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Ben Sira 19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 19
1 Whoever does this grows no richer;
those who waste the little they have will be stripped bare.
2 Wine and women make the heart lustful,
and the companion of prostitutes becomes reckless.(A)
3 Rottenness and worms will possess him,
and the reckless will be snatched away.(B)
4 Whoever trusts others too quickly has a shallow mind,
and those who sin wrong themselves.
The Proper Use of Speech[a]
5 Whoever gloats over evil will be destroyed,
6 and whoever repeats gossip has no sense.
7 Never repeat gossip,
and no one will reproach you.(C)
8 Tell nothing to friend or foe;
and unless it be a sin for you, do not reveal a thing.(D)
9 For someone may have heard you and watched you,
and in time come to hate you.
10 Let anything you hear die with you;
never fear, it will not make you burst!
11 Having heard something, the fool goes into labor,
like a woman giving birth to a child.
12 Like an arrow stuck in a fool’s thigh,
so is gossip in the belly of a fool.
13 Admonish your friend—he may not have done it;
and if he did, that he may not do it again.(E)
14 Admonish your neighbor—he may not have said it;
and if he did, that he may not say it again.
15 Admonish your friend—often it may be slander;
do not believe every story.
16 Then, too, a person can slip and not mean it;
who has not sinned with his tongue?(F)
17 Admonish your neighbor before you break with him;
and give due place to the Law of the Most High.[b](G)
How to Recognize True Wisdom[c]
20 All wisdom is fear of the Lord;
and in all wisdom, the observance of the Law.[d](H)
22 The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom,
nor is there prudence in the counsel of sinners.
23 There is a shrewdness that is detestable,
while the fool may be free from sin.
24 Better are the God-fearing who have little understanding
than those of great intelligence who violate the Law.
25 There is a shrewdness keen but dishonest,
and there are those who are duplicitous to win a judgment.
26 There is the villain bowed in grief,
but full of deceit within.
27 He hides his face and pretends not to hear,
but when not observed, he will take advantage of you:
28 Even if his lack of strength keeps him from sinning,
when he finds the right time he will do harm.
29 People are known by their appearance;
the sensible are recognized as such when first met.
30 One’s attire, hearty laughter, and gait
proclaim him for what he is.
Footnotes
- 19:5–17 An excellent commentary on bearing false witness (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20). Ben Sira speaks harshly about calumny, rash judgment, and detraction (vv. 5–7), and urges discreet silence (vv. 8–12). Justice requires that an accused neighbor be given a hearing, and charity urges fraternal correction; both together fulfill the law of the Most High (vv. 13–17); cf. Mt 7:1–2; 18:15–16.
- 19:17
Other ancient texts read as vv. 18–19:
18Fear of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance;
and wisdom from him obtains love.
19Knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is life-giving instruction;
those who do what pleases him will harvest the fruit of the tree of immortality.
- 19:20–30 True wisdom is contrasted with a dishonest shrewdness.
- 19:20
Other ancient texts read as v. 21:
The slave who says to his master, “What pleases you I will not do”—
even if he does it later, provokes the one who feeds him.
Sirach 19
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 19
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
19 A workman who is a drunkard will not become rich;
he who despises small things will fail little by little.
2 Wine and women lead intelligent men astray,
and the man who consorts with harlots is very reckless.
3 Decay and worms will inherit him,
and the reckless soul will be snatched away.
Against Loose Talk
4 One who trusts others too quickly is lightminded,
and one who sins does wrong to himself.
5 One who rejoices in wickedness[a] will be condemned,[b]
6 and for one who hates gossip evil is lessened.
7 Never repeat a conversation,
and you will lose nothing at all.
8 With friend or foe do not report it,
and unless it would be a sin for you, do not disclose it;
9 for some one has heard you and watched you,
and when the time comes he will hate you.
10 Have you heard a word? Let it die with you.
Be brave! It will not make you burst!
11 With such a word a fool will suffer pangs
like a woman in labor with a child.
12 Like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the thigh,
so is a word inside a fool.
13 Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it;
but if he did anything, so that he may do it no more.
14 Question a neighbor, perhaps he did not say it;
but if he said it, so that he may not say it again.
15 Question a friend, for often it is slander;
so do not believe everything you hear.
16 A person may make a slip without intending it.
Who has never sinned with his tongue?
17 Question your neighbor before you threaten him;
and let the law of the Most High take its course.[c]
True and False Wisdom
20 All wisdom is the fear of the Lord,
and in all wisdom there is the fulfilment of the law.[d]
22 But the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom,
nor is there prudence where sinners take counsel.
23 There is a cleverness which is abominable,
but there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.
24 Better is the God-fearing man who lacks intelligence,
than the highly prudent man who transgresses the law.
25 There is a cleverness which is scrupulous but unjust,
and there are people who distort kindness to gain a verdict.
26 There is a rascal bowed down in mourning,[e]
but inwardly he is full of deceit.
27 He hides his face and pretends not to hear;
but where no one notices, he will forestall you.
28 And if by lack of strength he is prevented from sinning,
he will do evil when he finds an opportunity.
29 A man is known by his appearance,
and a sensible man is known by his face, when you meet him.
30 A man’s attire and open-mouthed laughter,
and a man’s manner of walking, show what he is.
Footnotes
- Sirach 19:5 Other authorities read heart
- Sirach 19:5 Other authorities add but he who withstands pleasures crowns his life. 6 He who controls his tongue will live without strife,
- Sirach 19:17 Other authorities add and do not be angry. 18 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of acceptance, and wisdom obtains his love. 19 The knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is life-giving discipline; and those who do what is pleasing to him enjoy the fruit of the tree of immortality.
- Sirach 19:20 Other authorities add and the knowledge of his omnipotence. 21 When a servant says to his master, “I will not act as you wish,” even if later he does it, he angers the one who supports him.
- Sirach 19:26 Gk blackness
Sirach 19
Good News Translation
Sirach 19
Good News Translation
19 1 If you do, you[a] will never get rich; if you don't pay attention to small matters, you will gradually ruin yourself. 2 Wine and women make sensible men do foolish things. A man who goes to prostitutes gets more and more careless, 3 and that carelessness will cost him his life. Worms will feed on his decaying body.
4 It is silly to trust people too quickly. If you sin, you are hurting yourself. 5 If wickedness makes you happy, you will be condemned.
Loose Talk
6 Avoid idle talk, and you will avoid a lot of trouble. 7 Never repeat what you hear, and you will have no regrets. 8 Don't tell it to your friends or your enemies unless it would be sinful to keep it to yourself. 9 Whoever hears you will take note of it, and sooner or later will hate you for it. 10 Have you heard a rumor? Let it die with you. Be brave! It won't make you explode. 11 A foolish person trying to keep a secret suffers like a woman in labor. 12 Any time he hears a secret, it's like an arrow stuck in his leg.
13 If you hear that a friend has done something wrong, ask him about it. Maybe it isn't true. If it is true, he won't do it again. 14 If you hear that a neighbor has said something he shouldn't, ask him about it. Maybe he didn't say it. If he did, he won't say it again. 15 If you hear something bad about a friend, ask him about it. It might be a lie. Don't believe everything you hear. 16 A person may say something carelessly and not really mean it. Everyone has sinned in this way at one time or another. 17 If you hear something that makes you angry with your neighbor, ask him about it before you threaten him. Leave the matter to the Law of the Most High.[b]
Recognizing Real Wisdom
20 Fear the Lord and keep his Law; that is what Wisdom is all about.[c] 22 You may know everything there is to know about wickedness, but that does not make you wise. It is not sensible to follow the advice of sinners. 23 It is possible to use cleverness for wicked purposes, but some people act like fools because they don't know any better. 24 A devout person, even if he is not very intelligent, is better off than the cleverest of sinners. 25 It is possible to be marvelously clever and still be dishonest, or to get what you want by being absurdly polite.
26 Then there are those wicked people who go about looking very solemn and mournful, but who are only trying to deceive you. 27 They will turn their faces away and pretend not to hear you, but they'll take advantage of you when you least expect it. 28 If for some reason they are unable to sin now, they'll get around to it at the first opportunity. 29 You can know people by their appearance. The first time you look at them, you can tell if they have good sense. 30 Their character shows in the way they dress, the way they laugh, and the way they walk.
Footnotes
- Sirach 19:1 Hebrew If you do, you; Greek A worker who drinks too much.
- Sirach 19:17 Some manuscripts add verses 17c-19: and don't be angry. 18 Fearing the Lord is the first step toward his accepting you; he will love you if you are wise. 19 Learn the Lord's commands. It is a discipline that gives life. Those who do what pleases him enjoy the fruit of the tree of immortality.
- Sirach 19:20 Some manuscripts add verses 20b-21: and what the knowledge of his omnipotence means. 21 If a servant refuses to obey his master, but later does obey, the master is still angry.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
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Good News Translation (GNT) 
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