Sirach 41

1O death, how bitter is the memory of you To a man at peace with his possessions, To a man without distractions and prosperous in every thing, And still strong enough to enjoy his food.

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2O death, your judgment is good To the man in need and failing in strength In his extreme old age, distracted by every thing, And stubborn and short on patience.

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3Do not fear the judgment of death; Remember those before you and after you.

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4This is the judgment from the Lord to all flesh, And how can you reject the good pleasure of the Most High? Whether you lived ten or a hundred or a thousand years, There is in Hades no inquiry into your life.

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5The children of sinners are loathsome children, And they frequent the dwellings of the ungodly.

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6The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish, And with their seed the disgrace will continue.

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7The children will blame their godless father, For because of him they will be denounced.

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8Woe to you, the ungodly men Who forsook the law of God Most High.

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9And when you are born, you will be born to a curse, And when you die, your portion will be a curse.

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10Whatever is from the earth shall return to the earth, So the ungodly go from a curse to destruction.

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11The mourning of men is about their bodies, But the evil name of sinners will be blotted out.

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12Have regard for your name, For it will remain with you longer Than a thousand great chests of gold.

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13The days of a good life are numbered, But a good name will remain forever.

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14Observe instruction and live in peace, my children, But hidden wisdom and invisible treasure—What benefit are these?

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15A man who hides his foolishness Is better than a man who hides his wisdom.

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16Therefore, be ashamed on the basis of my word, For it is not good to protect every kind of shame, And not every thing is highly esteemed by all with confidence.

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17Be ashamed of fornication before father or mother; Of a lie before your leader or ruler;

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18Of an offense before a judge or ruler; Of lawlessness before the assembly of the people;

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19Of wrongdoing before your partner or friend; Of theft in the place where you dwell.

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20Be ashamed before the truth of God and His covenant, And of bad manners at the table;

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21Of contemptuous behavior in receiving and giving; Of silence before those who greet you;

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22Of looking at a prostitute; Of rejecting the appeal of a kinsman;

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23Of carrying off someone's portion or gift, And of staring at another man's wife;

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24Of meddling with his maidservant—And do not come near her bed.

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25Be ashamed of insulting words before friends, And do not be insulting after making a gift;

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26Of repeating and telling what you hear And revealing secrets.

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27So be truly modest And find favor before every man. Do not be ashamed of the following things, And do not let partiality lead you to sin:

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