Ben Sira 4:7-17

7 Get thyself the love of the congregation, and bow thy head to great man.
8 Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness.
9 Deliver him that suffereth wrong from the hand of the oppressor, and be not fainthearted when thou sittest in judgment.
10 Be as a father unto the fatherless, and in the stead of a husband unto their mother; so shalt thou be as the son of the Most High, and He shall love thee more than thy mother doth.
11 Wisdom exalteth her children, and layeth hold of them that seek her.
12 He that loveth her loveth life, and they that seek her early shall be filled with joy.
13 He that holdeth her fast shall inherit glory; and wheresoever she entereth, the Lord will bless.
14 They that serve her shall minister to the Holy One, and them that love her the Lord doth love.
15 Whoso giveth ear unto her shall judge the nations, and he that attendeth unto her shall dwell securely.
16 If a man commit himself unto her, he shall inherit her; and his generation shall hold her in possession.
17 For at the first she will walk with him by crooked ways, and bring fear and dread upon him, and torment him with her discipline, until she may trust his soul, and try him by her laws.
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.