Sirach 36

1No evil will confront the one who fears the Lord, but in trial he will rescue him again.

2A wise man will not hate the law, but the one who is hypocritical in it is like a ship in a storm.

3A man of understanding will trust in the law, and the law is as trustworthy to him as an oracle of the righteous.

4Prepare your words, and then you will be heard; bind together instruction, and answer.

5The inward parts of a fool are like a cartwheel, and his thinking is like a turning axle.

6A horse for mounting is like a mocking friend; under anyone who sits on it, it neighs.

7Why does one day surpass another, when every daylight of the year comes from the sun?

8By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished, and he altered seasons and festivals.

9From them he exalted and sanctified, and from them he appointed a fixed number of days.

10And all men are from the ground, and Adam was created from the earth.

11In fiery wrath let the survivor be consumed, and let those who do injustice to your people meet destruction.

12Crush the heads of enemy rulers, who say, “There is no one but us.”

13Gather all the tribes of Jacob, and allot them their inheritance as from the beginning.

14Have mercy on the people, O Lord, who are called by your name, and on Israel, whom you likened to a firstborn son.

15Have compassion on the city of your sanctuary, Jerusalem, the city of your dwelling place.

16Fill Zion with your praises, and your people with your glory.

17Give testimony to your creatures from the beginning, and raise up the prophecies spoken in your name.

18Give a reward to those who wait for you, and let your prophets be trusted. Hear, O Lord, the prayer of your suppliants.

19according to the blessing of Aaron over your people, and all those on the earth will know that you are the Lord, the God of the ages.

20Every food is eaten by the stomach, but one food is better than another.

21The throat tastes the food of the hunt; so an intelligent heart tests false words.

22A crooked heart causes grief, and a very experienced man will repay him.

23A woman will accept any male, but one daughter is better than another.

24A woman's beauty brightens the face, and surpasses every desire of a man.

25If there is mercy and gentleness on her tongue, her husband is not like the sons of men.

26He who acquires a wife begins an acquisition, a helper corresponding to him and a pillar of rest.

27Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered; and where there is no wife, he will groan as he wanders.

28For who will trust a well-armed robber, staggering from city to city? So it is with a man who has no nest and lodges wherever night finds him.

31For who will trust a well-armed robber, stumbling from city to city? So it is with a man who has no nest and lodges wherever evening finds him.