Ben Sira 38:15-25

15 He who sins against his Maker, will be defiant toward the physician.
16 My child, let your tears fall for the dead, and as one in great pain begin the lament. Lay out the body with due ceremony, and do not neglect the burial.
17 Let your weeping be bitter and your wailing fervent; make your mourning worthy of the departed, for one day, or two, to avoid criticism; then be comforted for your grief.
18 For grief may result in death, and a sorrowful heart saps one's strength.
19 When a person is taken away, sorrow is over; but the life of the poor weighs down the heart.
20 Do not give your heart to grief; drive it away, and remember your own end.
21 Do not forget, there is no coming back; you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself.
22 Remember his fate, for yours is like it; yesterday it was his, and today it is yours.
23 When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest too, and be comforted for him when his spirit has departed.
24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; only the one who has little business can become wise.
25 How can one become wise who handles the plow, and who glories in the shaft of a goad, who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, and whose talk is about bulls?

Footnotes 4

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.