The Beginning of Sin: Sirach 10:6–27
About the text: The Book of Sirach is one of those wonderful books filled with wisdom but that is unfortunately left out of many Bibles. Even in most Catholic Bibles, the present passage lacks a great deal. Here we draw from the Douay-Rheims, which is based on the Greek text, so as to delight in the full passage on pride, the turning from God, which is the beginning of sin. In contrast, the truly great man is the one who fears the Lord.
Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, and do thou nothing by deeds of injury. Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable. A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits. But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth and ashes proud? There is not a more wicked thing than to love money: for such a one setteth even his own soul to sale: because while he liveth he hath cast away his bowels. All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the physician. The physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to-day, and to-morrow he shall die. For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms.
The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God: Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: he that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.
Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked, and hath utterly destroyed them. God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes, and hath set up the meek in their stead. God hath made the roots of proud nations to wither, and hath planted the humble of these nations. The Lord hath overthrown the lands of the Gentiles, and hath destroyed them even to the foundation. He hath made some of them to wither away, and hath destroyed them, and hath made the memory of them to cease from the earth. God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind.
Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women. That seed of men shall be honoured, which feareth God: but that seed shall be dishonoured, which transgresseth the commandments of the Lord. In the midst of brethren their chief is honourable: so shall they that fear the Lord, be in his eyes.
The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honourable, and of the poor: Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich. The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honour: and there is none greater than he that feareth God.
Taken from the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition.