1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Sirach 10:1 | A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a prudent man shall be steady. | Judge. Greek, "instruct." (Challoner) --- The example of rulers is very powerful. (Worthington) |
| Sirach 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. Proverbs 29:12. | Therein. Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis. (Claud.) --- As a whole city is infected with the vices of princes, so it may be corrected by their good behaviour, (continentia.) (Cicero, Leg. 3.) |
| Sirach 10:3 | *An unwise king shall be the ruin of his people: and cities shall be inhabited through the prudence of the rulers. 3 Kings 12:13. | Rulers. All who wish to live under just kings, Proverbs 29:4. |
| Sirach 10:4 | The power of the earth is in the hand of God, and in his time he will raise up a profitable ruler over it. | It, as he did David, Job 34:30., and Daniel 2:20. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 10:5 | The prosperity of man is in the hand of God, 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. (Challoner) --- It also denotes an officer, Judges 5:14. God must give light and success. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 10:6 | Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, *and do thou nothing by deeds of injury. Leviticus 19:13. | Injury, out of revenge. (Haydock) (Leviticus 19:18.) --- "Caesar used to forget nothing but injuries." (Cicero, Ligar.) --- This at least is the character of a great man. (St. Augustine, ep. 138., and 54.) |
| Sirach 10:7 | Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable. | Men. It invades the rights of the former, and disturbs the repose of mankind. --- All. Greek is obscure, "and from both proceeds injustice;" (Calmet) or, "it shall act unjustly." (Haydock) --- Pride attacks both God and man. (Grotius) |
| Sirach 10:8 | *A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits. Daniel 4:14. | Deceits. Hence kingdoms are changed. (Worthington) --- The ambition and luxury of subjects (Cato) and the negligence of the rulers, bring on confusion. (St. Augustine, City of God 5:13.) |
| Sirach 10:9 | But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth and ashes proud? | Man. The desire of plunder, or of glory, occasions revolutions. (Haydock) --- Covetousness is the root of all evils, and causes people to abandon the faith, 1 Timothy 6:10. (Worthington) |
| Sirach 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. | Bowels, and would have no compassion for others or for himself. Some Greek copies leave out as far as sale, but Grabe replaces the omission from the Complutensian. |
| Sirach 10:11 | All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician. | |
| Sirach 10:12 | The physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to-day, and to-morrow he shall die. | |
| Sirach 10:13 | For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms. | |
| Sirach 10:14 | The beginning of the pride of man is to fall off from God: | Beginning, or summit; arche. (Calmet) --- Thus Lucifer and Adam fell by pride. (St. Augustine, City of God 12:6.) All sin, being a contempt of God, springs from pride, (Prosper. contemp. 3:3.) and from an inordinate self-love. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 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. Proverbs 18:11.[12.?] | Sin, because man abandons God's law, and falls into all misery. (Worthington) --- The proud easily yield to all sorts of iniquity. (Menochius) |
| Sirach 10:16 | Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them. | Disgraced. Greek, "hath taken an exemplary vengeance, and hath," etc. (Haydock) --- Them, as he did the giants, Sodom, Nabuchodonosor, etc. |
| Sirach 10:17 | God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead. | Stead. Luke 1:52. (Calmet) --- "Thales being asked what was difficult to be seen; replied, a tyrant grown old." (Laertius 1.) |
| Sirach 10:18 | God hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations. | Nations, the Chanaanites, who submitted to the yoke: or rather the Hebrews. (Calmet) --- Greek, "instead of them." |
| Sirach 10:19 | The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation. | Foundation: overturning Sodom, Babylon, and even Jerusalem, for their sins. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 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. | |
| Sirach 10:21 | God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind. | |
| Sirach 10:22 | Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women. | |
| Sirach 10:23 | That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth God: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord. | |
| Sirach 10:24 | In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes. | |
| Sirach 10:25 | The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor: | |
| Sirach 10:26 | Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich. | |
| Sirach 10:27 | The great man, and the judge, and the mighty, is in honour: and there is none greater than he that feareth God. | |
| Sirach 10:28 | *They that are free, shall serve a servant that is wise: **and a man that is prudent and well instructed, will not murmur when he is reproved: and he that is ignorant, shall not be honoured. Proverbs 17:2. --- ** 2 Kings 12:13. | Wise. When Diogenes was exposed to sale, and asked what he could do, he answered, "I know how to command free men." (Laertius 6.) --- Joseph and Daniel obtained authority by their wise conduct. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 10:29 | Extol not thyself in doing thy work, and linger not in the time of distress. | |
| Sirach 10:30 | *Better is he that laboureth, and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself and wanteth bread. Proverbs 12:9. | |
| Sirach 10:31 | My son, keep thy soul in meekness, and give it honour according to its desert. | Desert. Let not avarice deprive thee of the necessities of life, nor do any thing beneath thy dignity, Luke 21:19. |
| Sirach 10:32 | Who will justify him that sinneth against his own soul? and who will honour him that dishonoureth his own soul? | |
| Sirach 10:33 | The poor man is glorified by his discipline and fear: and there is a man that is honoured for his wealth. | Glorified. Greek, "honoured on account of his knowledge, and the rich is, " etc. (Haydock) |
| Sirach 10:34 | But he that is glorified in poverty, how much more in wealth? and he that is glorified in wealth, let him fear poverty. | And. Greek omits this sentence: (Calmet) yet Grabe has, And the man who is without honour in wealth, how much more so will he be in poverty? (Haydock) (Ecclesiastes 7:12.) |