Ecclesiasticus, 41

1. O death, how bitter it is to remember you for someone peacefully living with his possessions, for someone with no worries and everything going well and who can still enjoy his food!

1. Much labor was created for every man, and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day they come forth from their mother's womb till the day they return to the mother of all.

2. O death, your sentence is welcome to one in want, whose strength is failing, to one worn out with age and a thousand worries, resentful and impatient!

2. Their perplexities and fear of heart -- their anxious thought is the day of death,

3. Do not dread death's sentence; remember those who came before you and those who will come after.

3. from the man who sits on a splendid throne to the one who is humbled in dust and ashes,

4. This is the sentence passed on all living creatures by the Lord, so why object to what seems good to the Most High? Whether your life lasts ten or a hundred or a thousand years, its length will not be held against you in Sheol.

4. from the man who wears purple and a crown to the one who is clothed in burlap;

5. Hateful brats, such are the children of sinners, who foregather in the haunts of the godless.

5. there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest, and fear of death, and fury and strife. And when one rests upon his bed, his sleep at night confuses his mind.

6. The inheritance of sinners' children is doomed to perish, their posterity will endure lasting reproach.

6. He gets little or no rest, and afterward in his sleep, as though he were on watch, he is troubled by the visions of his mind like one who has escaped from the battle-front;

7. A godless father will be blamed by his children for the reproach he has brought on them.

7. at the moment of his rescue he wakes up, and wonders that his fear came to nothing.

8. A bad outlook for you, godless people, who have forsaken the Law of God Most High.

8. With all flesh, both man and beast, and upon sinners seven times more,

9. When you were born, you were born to be accursed, and when you die, that curse will be your portion.

9. are death and bloodshed and strife and sword, calamities, famine and affliction and plague.

10. All that comes from the earth returns to the earth, so too the wicked proceed from curse to destruction.

10. All these were created for the wicked, and on their account the flood came.

11. Mourning concerns only the bodies of the dead, but the worthless name of sinners will be blotted out.

11. All things that are from the earth turn back to the earth, and what is from the waters returns to the sea.

12. Be careful of your reputation, for it will last you longer than a thousand great hoards of gold.

12. All bribery and injustice will be blotted out, but good faith will stand for ever.

13. A good life lasts a certain number of days, but a good reputation lasts for ever.

13. The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a torrent, and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a rain.

14. Keep my instructions and be at peace, my children. Wisdom hidden away and treasure undisplayed, what use is either of these?

14. A generous man will be made glad; likewise transgressors will utterly fail.

15. Better someone who hides his folly than one who hides his wisdom.

15. The children of the ungodly will not put forth many branches; they are unhealthy roots upon sheer rock.

16. Preserve a sense of shame in the following matters, for not every kind of shame is right to harbour, nor is every situation correctly appraised by all.

16. The reeds by any water or river bank will be plucked up before any grass.

17. Be ashamed, before father and mother, of depraved behaviour, and before prince or potentate of telling lies;

17. Kindness is like a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endures for ever.

18. of wrong-doing before judge or magistrate, and of impiety before the assembly of the people;

18. Life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker, but he who finds treasure is better off than both.

19. of sharp practice before your companion and your friend, and of theft before the neighbourhood you live in.

19. Children and the building of a city establish a man's name, but a blameless wife is accounted better than both.

20. Before the truth and covenant of God, be ashamed of leaning elbows on the table,

20. Wine and music gladden the heart, but the love of wisdom is better than both.

21. of being ungracious when giving or receiving, of ignoring those who greet you,

21. The flute and the harp make pleasant melody, but a pleasant voice is better than both.

22. of gazing at a loose woman, of repulsing your fellow-countryman,

22. The eye desires grace and beauty, but the green shoots of grain more than both.

23. of misappropriating another's portion or gift, of paying court to another man's wife,

23. A friend or a companion never meets one amiss, but a wife with her husband is better than both.

24. of making advances to his servant-girl -- do not go near her bed-

24. Brothers and help are for a time of trouble, but almsgiving rescues better than both.

25. of saying disagreeable things to friends -- do not follow up a gift with a taunt-

25. Gold and silver make the foot stand sure, but good counsel is esteemed more than both.

26. of repeating everything you hear and of betraying confidences.

26. Riches and strength lift up the heart, but the fear of the Lord is better than both. There is no loss in the fear of the Lord, and with it there is no need to seek for help.

27. Then you will know what true shame is, and you will find yourself in everyone's graces.

27. The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing, and covers a man better than any glory.

28.

28. My son, do not lead the life of a beggar; it is better to die than to beg.

29.

29. When a man looks to the table of another, his existence cannot be considered as life. He pollutes himself with another man's food, but a man who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that.

30.

30. In the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet, but in his stomach a fire is kindled.