God.

9:23. And let the thought of God be in thy mind, and all thy discourse
on the commandments of the Highest.

9:24. Works shall be praised for the hand of the artificers, and the
prince of the people for the wisdom of his speech, but the word of the
ancients for the sense.

9:25. A man full of tongue is terrible in his city, and he that is rash
in his word shall be hateful.

Ecclesiasticus Chapter 10

The virtues and vices of men in power: the great evil of pride.

10:1. A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a
prudent man shall be steady.

Judge his people... In the Greek it is, instruct his people.

10:2. As the judge of the people is himself, so also are his ministers:
and what manner of man the ruler of a city is, such also are they that
dwell therein.

10:3. An unwise king shall be the ruin of his people: and cities shall
be inhabited through the prudence of the rulers.

10:4. The power of the earth is in the hand of God, and in his time he
will raise up a profitable ruler over it.

10:5. The prosperity of man is in the hand of God, and upon the person
of the scribe he shall lay his honour.

The scribe... That is, the man that is wise and learned in the law.

10:6. Remember not any injury done thee by thy neighbour, and do thou
nothing by deeds of injury.

10:7. Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations
is execrable.

10:8. A kingdom is translated from one people to another, because of
injustices, and wrongs, and injuries, and divers deceits.

10:9. But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth,
and ashes proud?

10:10. 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.

10:11. All power is of short life. A long sickness is troublesome to the
physician.

10:12. The physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to
day, and to morrow he shall die.

10:13. For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts,
and worms.

10:14. The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God:

10:15. 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.

10:16. Therefore hath the Lord disgraced the assemblies of the wicked,
and hath utterly destroyed them.

10:17. God hath o