Ben Sira 25:1-7

1 My soul takes pleasure in three things, and they are beautiful in the sight of the Lord and of men; agreement between brothers, friendship between neighbors, and a wife and a husband who live in harmony.

2 My soul hates three kinds of men, and I am greatly offended at their life: a beggar who is proud, a rich man who is a liar, and an adulterous old man who lacks good sense.

3 You have gathered nothing in your youth; how then can you find anything in your old age?

4 What an attractive thing is judgment in gray-haired men, and for the aged to possess good counsel!

5 How attractive is wisdom in the aged, and understanding and counsel in honorable men!

6 Rich experience is the crown of the aged, and their boast is the fear of the Lord.

7 With nine thoughts I have gladdened my heart, and a tenth I shall tell with my tongue: a man rejoicing in his children; a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes;