Ecclesiasticus 16

¹Rejoice not in impious children, if they be multiplied: neither be delighted upon them, if the fear of God be not in them.

²Credit not their life, and respect not their labours.

³For better is one fearing God, than a thousand impious children.

⁴And it is more profitable to die without children, rather than to leave impious children.

⁵By one wise a country shall be inhabited, and the tribe of the impious shall be made desolate.

⁶Many such things hath mine eye seen, and mine ear hath heard things of more force than these.

⁷In the synagogue of sinners a fire shall flame, and in an incredulous nation wrath shall wax hot.

⁸The old giants did not obtain for their sins, who were destroyed trusting to their own strength:

⁹and he spared not the peregrination of Lot, and he detested them for the pride of their word.

¹⁰He had not pity on them, destroying the whole nation, and extolling themselves in their sins.

¹¹And as the six hundred thousand foot men, which were gathered together in the hardness of their heart: and if one had been stiff necked, it is marvel if he had been unpunished.

¹²For there is mercy and wrath with him. Mighty exoration, & pouring out wrath:

¹³according to his mercy, so his chastisement judgeth a man according to his works.

¹⁴The sinner shall not escape in robbery, and the sufferance of him that doth mercy shall not slack.

¹⁵All mercy shall make a place to every man according to the merit of his works, & according to the understanding of his peregrination.

¹⁶Say not: I shall be hid from God, and from on high who shall remember me?

¹⁷In a great people I shall not be known: for what is my soul among so innumerable creatures?

¹⁸Behold heaven, and the heavens of heavens, the depth, and all the earth, & the things that are in them, in his sight shall be moved,

¹⁹the mountains together, and the little hills, & the foundations of the earth: & when God shall behold them, they shall be shaken with trembling.

²⁰And in all these things the heart is senseless: and every heart is understood of him:

²¹and his ways who doth understand, and the storm, which neither the eye of man shall see?

²²For many of his works are in secrets: but the works of his justice who shall declare? Or who shall sustain? For the testament is far from some, and the examination of all is in consummation.

²³He that is less of heart, thinketh vain things: and the unwise, and erring man, thinketh foolish things.

²⁴Hear me my son, and learn the discipline of understanding, and attend to my words in thy heart,

²⁵and I will speak discipline in equity, and will search to declare wisdom: and to my words attend in thy heart, and I speak in equity of spirit the virtues, that God hath put upon his works from the beginning, and in truth I shew forth his knowledge.

²⁶In the judgement of God are his works from the beginning, and from the institution of them he distinguished their parts, and their beginnings in their nations.

²⁷He adorned their works for ever, neither have they hungered, nor laboured, and they have not ceased from their works.

²⁸Every one shall not vex his neighbour for ever.

²⁹Be not incredulous to his word.

³⁰After this God looked upon the earth, & filled it with his good things.

³¹And the soul of every living thing shall shew before the face thereof, and into it again is their return.