hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations.
10:19. The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation.
10:20. He hath made some of them to wither away, and hath destroyed them, and hath made the memory of them to cease from the earth.
10:21. G.o.d hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind.
10:22. Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women.
10:23. That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth G.o.d: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord.
10:24. In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes.
10:25. The fear of G.o.d is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor.
10:26. Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich.