Sirach 3:7-18

Common English Bible

⁷    and they will serve their parents
    as their masters.
⁸Honor your father in action and word
    so that a blessing will come
    from him to you,
⁹since a father’s blessing
supports his children’s families,
    but a mother’s curse
    undermines their foundations.
¹⁰Don’t glorify yourself
in your father’s disgrace,
    because your father’s disgrace
    brings you no credit.
¹¹A father’s honor is the starting point
for his children’s reputation,
    and a mother in disrepute
    is a disgrace to her children.

¹²My child, help your father in his old age,
    and don’t give him grief during his life.
¹³And if his understanding fails,
    be tolerant,
    and don’t shame him,
    because you have all your faculties.
¹⁴Taking care of one’s father
won’t be forgotten.
    It will be credited to you
    against your sins.
¹⁵When you are in trouble,
this will be recalled about you;
    like frost warmed by sunshine,
    so your sins will melt away.
¹⁶Those who abandon their fathers
are like blasphemers,
    and those who anger their mothers
    have been cursed by the Lord.

Humility and charity

¹⁷My child, conduct your affairs
with gentleness,
    and you will be loved
    more than a person of good repute.^[a]
¹⁸However great you become,
humble yourself more,
    and you will find favor before the Lord,^[b]