Ecclesiasticus 19

A working man who gives himself to heavy drinking will not become rich, and the man who looks down on small things will fall bit by bit.

1A labouring man that A is given to drunkenness shall not be rich: and he that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.

NoteA "labouring man" here is a day laborer, paid for the day and living on what he earns that day, with no margin for drink to eat into. "Contemneth" in the King James means despises or thinks nothing of.

2Wine and women make men of good sense fall away, and the man who attaches himself to prostitutes becomes shameless.

2Wine and women will make men of understanding to fall away: and he that cleaveth to harlots will become impudent.

Note"Impudent" in 1611 meant shameless, having lost the capacity for shame altogether; it is much stronger than the modern sense of cheeky.

3Moths and worms will take him as their inheritance, and the bold man will be carried off.

3Moths and worms shall have him to heritage, and a bold man shall be taken away.

Note"Have him to heritage" means inherit him. The picture is of a body in the grave, with moths and worms taking possession of what is left. The "bold man" is the shameless man of the line before, bold in the bad sense: reckless, past caring.

4The man who trusts too quickly has a shallow mind, and the man who sins does wrong to his own life.

4He that is hasty to give credit is lightminded; and he that sinneth shall offend against his own soul.

Note"Hasty to give credit" means quick to believe what he is told, not quick to lend money. "Lightminded" means shallow or frivolous, not cheerful.

5Whoever takes pleasure in wickedness will be condemned, but the man who holds out against pleasures puts a crown on his life.

5Whoso taketh pleasure in wickedness shall be condemned: but he that resisteth pleasures crowneth his life.

Note"Crowneth his life" points to the wreath placed on the head of the winner of a race or contest; holding out against one's appetites is treated as the win.

6The man who can control his tongue will live without quarreling, and the man who hates loose talk will have less harm.

6He that can rule his tongue shall live without strife; and he that hateth babbling shall have less evil.

7Do not repeat to anyone else what has been told to you, and you will be no worse off for it.

7Rehearse not unto another that which is told unto thee, and thou shalt fare never the worse.

Note"Rehearse" in 1611 English meant to repeat something aloud, not to practice.

8Whether the person is a friend or an enemy, do not talk about other people's lives, and if you can keep quiet without doing wrong, do not tell what you know.

8Whether it be to friend or foe, talk not of other men’s lives; and if thou canst without offence, reveal them not.

9For the one who listened to you was watching you, and when the time comes he will hate you.

9For he heard and observed thee, and when time cometh he will hate thee.

10If you have heard something, let it die with you. Be brave: it will not burst you.

10If thou hast heard a word, let it die with thee; and be bold, it will not burst thee.

NoteThe image behind "it will not burst thee" is of an unspoken word swelling inside a person until he splits open. The advice is that no one has ever burst from keeping quiet.

11A fool is in labor with a word, like a woman giving birth to a child.

11A fool travaileth with a word, as a woman in labour of a child.

NoteBirth pangs are the image: once labor starts it cannot be held back, and a fool can no more hold in a word he has heard.

12An arrow stuck in a man's thigh is what a word is like inside a fool's belly.

12As an arrow that sticketh in a man’s thigh, so is a word within a fool’s belly.

NoteAn arrow lodged in the fleshy part of the thigh is painful without being fatal; what it does is make the man frantic to get it out. That is how a piece of news sits inside a fool until he blurts it.

13Take it up with your friend. It may be that he has not done it, and if he has done it, take it up with him so that he will not do it again.

13Admonish a friend, it may be he hath not done it: and if he have done it, that he do it no more.

Note"Admonish" here means to put the matter to the person directly, face to face. These lines follow the warnings about gossip: the alternative to repeating a story about someone is going and asking him about it. The same instruction is repeated in the next two verses, a common pattern in this book.

14Take it up with your friend. It may be that he has not said it, and if he has said it, take it up with him so that he will not say it again.

14Admonish thy friend, it may be he hath not said it: and if he have, that he speak it not again.

15Take it up with your friend, because many a time it is a false report. Do not believe every story.

15Admonish a friend: for many times it is a slander, and believe not every tale.

Note"Slander" here covers any untrue report, whether it was invented out of malice or simply passed along by mistake.

16There is a person who slips in what he says without meaning it in his heart. And who is there who has never done wrong with his tongue?

16There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart; and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?

17Speak to your neighbor about it before you threaten him, and without getting angry, make room for the law of the Most High.

17Admonish thy neighbour before thou threaten him; and not being angry, give place to the law of the most High.

NoteThis picks up the law in Leviticus 19:17 to 18, which requires rebuking your neighbor plainly instead of nursing hatred or taking revenge. "Give place to the law of the most High" is read in more than one way: either yield to what God's law lays down for such cases, or stand back and leave room for God to settle it rather than settling it yourself in anger. "The most High" is a title for God used often in this book.

18The fear of the Lord is the first step toward being accepted by him, and wisdom wins his love.

18The fear of the Lord is the first step to be accepted of him, and wisdom obtaineth his love.

Note"The fear of the Lord" runs through this whole book and means awe and serious regard, taking God into account, rather than being frightened of him. Verses 18 and 19 are missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts of Ecclesiasticus; they belong to a longer edition that circulated later, and the King James translates that longer text.

19Knowing the commandments of the Lord is the teaching that gives life, and those who do what pleases him will receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.

19The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.

Note"The tree of immortality" recalls the tree of life in the garden in Genesis 2 and 3, whose fruit gave unending life.

20All wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and all wisdom includes carrying out the law and knowing that his power has no limit.

20The fear of the Lord is all wisdom; and in all wisdom is the performance of the law, and the knowledge of his omnipotency.

Note"The law" means the law of Moses, the commandments of the Hebrew scriptures; for this writer wisdom and that law are one thing. "Omnipotency" is older English for having all power.

21If a servant says to his master, "I will not do what you want," then even if he does it afterward, he makes angry the one who feeds him.

21If a servant say to his master, I will not do as it pleaseth thee; though afterward he do it, he angereth him that nourisheth him.

NoteThis verse, like 18 and 19, is absent from the oldest Greek manuscripts. The "servant" is a household slave, housed and fed by his master, which is the force of "him that nourisheth him": refusing an order is biting the hand that feeds.

22Knowing how wickedness works is not wisdom, and the advice of sinners is never good sense.

22The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom, neither at any time the counsel of sinners prudence.

23There is a cleverness, and it is a disgusting thing; and there is a fool who has no wisdom at all.

23There is a wickedness, and the same an abomination; and there is a fool wanting in wisdom.

Note"Abomination" translates the word used in the Greek Old Testament for what is loathsome and not to be tolerated, especially in matters of religion. The verse sets two things side by side, a cleverness that is wicked and a plain lack of wisdom, and the next verse says which of the two is worse.

24A man with little understanding who fears God is better than a man with much wisdom who breaks the law of the Most High.

24He that hath small understanding, and feareth God, is better than one that hath much wisdom, and transgresseth the law of the most High.

25There is a finely tuned cleverness, and it is unjust; and there is a person who twists things so that a verdict will appear; and there is a wise man who gives a just verdict.

25There is an exquisite subtilty, and the same is unjust; and there is one that turneth aside to make judgment appear; and there is a wise man that justifieth in judgment.

Note"Exquisite subtilty" is 1611 English for finely worked out shrewdness; "subtilty" then meant cleverness or craft, without the modern sense of delicacy. The middle clause is obscure in the Greek and is taken in opposite ways: either a man who twists things to produce the verdict he wants, or a man who bends the usual course of things in order to bring the true verdict out.

26There is a wicked man who goes about with his head hanging down in sorrow, but inside he is full of deceit.

26There is a wicked man that hangeth down his head sadly; but inwardly he is full of deceit,

NoteA bowed head and lowered face were the recognized posture of mourning and of humility. The man is wearing the look as a disguise.

27He keeps his face lowered and acts as though he did not hear. Where he is not known, he will do you harm before you realize it.

27Casting down his countenance, and making as if he heard not: where he is not known, he will do thee a mischief before thou be aware.

28And if a lack of power keeps him from sinning, still, when he finds his chance, he will do evil.

28And if for want of power he be hindered from sinning, yet when he findeth opportunity he will do evil.

29A man can be known by the way he looks, and a man of understanding is known by his face when you meet him.

29A man may be known by his look, and one that hath understanding by his countenance, when thou meetest him.

30A man's clothes, and loud laughter, and the way he walks show what he is.

30A man’s attire, and excessive laughter, and gait, shew what he is.

NoteDress, laughter and the way a man walks were the standard signs by which ancient moral teachers claimed to read a person's character. Loud or unrestrained laughter in particular was taken as the mark of a man with no self control.