Read & explore together
Avoid wrongdoing, ambition, and empty religious confidence
Sirach 7:1–17 is a set of wisdom sayings that warns against wrongdoing, proud ambition, careless speech, and false religious confidence. It calls the reader to truthfulness, perseverance in prayer, generosity, and deep humility.
Understanding the passage
Listening in context
This passage comes from Sirach, a Catholic additional book, and speaks as wisdom instruction addressed to “My son”. It is not a story. The sayings move in order through evil and its consequences, ambition and public honour, prayer and offerings, then speech, work, and humility under coming wrath.
Sirach 7:1–17Main takeaway
Sirach 7:1–17 teaches that wise living turns from evil, refuses self-exalting confidence, and walks humbly before God.
Look closely at the words
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Turn away from evilThe passage opens with repeated warnings: do no evil, depart from wrong, and do not sow unrighteousness.
Explanation
The passage opens with repeated warnings: do no evil, depart from wrong, and do not sow unrighteousness. Sirach uses harvest language to show consequences. Evil is pictured as something that overtakes, while unrighteousness is like seed that brings a multiplied crop.
02Do not chase honourSirach then warns against seeking preeminence from the Lord or a seat of honour from the king.
Explanation
Sirach then warns against seeking preeminence from the Lord or a seat of honour from the king. It also says not to justify yourself before the Lord or display wisdom before the king. Wisdom here resists self-promotion before both God and rulers.
03Do not hide sin behind religionThe sayings caution against seeking authority when fear of powerful people may corrupt uprightness.
Explanation
The sayings caution against seeking authority when fear of powerful people may corrupt uprightness. They also forbid repeated sin. Then Sirach rejects the idea that many gifts or an offering will secure acceptance by itself, and instead commands steadfast prayer and giving alms.
04Speak truth and humble yourselfThe final sayings forbid scorning the bitter in soul, devising lies, uttering lies, and babbling.
Explanation
The final sayings forbid scorning the bitter in soul, devising lies, uttering lies, and babbling. They also say not to hate hard labour. The close is solemn: do not join sinners, remember that wrath will not wait, and humble your soul greatly.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01How does Sirach describe the results of wrongdoing in the opening verses?
Notice the pictures of evil overtaking, wrong turning away, and unrighteousness being sown and reaped.
02What commands warn against self-importance before God and rulers?
Look for the sayings about seeking preeminence, a seat of honour, self-justification, and displaying wisdom.
03How do verses 9 and 10 challenge empty religious confidence?
The text rejects trusting many gifts alone and then tells the reader not to be faint-hearted in prayer or neglect alms.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Sirach 7:1–17
1Do no evil, so no evil will overtake you.
2Depart from wrong, and it will turn away from you.
3My son, don’t sow upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and you won’t reap them sevenfold.
4Don’t seek preeminence from the Lord, nor the seat of honor from the king.
5Don’t justify yourself in the presence of the Lord, and don’t display your wisdom before the king.
6Don’t seek to be a judge, lest you not be able to take away iniquities, lest perhaps you fear the person of a mighty man, and lay a stumbling block in the way of your uprightness.
7Don’t sin against the multitude of the city. Don’t disgrace yourself in the crowd.
8Don’t commit a sin twice, for even in one you will not be unpunished.
9Don’t say, “He will look upon the multitude of my gifts. When I make an offering to the Most High God, he will accept it.”
10Don’t be faint-hearted in your prayer. Don’t neglect to give alms.
11Don’t laugh a man to scorn when he is in the bitterness of his soul, for there is one who humbles and exalts.
12Don’t devise a lie against your brother, or do the same to a friend.
13Refuse to utter a lie, for that habit results in no good.
14Don’t babble in the assembly of elders. Don’t repeat your words in your prayer.
15Don’t hate hard labor or farm work, which the Most High has created.
16Don’t number yourself among the multitude of sinners. Remember that wrath will not wait.
17Humble your soul greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm.