Sirach 21:1-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Various Sins
21 Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more,
but ask forgiveness for your past sins.(A)
2 Flee from sin as from a snake,
for if you approach sin it will bite you.
Its teeth are lion’s teeth
and can destroy human lives.(B)
3 All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
there is no healing for the wound it inflicts.
4 Panic and insolence will waste away riches;
thus the house of the proud will be uprooted.[a]
5 The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God,[b]
and his judgment comes speedily.(C)
6 Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner’s steps,
but those who fear the Lord repent in their heart.(D)
7 The mighty in speech are widely known;
when they slip, the sensible person knows it.
8 Those who build their houses with other people’s money
are like those who gather stones for their own burial mounds.(E)
9 An assembly of the lawless is like a bundle of tinder,
and their end is a blazing fire.(F)
10 The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones,
but at its end is the pit of Hades.(G)
Wisdom and Foolishness
11 Those who keep the law control their thoughts,
and the fulfillment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.(H)
12 Those who are not clever cannot be taught,
but there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.(I)
13 The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood
and their counsel like a life-giving spring.(J)
14 The mind[c] of a fool is like a broken jar;
it can hold no knowledge.(K)
15 When intelligent people hear a wise saying,
they praise it and add to it;
when fools[d] hear it, they laugh at[e] it
and throw it behind their backs.(L)
16 The chatter[f] of fools is like a burden on a journey,
but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.(M)
17 The utterance of sensible people is sought in the assembly,
and they ponder their words in their minds.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.