Chapter Three

Honor your father and mother in deed and word, so that blessing may come to you from them. Be meek, act with careful wisdom in your dealings, and be merciful toward those in need of mercy.

Sirach 3:1. Children, listen to me, your father, and act so that you may be saved, 1. Be saved,— that is, earn God’s favor in the eyes of God and men.

Sirach 3:2. for the Lord has exalted the father over the children and established the judgment of the mother over the sons. 2. The power of parents over children is sanctified by God’s law.

Sirach 3:3. He who honors his father will atone for his sins, Sirach 3:4. and he who respects his mother is as one who lays up treasures. Sirach 3:5. He who honors his father will find joy in his children, and when he prays, he will be heard. Sirach 3:6. He who respects his father will have long life, and he who obeys the Lord will care for his mother. Sirach 3:7. He who fears the Lord will honor his father, and will serve his parents as masters. Sirach 3:8. Honor your father and mother in deed and word, so that a blessing may come upon you from them, Sirach 3:9. for the blessing of a father establishes the houses of the children, but the curse of a mother tears down the foundations. Sirach 3:10. Do not seek glory in the disgrace of your father, for that is not glory for you, the disgrace of your father. Sirach 3:11. For a man’s glory comes from the honor of his father, and it is a shame to children when the mother is in disgrace. Sirach 3:12. My son! Care for your father in his old age and do not grieve him in his lifetime. Sirach 3:13. Even if his mind is failing, show compassion, and do not despise him when you are at full strength, Sirach 3:14. for kindness to your father will not be forgotten; it will be credited to you as atonement for your sins. Sirach 3:15. In the day of your affliction it will be remembered of you: as the frost melts before warmth, so will your sins be dissolved. Sirach 3:16. He who forsakes his father is like a blasphemer, and he is cursed by the Lord who angers his mother. 3–16. One who shows disrespect to his parents is a violator of natural laws and divine commandments, and therefore bears a twofold punishment. But he who honors his parents attracts upon himself God’s mercy and blessing.

Sirach 3:17. My son! Conduct your affairs with gentleness, and you will be loved by a person pleasing to God. Sirach 3:18. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, and you will find favor with the Lord. Sirach 3:19. Many are the lofty and the glorious, but the mysteries are revealed to the meek, 19. True knowledge of God and understanding of His good and perfect will are most accessible to those who are meek and humble, whose consciousness and feeling are not obscured from God by their pride and self-exaltation Matt 5:3.

Sirach 3:20. for great is the power of the Lord, and He is glorified by the humble. 20. Compare Matt 5:16.

Sirach 3:21. Do not seek out things that are too difficult for you, nor investigate things beyond your strength. Sirach 3:22. What has been commanded you, on that reflect; for you have no need of what is hidden. 22. Compare verse 21.

Sirach 3:23. In many of your undertakings, do not be concerned about the superfluous: for much of human knowledge has been opened to you; Sirach 3:24. for many have been led astray by their own suppositions, and evil imaginings have shaken their mind. Sirach 3:25. He who loves danger will fall into it; Sirach 3:26. a stubborn heart will suffer evil at the last: Sirach 3:27. a stubborn heart will be heavy with sorrows, and the sinner will add sins to sins. Sirach 3:28. Trials are not healing for the proud, for an evil plant has taken root in him. Sirach 3:29. A wise heart will ponder the parable, and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise. 29. A wise man is attentive to useful teachings.

Sirach 3:30. Water will quench a blazing fire, and almsgiving will atone for sins. Sirach 3:31. He who repays a kindness is mindful of the future, and in the time of his fall he will find support. 30–31. Compare Tob 12:8-9; Matt 5:7.