:
1 Do no evil, so shall no harm come unto thee. 2 Depart from the unjust, and iniquity shall turn away from thee. 3 My son, sow not upon the furrows of unrighteousness, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold. 4 Seek not of the Lord preeminence, neither of the king the seat of honour. 5 justify not thyself before the Lord; and boast not of thy wisdom before the king. 6 Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity; lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, an stumblingblock in the way of thy uprightness. 7 Offend not against the multitude of a city, and then thou shalt not cast thyself down among the people. 8 Bind not one sin upon another; for in one thou shalt not be unpunished. 9 Say not, God will look upon the multitude of my oblations, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept it. 10 Be not fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms. 11 Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one which humbleth and exalteth. 12 Devise not a lie against thy brother; neither do the like to thy friend. 13 Use not to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good. 14 Use not many words in a multitude of elders, and make not much babbling when thou prayest. 15 Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, which the most High hath ordained. 16 Number not thyself among the multitude of sinners, but remember that wrath will not tarry long. 17 Humble thyself greatly: for the vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms. 18 Change not a friend for any good by no means; neither a faithful brother for the gold of Ophir. 19 Forego not a wise and good woman: for her grace is above gold. 20 Whereas thy servant worketh truly, entreat him not evil. nor the hireling that bestoweth himself wholly for thee. 21 Let thy soul love a good servant, and defraud him not of liberty. 22 Hast thou cattle? have an eye to them: and if they be for thy profit, keep them with thee. 23 Hast thou children? instruct them, and bow down their neck from their youth. 24 Hast thou daughters? have a care of their body, and shew not thyself cheerful toward them. 25 Marry thy daughter, and so shalt thou have performed a weighty matter: but give her to a man of understanding. 26 Hast thou a wife after thy mind? forsake her not: but give not thyself over to a light woman. 27 Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the sorrows of thy mother. 28 Remember that thou wast begotten of them; and how canst thou recompense them the things that they have done for thee? 29 Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence his priests. 30 Love him that made thee with all thy strength, and forsake not his ministers. 31 Fear the Lord, and honor the priest; and give him his portion, as it is commanded thee; the firstfruits, and the trespass offering, and the gift of the shoulders, and the sacrifice of sanctification, and the firstfruits of the holy things. 32 And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected. 33 A gift hath grace in the sight of every man living; and for the dead detain it not. 34 Fail not to be with them that weep, and mourn with them that mourn. 35 Be not slow to visit the sick: fir that shall make thee to be beloved. 36 Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.
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[AD 533] Fulgentius of Ruspe on Sirach 7:1
If some people are in the catholic church but live badly, let them hurry to distance themselves from their evil life before concluding this life. Do not let them think that the catholic name is sufficient for their salvation if they do not do the will of God. In fact, our Savior says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Indeed, also in the book of Psalms it is written that “the Lord is close to all who call on him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him, and he will hear their prayers, and he will save them.” Therefore also in Proverbs each one of us is ordered both to fear the Lord and to distance ourselves from evil. There you can read, “Fear the Lord and turn away from all evil, and your body shall have peace and your bones rest.” In fact, also in Ecclesiasticus, all the faithful are warned not to do evil with these words: “Do not perform evil deeds, and they will not seize you. Distance yourself from evil, and evil will distance itself from you. Do not sow evil deeds in the furrows of injustice, and you will not harvest them multiplied seven times.” In the same book again, because no one, adding sin to sin, wants to deceive himself with a vain thought regarding the mercy of God, the doctrine of salvation meets us with words of this kind: “Do not … add sin to sin. Do not say, ‘His mercy is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,’ for both mercy and wrath are with him, and his anger rests on sinners.” Again, saint Job says, “Does not calamity befall the unrighteous and disaster the workers of iniquity?” It is written in Proverbs, “The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is lost.”

Source: ON THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS 1:26.23
[AD 407] John Chrysostom on Sirach 7:5
Nothing will generate presumptions so much as a good conscience, if we are not careful. Therefore, knowing that after we do something honest that this sentiment might arise in us, Jesus said to his disciples, “When you shall have done all those things you say: ‘We are unprofitable servants.’ ” When the evil beast is about to enter you, with these words, then, he says, close the door. Notice, he did not say, “When you shall have done all those things you are useless,” but “say, ‘We are useless.’ ” Tell him not to fear because I do not pass my sentence on the basis of your judgment. If you say you are useless, I shall crown you as useful. Elsewhere we read, “First declare your transgressions, so that you may be justified.” In other tribunals, the death of the culprit follows after the accusation; in the divine tribunal, the crown comes after the accusation of the trespasses. Therefore also Solomon said, “Do not justify yourself before the Lord.”

Source: HOMILIES ON HOSEA 3:1
[AD 545] Venerable Barsanuphius and John the Prophet on Sirach 7:6
We do not advise you to leave the one who entrusted you with the care of the holy churches of God, but only to look after your own soul in the fear of God. Do not accept gifts from anyone, do not waver in judgment, do not be ashamed before a powerful person, do not declare innocent the guilty or condemn the innocent. Keep away from avarice, which is the root of all evils; in fact, it is called, and it is, a second kind of idolatry. And do not pride yourself, so that you may be a disciple of the apostle who says, "Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly."
Do not try to please people, for you know what happens to people who do this. They become estranged from the service of Christ. In fact, the apostle says, "For if I were still pleasing people, I would not be the servant of Christ." And submit to the Lord, who says, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Extinguish anger and chase it far from you, for it is the ruin of a person; do everything according to God and you will find him as your helper. Always fear death, for it is necessary that it comes to us all. Remember the hour of your departure, and do not sin against God. And if you arrive at the point of calmness, you will find rest and grace wherever you decide to withdraw. - "Book of Letters 789"
[AD 604] Gregory the Dialogist on Sirach 7:14
It is written, “The dog returns to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” For the dog, when he vomits, certainly throws up the food that weighed on his stomach. But when he returns to his vomit, he is again loaded with what he had been relieved from. And those who mourn their transgressions certainly throw up by confession the wickedness that wickedly sated them and that oppressed the innermost parts of their soul. And yet, in going back to it again after confession, they take it in again. But the sow, by wallowing in the mire when washed, is made more filthy. And one who mourns past transgressions yet does not leave them behind subjects himself to the penalty of an even worse sin, since he both despises the very pardon that he might have won by his weeping and as it were rolls himself in the mire, because in withholding purity of life from his weeping he makes even his very tears filthy before the eyes of God. Thus again it is written, “Do not repeat a word in your prayer.” For to repeat a word in prayer, after wailing about it, is to commit what again requires wailing. And so it is said through Isaiah, “Wash and be clean.” For whoever does not maintain an innocent life after his tears of repentance have been shed is neglecting the cleanliness he received after washing. They are indeed washed but are in no way clean when they are the ones who do not stop crying about the things they have committed but then go on to commit again the very things they were crying about. This is why a certain wise man said, “He that is cleansed from the touch of a dead body and touches it again—what good did his washing do?” For indeed he is cleansed from the touch of a dead body who is cleansed from sin by weeping. But the one who, after his tears, repeats his sin touches a dead body after his cleansing.

Source: PASTORAL RULE 3:30
[AD 373] Athanasius of Alexandria on Sirach 7:17
Sin possesses the very bread of his death, to which it invites those who love pleasures and the fools, saying, “Touch with pleasure the secret bread and the sweet stolen waters.” He who merely touches it “does not know that the children of the earth perish because of it.” When one thinks about tasting pleasure, the result that comes from this nourishment will not be sweet for him in the end, as again the Wisdom of God affirms: “Bread of deceit is pleasant to a person, but afterwards his mouth shall be full of sand,” and, “Honey drips from the lips of a prostitute, which for a certain time is sweet to your palate. Afterwards you will find it more bitter than wormwood, sharper than a two-edged sword.” Thus, eating it and enjoying it a little, afterwards he is devoured by worms, while he renders his soul far away, because the fool does not know that “they that are far from God perish.”

Source: FESTAL LETTERS 7:5.17
[AD 215] Clement of Alexandria on Sirach 7:23-24
Christ the educator of humanity, our divine Logos, with every effort and with every gift of wisdom, has offered to save his children, warning them, reproaching, punishing, accusing, threatening, curing, making promises and granting grace. “With various bridles he keeps within bounds” the excessive outbursts of humanity. In short, the Lord conducts himself with us as we conduct ourselves with our children. “Do you have children? Discipline them,” Wisdom exhorts, “and make them obedient from their youth. Do you have daughters? Be concerned for their chastity, and do not show yourself too indulgent with them.” Yet, our children, male and female, are what we love the most above anything else.

Source: CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 1:11.75:1-2
[AD 604] Gregory the Dialogist on Sirach 7:23-24
“Set your face toward it and let it be in a state of siege.” What does it mean to set the face toward Jerusalem that is portrayed on a brick, except that the master should not reveal the vision of heavenly peace or show himself too forgiving or merciful toward a soul if he sees it still uncertain in its deeds? For thus it is written: “Do you have daughters? Be concerned for their chastity, and do not show yourself too indulgent with them.” Evil souls that are inclined toward worldly desires are sometimes better served through severity. A fixed gaze accompanied by severe vigilance that offers no hope for any frivolous indulgence frightens the wayward soul and rigorously pulls it away from any enticement toward vice. But even as a master does this, he must always preserve in his heart tenderness and humility toward him in so far as he must have a great deal of love for the individual and should never use his position of authority against him through pride. Nevertheless, he still must refrain from revealing his love and tender regard for the individual’s own good.

Source: HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 1:12.30-31
[AD 856] Rabanus Maurus on Sirach 7:34
It shows that the offering that one offers to God with a humble mind and pure love purifies him from many shortcomings and omissions, even if they are small. Concerning these matters it is written, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” And the psalmist writes, “A broken spirit is a sacrifice to God, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” And it is for this same reason that the Lord did not despise the two small coins from the poor widow but accepted them with joy.

Source: ON ECCLESIASTICUS 2:10