himself God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and it was he who judged Adam in paradise; but instead of "Knead thy bread in the sweat of thy face," he says in the Gospel, "Behold the fowls of the air; they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; but God feedeth them."
Do you not, then, see that labor for bread is of slight benefit, nor has it in this life even utility? It is indeed the most useless of all labor, and God imposes it on the idle.
54. And furthermore, show me a laborer whom God has admitted into heaven for his work's sake. We do not know if the prophets were rich, but neither do we know that they were poor. But as their books were approved, we may conclude they were rich, because a poor man's book would never be approved, no matter how useful it might be.
To this Sirach, a man inspired by God, bears witness when he says: "The rich man uttereth a folly, and all are silent, his words are vaunted to the skies. The poor man speaks reasonably, and instead of approving him, they say, 'Who art thou?'[1]
- ↑ "If the rich man is deceived, every one helps him; if he speaks insolently (if he reveals what should have been a secret), he is justified. But if the poor man is deceived, he is reproached; if he speaks wisely, he is not listened to.
"When the rich man speaks, all are silent, and they vaunt his words to the skies. When the poor man speaks, they say, Who art thou? (they reproach him with his poverty, and force him to be silent.) And if he makes a mistake, they will pass it over." (Ecclesiasticus xiii. 26. Translated by Sacy.)
