Sirach 26:17-29: a reflection

17As the lamp that shines upon the holy lampstand, so is the beauty of the face on a well-proportioned body. 18As the golden pillars are upon a base of silver, so are beautiful feet with the breasts of one who is steadfast. 28For two things my heart is grieved, and for the third anger comes upon me: a warrior who suffers for poverty, men of understanding who are counted as garbage, and one who turns back from righteousness to sin— the Lord will prepare him for the sword! 29It is difficult for a merchant to keep himself from wrong doing, and for a retailer to be acquitted of sin.

The sage observes that honesty is especially hard to keep in the world of buying and selling, where a merchant or trader is surrounded by temptations to cut corners, a warning to guard our integrity carefully in business and trade. It is difficult for a merchant to keep himself from wrongdoing, the sage says, and for a retailer to be acquitted of sin. There is something about the daily work of buying and selling, of trade and commerce, that surrounds a person with temptations: to shade the truth, to misrepresent, to take small advantages, to cut corners for gain. The sage does not say business is evil, but that honesty is hard to keep there, and that the one who trades must be especially watchful to keep his integrity. This shows the special vigilance honesty requires in business and trade. Honesty is hard to keep in business; guard your integrity carefully there. The daily temptations of trade require special watchfulness. Do not let the pressures of commerce erode your honesty. Keep your integrity in your dealings, where it is easily compromised.

Notice the sober realism of this observation. The sage does not condemn trade or commerce as such; but he recognizes that it is difficult for a merchant or trader to keep from wrongdoing, hard to be acquitted of sin in the daily work of buying and selling. Why? Because business surrounds a person with constant, small temptations: to misrepresent goods, to shade the truth about quality or value, to take advantage of a customer's ignorance, to cut corners, to gain a little more by a little dishonesty. These temptations are so woven into the daily transactions of trade that keeping honest requires special vigilance. This holds a practical warning for us in our own work and dealings. Wherever we buy and sell, trade and transact, we too are surrounded by temptations to compromise our honesty for gain: to misrepresent, to take small advantages, to cut corners, to shade the truth. These pressures are constant and can erode our integrity gradually if we are not watchful. We are called to keep our integrity even there, especially there, where it is so easily compromised, not letting the pressures and temptations of commerce erode our honesty. We do well to guard our integrity carefully in our business and dealings, keeping honest where honesty is hard, watchful against the temptations of trade. Guard your integrity carefully in business, where honesty is hard to keep. The daily temptations of trade can erode your honesty gradually. Keep honest in your dealings, especially where it is easily compromised. Do not let the pressures of commerce lead you to shade the truth for gain.

That is worth taking to heart, for honesty is hard to keep in the world of trade, and we do well to guard our integrity carefully there, as the sage warned that a merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing. We can let the constant pressures of buying and selling erode our honesty little by little; but the sage warns that trade surrounds us with temptations, requiring special vigilance. Guard your integrity. Do not let the pressures and temptations of commerce erode your honesty; keep your integrity carefully in your dealings, watchful where honesty is hard to hold. Guard your integrity carefully in your business and dealings, watchful against the constant temptations of trade to shade the truth or take small advantages for gain, as the sage observed that honesty is especially hard to keep in the world of buying and selling, warning that it is difficult for a merchant to keep himself from wrongdoing and for a retailer to be acquitted of sin; for there is something about the daily work of trade and commerce that surrounds a person with temptations to shade the truth, misrepresent, take small advantages, and cut corners for gain, and the sage does not say business is evil but that honesty is hard to keep there and the one who trades must be especially watchful, which is a practical warning for us in our own work and dealings, since wherever we buy and sell and transact we too are surrounded by temptations to compromise our honesty for gain, and these pressures are constant and can erode our integrity gradually if we are not watchful, so that we are called to keep our integrity even there, especially there, where it is so easily compromised, not letting the pressures of commerce erode our honesty, and we do well to guard our integrity carefully in our business and dealings.

Lord, the sage observes that honesty is especially hard to keep in the world of buying and selling, where a merchant or trader is surrounded by temptations to cut corners, a warning to guard my integrity carefully in business and trade. It is difficult for a merchant to keep himself from wrongdoing, the sage says, and for a retailer to be acquitted of sin. There is something about the daily work of buying and selling, of trade and commerce, that surrounds a person with temptations: to shade the truth, to misrepresent, to take small advantages, to cut corners for gain. The sage does not say business is evil, but that honesty is hard to keep there, and that the one who trades must be especially watchful to keep his integrity. Show me the sober realism of this observation. You do not condemn trade as such; but the sage recognizes that it is difficult for a merchant to keep from wrongdoing, hard to be acquitted of sin in the daily work of buying and selling. Because business surrounds a person with constant, small temptations: to misrepresent goods, to shade the truth about value, to take advantage of ignorance, to cut corners, to gain a little more by a little dishonesty. These temptations are so woven into daily transactions that keeping honest requires special vigilance. This holds a practical warning for me in my own work and dealings. Wherever I buy and sell, trade and transact, I too am surrounded by temptations to compromise my honesty for gain. These pressures are constant and can erode my integrity gradually if I am not watchful. I am called to keep my integrity even there, especially there, where it is so easily compromised. Take that to my heart. Keep me from letting the pressures and temptations of commerce erode my honesty; help me guard my integrity carefully in my dealings, Lord, keeping honest where honesty is hard, watchful against the temptations of trade to shade the truth or take small advantages for gain.