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1 If thou be made the master [of a feast,] lift not thyself up, but be among them as one of the rest; take diligent care for them, and so sit down. 2 And when thou hast done all thy office, take thy place, that thou mayest be merry with them, and receive a crown for thy well ordering of the feast. 3 Speak, thou that art the elder, for it becometh thee, but with sound judgment; and hinder not musick. 4 Pour not out words where there is a musician, and shew not forth wisdom out of time. 5 A concert of musick in a banquet of wine is as a signet of carbuncle set in gold. 6 As a signet of an emerald set in a work of gold, so is the melody of musick with pleasant wine. 7 Speak, young man, if there be need of thee: and yet scarcely when thou art twice asked. 8 Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words; be as one that knoweth and yet holdeth his tongue. 9 If thou be among great men, make not thyself equal with them; and when ancient men are in place, use not many words. 10 Before the thunder goeth lightning; and before a shamefaced man shall go favour. 11 Rise up betimes, and be not the last; but get thee home without delay. 12 There take thy pastime, and do what thou wilt: but sin not by proud speech. 13 And for these things bless him that made thee, and hath replenished thee with his good things. 14 Whoso feareth the Lord will receive his discipline; and they that seek him early shall find favour. 15 He that seeketh the law shall be filled therewith: but the hypocrite will be offended thereat. 16 They that fear the Lord shall find judgment, and shall kindle justice as a light. 17 A sinful man will not be reproved, but findeth an excuse according to his will. 18 A man of counsel will be considerate; but a strange and proud man is not daunted with fear, even when of himself he hath done without counsel. 19 Do nothing without advice; and when thou hast once done, repent not. 20 Go not in a way wherein thou mayest fall, and stumble not among the stones. 21 Be not confident in a plain way. 22 And beware of thine own children. 23 In every good work trust thy own soul; for this is the keeping of the commandments. 24 He that believeth in the Lord taketh heed to the commandment; and he that trusteth in him shall fare never the worse.
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[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Sirach 32:1
Joshua gave the inheritance to all of the children of Judah. He who gave it to Ephraim and to the half-tribe of Manasseh. He gave the inheritance to the glorious Caleb, son of Jephunneh, having sent three men from each tribe to go through the country and describe it in a book4 and return to show it to them. He himself drew the lots for all and reserved the last place for himself. Why do you think he wanted to be last? Certainly to be the first of all. He did not take this part of himself but received it from the people, who gave the inheritance to the one from whom they had received it. In fact, it is written, “The children of Israel gave the part to Joshua, son of Nun.” “But this happened to them as a sign,” that it might be proposed as a model for us and that we in turn might observe the precept he practiced, which says, “The greater you are, the more humble you will be, and thus you will find grace with the Lord,” and also that which is written, “If they have made you the head, do not exalt yourself but be among them as one of them.”

Source: HOMILIES ON JOSHUA 24:2
[AD 604] Gregory the Dialogist on Sirach 32:1
Directors of souls should remain firm in that exterior attitude they assume in view of the good of others, while preserving in their heart that disposition that makes them fear nothing so much as a high estimation of themselves. Those under them, however, should be able to perceive, from certain indications of a sober spontaneity, that they are humble, and in this way see both what they must fear of their authority and what they must imitate of their humility. For this reason, the greater their power appears outwardly to others, the more superiors must not cease to ensure that they inwardly keep it under control. They cannot let it overcome their thoughts or let their hearts be carried away by its delights, lest the mind prove unable to control the very thing it submits itself to, due to a lust for domination. In fact, so that the heart of the superior not be carried away to the point of exaltation over pleasure in his power, a wise man rightly said, “They have made you a leader. Do not exalt yourself but be among them as one of them.” For this reason Peter also says, “Not as masters over those assigned to you, but be an example to the flock.” The Truth, therefore, inviting us to the highest merits of virtue, says, “Know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are greater make their power felt. It shall not be this way among you, but the one who wants to be the greatest will be your servant, and the one who wants to be first among you will be your slave—like the Son of man, who did not come to be served but to serve.” This is the meaning of the words referring to that servant who was exalted by the power he had received, but afterward punishments await him, “And if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards, then the master of that servant will come on a day that he does not expect and an hour he does not know, and he will cut him off, and his fate will be that of the hypocrites. And one is rightly considered a hypocrite who, under the pretext of discipline, turns the ministry of governance into an exercise of power.

Source: PASTORAL RULE 2:6
[AD 430] Augustine of Hippo on Sirach 32:4
“May it be exalted” means nothing other than that the thing in question be raised on high. When this expression is used in a bad sense, it usually means pride, as when the Scripture says, “Do not exalt yourself in your wisdom,” whereas if it is understood in a good sense, the expression supposes a greater honor, as if the thing really were raised on high. In this sense it is written, “In the nights, lift your hands toward the holy, and bless the Lord.”

Source: EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 71:10
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Sirach 32:10
What is the head of the virtues? Humility. He therefore begins with it, saying, “Blessed are the poor.” This head has neither tresses nor curls but a beauty such as to attract God to itself. “On whom,” he says, “will I turn my gaze but on the meek, humble one who fears my words?” And, “My eyes are on the meek of the earth.” And, “The Lord is near to the contrite of heart.” This head, instead of having hair and tresses, offers sacrifices pleasing to God. It is an altar of gold, a spiritual altar. “A contrite spirit, in fact, is a sacrifice to God.” This is the mother of wisdom. If someone has this, he will have the rest as well. Have you seen a head that you have never seen before? Do you want to see, indeed to know, the face as well? Observe first its red, blooming color, with many graces, and learn where these come from. Well, where do they come from? From decency and from blushing. For this reason someone said, “Grace precedes a modest person.” It sheds a great beauty even on the other members. Even if one mixes colors beyond number, they will not attain such beauty. If you want to see the eyes as well, observe that they are precisely delineated by modesty and temperance. They become so beautiful and perceptive that they are able to see even the Lord. Indeed, he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Source: HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 47:4
[AD 215] Clement of Alexandria on Sirach 32:17
In Jeremiah it says, “Jerusalem has committed a great sin, and it has thus fallen into turmoil. All those who honored it now despise it, because they have seen its abomination.” Through Solomon, however, he attenuates the severity and harshness of the accusation and shows the sweetness of his pedagogy, saying, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s corrections, and do not spurn his reproofs. In fact, the one whom the Lord loves, he corrects, and he always scourges the one he accepts,” whereas “the sinner shuns reproof.” Therefore “let the just one accuse me,” says the Scripture, “and correct me, but let not the oil of sinners anoint my head.”

Source: CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 1:9.78:3-4
[AD 253] Origen of Alexandria on Sirach 32:19
“Because the Lord loves judgment and will not abandon his holy ones.” In what sense does the Lord love judgment? Because nothing in him is not weighed thoroughly, nothing happens without a reason. Consequently you also, knowing that the Lord loves judgment, do everything with an honest and truthful judgment. Thus you will listen to the admonition of him who says, “Do everything sensibly, drink wine with prudence.”

Source: HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 4:7 (PSALM 36)
[AD 604] Gregory the Dialogist on Sirach 32:19
Through Solomon it is rightly said, “One who minds the wind will never sow, and one who watches the clouds will never reap.” What is expressed by the wind but the temptation of evil spirits? And what are the clouds, which are moved by the wind, if not the hostility of evil people? Clearly, the clouds are blown by the wind because evil people are excited by the breath of unclean spirits. Consequently, the one who pays attention to the wind will not sow, and one who watches the clouds will never reap, because the one who fears the temptation of evil spirits and the persecution of human beings will neither sow the grain of good works nor cut the sheaves of holy retribution. The precipitous, who anticipate the time for good actions, pervert their merit and frequently fall into evil, because they have no discernment of the good. They do not inquire into what would be the right moment to do something but for the most part only think of this once they have done it, with an awareness that it should have been done differently. To these, under the guise of speaking to a pupil, Solomon says, “Do nothing without counsel, and after you have done it you will not regret it.” And further, “Let your eyelids precede your steps.” Our eyelids precede our steps when good counsel precedes our action. The one who neglects to consider in advance what he expects to do straightens his steps, closes his eyes and arrives at the end of his way but does not precede his steps with foresight. Consequently, he more quickly stumbles, because he does not pay attention, with the eyelids of counsel, to where to plant the foot of his works.

Source: PASTORAL RULE 3:15