Ben Sira 40:16

16 The reeds by any water or river bank are plucked up before any grass;

Ben Sira 40:16 In-Context

14 As a generous person has cause to rejoice, so lawbreakers will utterly fail.
15 The children of the ungodly put out few branches; they are unhealthy roots on sheer rock.
16 The reeds by any water or river bank are plucked up before any grass;
17 but kindness is like a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endures forever.
18 Wealth and wages make life sweet, but better than either is finding a treasure.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.