“I take pleasure in three things.
They are beautiful
In the sight of God,
And in the sight of mortals.
They are
Agreement between brothers,
Friendship between neighbors,
And a wife and a husband
Who live in harmony.
I hate three kinds of people.
I loathe their manner of life.
They are
A poor man who boasts,
A rich person who lies,
And an old fool
Who commits adultery.”
Sirach has another one of these numerical proverbs, like in Proverbs. He took pleasure in 3 things and he hated 3 kinds of people. The 3 pleasurable things that were beautiful in the sight of God and man were the harmonious relationships among brothers, neighbors, and spouses. The 3 kinds of people whose life style he hated were poor boastful people, rich liars, and old adulterous fools.