“My child!
Honor yourself with humility!
Give yourself the esteem
That you deserve!
Who will acquit
Those who condemn themselves?
Who will honor
Those who dishonor themselves?
The poor are honored
For their knowledge.
The rich are honored
For their wealth.
One honored in poverty,
How much more in wealth!
One dishonored in wealth,
How much more in poverty!”
Sirach has a strange sort of humility. You should be honored with your humility. You should have a good self esteem because you deserve it. Do not condemn or dishonor yourself. Poor people are honored with knowledge, but the rich are honored with wealth. The best would be a poor person with knowledge and wealth. The worst would be a wealthy person who becomes poor. This strange kind of humility relies on knowledge and wealth as a determining factor.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 