Wisdom of Sirach 30
Raising Children
1 The man who loves his son will chastise him often, So he may rejoice in him in his later years.†
2 He who disciplines his son will profit by him And boast of him among acquaintances.
3 The man who teaches his son will make his enemy jealous And will rejoice exceedingly over him among friends.
4 When his father dies, it is as though he is not dead, For he left behind one like himself.
5 While he lived, he saw and rejoiced in him, And when he died, he was not grieved.
6 Before his enemies, he left behind an avenger, And to his friends one who repays favors.
7 He who spoils his son will bandage his wounds, And at every cry his heart will ache.
8 A horse not broken turns out to be stubborn, And a son allowed to run wild turns out to be headstrong.
9 Pamper a child, and he will frighten you; Play with him, and he will grieve you.
10 Do not laugh with him, lest you suffer with him And gnash your teeth over him at last.
11 Do not give him authority while he is young.
12 Bruise his ribs when he is young, Lest he become stubborn and disobey you.
13 Discipline your son and work with him, So he will not embarrass you with his behavior.
Good Health
14 A poor man with good health is better off Than a rich man afflicted in his body.
15 Health and vigor are better than all gold, And a strong body than immense wealth.
16 There are no riches greater than health of body, And there is no gladness above joy of heart.†
17 Death is better than a wretched life, And eternal rest is better than chronic sickness.
18 Good things set out before a closed mouth Are like offerings of food put on a grave.
19 What use is an offering of fruit to an idol? For it can neither eat nor smell. So is a man afflicted by the Lord:†
20 He sees with his eyes and groans, Like a eunuch embracing a virgin.
Gladness of Heart
21 Do not give yourself over to sorrow, And do not distress yourself deliberately.†
22 Gladness of the heart is the life of man, And rejoicing by a man lengthens his life.
23 Love your soul and comfort your heart, And put sorrow far away from you; For sorrow has destroyed many, And there is no profit in it.
24 Envy and anger will shorten your days, And worry will bring premature old age.
25 A man with a good and cheerful heart Will pay attention to the food he eats.
Psalms 33
12 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
13 Who is the man who desires life, Who loves to see good days?
14 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
15 Shun evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
16 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And His ears are open to their supplications.
17 The Lord’s face is against those who do evil, So as to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
18 The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them; And He delivered them from all their afflictions.
19 The Lord is near those who are brokenhearted, And He will save the humble in spirit.
20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But He will deliver them from them all.
21 The Lord shall guard all their bones; Not one of them shall be broken.
22 The death of sinners is evil, And those who hate the righteous shall go wrong.
23 The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants, And all who hope in Him shall not go wrong.
Proverbs of Solomon 6
37 But the adulterer through his lack of discernment Obtains the destruction of his soul;
38 He bears both pain and dishonor, And his disgrace will not be wiped away forever.
39 For the anger of her husband is full of jealousy; He will not spare in the day of judgment;
40 He will not take any ransom in exchange for his hatred, Nor will he be reconciled by many gifts.
Romans 7
Baptism: Freedom from Law, Union with Christ
1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?†
2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.†
6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Sin Uses What Is Holy to Produce Death
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” †
8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
The Flesh Uses What Is Good to Produce Sin
13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.†
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.†
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.†
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.†