Chapter Four

Do not wear out the eyes of those in need by making them wait. In society, try to be pleasant; before those of higher station, be respectful. In everything, obey the precepts of wisdom, and the Lord will bless you. Love truth and strive for it until death.

Sirach 4:1. My child, do not withhold sustenance from the poor, and do not exhaust the eyes of the needy by making them wait; Sirach 4:2. do not sadden the soul of the hungry, and do not frustrate a person in their need; Sirach 4:3. do not trouble the heart of one already grieved, and do not delay giving to the needy; Sirach 4:4. do not refuse the oppressed when they plead for help, and do not turn your face from the poor; Sirach 4:5. do not turn your eyes from the one who asks, and do not give a person reason to curse you; Sirach 4:6. for when in the bitterness of their soul they curse you, the One who made them will hear their prayer. Sirach 4:7. In a gathering, try to be pleasant, and bow your head before those of higher station; Sirach 4:8. incline your ear to the poor, and answer them gently and with kindness; Sirach 4:9. rescue the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, and do not be faint-hearted when you judge; Sirach 4:10. be a father to orphans, and in place of their husband help their mother: 10. In place of their husband, that is, as protector and provider.

Sirach 4:11. and you shall be like a son of the Most High, and He will love you more than your mother loves you. 11. See Matt 5:42-48.

Sirach 4:12. Wisdom exalts her sons and supports those who seek her: Sirach 4:13. the one who loves her loves life, and those who seek her from early morning will be filled with joy: 13. Wisdom is a faithful guide to a godly, happy, and long life.

Sirach 4:14. whoever possesses her will inherit glory, and wherever he goes the Lord will bless him; Sirach 4:15. those who serve her serve the Holy One, and those who love her the Lord loves; Sirach 4:16. the one who listens to her will judge the peoples, and the one who heeds her will dwell in safety; 16. A wise person can successfully serve their neighbors as their judge, counselor, and guide.

Sirach 4:17. whoever trusts in her will possess her, and their children will inherit her: Sirach 4:18. for at first she will walk with him on crooked paths, and will bring fear and dread upon him Sirach 4:19. and will torment him with her discipline until she gains confidence in his heart and he has tested her statutes; Sirach 4:20. but afterward she will come to him on the straight path and bring him joy Sirach 4:21. and will reveal her secrets to him. 18–21. The path to acquiring wisdom and becoming established in it is difficult and requires from a person great efforts of mind, will, and heart. But the consequences of assimilating wisdom are even more beneficial for him.

Sirach 4:22. If he turns aside from the path, she abandons him and delivers him into the hand of his ruin. 22. Wisdom shuns and punishes with misfortunes the one who stubbornly turns away from the counsels of wisdom.

Sirach 4:23. Watch the time and guard yourself from evil – Sirach 4:24. and you will not be ashamed in your soul: Sirach 4:25. there is a shame that leads to sin, and there is a shame that is glory and grace. 25. Shame that leads to sin is false shame, which prevents a cowardly person from being openly pious and causes them sometimes to commit impious acts instead of pious ones. Such shame is dangerous and disgraceful. Another shame is beneficial to a person – shame not before a sinful person, but before the righteous God; shame that prevents a person from committing any deviation from what they understand to be the will of God. Such shame is the glory of a person and earns them the grace of the Lord God.

Sirach 4:26. Do not be partial against your own soul, and do not be ashamed to your own detriment. Sirach 4:27. Do not withhold a word when it can help: Sirach 4:28. for wisdom is recognized in words, and knowledge is shown in the speech of the tongue. Sirach 4:29. Do not contradict the truth, and be ashamed of your ignorance. Sirach 4:30. Do not be ashamed to confess your sins, and do not resist the flow of the river. 30. The acknowledgment and confession of one’s sins is as natural and beneficial for a person as the flow of river waters is natural and beneficial.

Sirach 4:31. Do not submit to a foolish person, and do not look up to the powerful. 31. Relates to verse 32.

Sirach 4:32. Strive for the truth until death, and the Lord God will fight for you. Sirach 4:33. Do not be quick with your tongue, and be neither lazy nor negligent in your deeds. Sirach 4:34. Do not be like a lion in your house, and do not be suspicious of those in your household. Sirach 4:35. Let not your hand be open to receive and closed when you give. 35. See Sir 1-11 verse; Acts 20:35.