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Ben Sira 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 21
Dangers from Sin[a]
1 My child, if you have sinned, do so no more,
and for your past sins pray to be forgiven.
2 Flee from sin as from a serpent
that will bite you if you go near it;
Its teeth, lion’s teeth,
destroying human lives.
3 All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
when it cuts, there is no healing.(A)
4 Panic and pride wipe out wealth;
so too the house of the proud is uprooted.
5 Prayer from the lips of the poor is heard at once,
and justice is quickly granted them.
6 Whoever hates correction walks the sinner’s path,(B)
but whoever fears the Lord repents in his heart.
7 Glib speakers are widely known,
but when they slip the sensible perceive it.
8 Those who build their houses with someone else’s money
are like those who collect stones for their funeral mounds.
9 A band of criminals is like a bundle of tow;
they will end in a flaming fire.(C)
10 The path of sinners is smooth stones,
but its end is the pit of Sheol.[b]
The Wise and Foolish: A Contrast[c]
11 Those who keep the Law control their thoughts;
perfect fear of the Lord is wisdom.
12 One who is not clever can never be taught,
but there is a cleverness filled with bitterness.
13 The knowledge of the wise wells up like a flood,
and their counsel like a living spring.(D)
14 A fool’s mind is like a broken jar:
it cannot hold any knowledge at all.
15 When the intelligent hear a wise saying,
they praise it and add to it.
The wanton hear it with distaste
and cast it behind their back.
16 A fool’s chatter is like a load on a journey,
but delight is to be found on the lips of the intelligent.
17 The views of the prudent are sought in an assembly,
and their words are taken to heart.
18 Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool;
to the stupid, knowledge is incomprehensible chatter.
19 To the senseless, education is fetters on the feet,
like manacles on the right hand.
20 Fools raise their voice in laughter,
but the prudent at most smile quietly.(E)
21 Like a gold ornament is education to the wise,
like a bracelet on the right arm.
22 A fool steps boldly into a house,
while the well-bred are slow to make an entrance.(F)
23 A boor peeps through the doorway of a house,
but the educated stay outside.
24 It is rude for one to listen at a door;
the discreet person would be overwhelmed by the disgrace.
25 The lips of the arrogant talk of what is not their concern,
but the discreet carefully weigh their words.
26 The mind of fools is in their mouths,
but the mouth of the wise is in their mind.[d]
27 When the godless curse their adversary,[e]
they really curse themselves.
28 Slanderers sully themselves,
and are hated by their neighbors.
Footnotes
- 21:1–10 Under various figures, the consequences of sin are described as destructive of wealth, and even of life, deserving of death (vv. 2–4, 6a, 8–10). Fear of the Lord motivates repentance (vv. 5, 6b).
- 21:10 The path of sinners…Sheol: Ben Sira refers to the death that awaits unrepentant sinners; see notes on 11:26–28; 17:24–32.
- 21:11–28 The mind of the wise is a fountain of knowledge (vv. 13, 15); their will is trained to keep the Law (v. 11); their words are gracious, valued, carefully weighed, sincere (vv. 16–17, 25–26); their conduct is respectful, cultured and restrained (vv. 20, 22–24). The mind of the foolish is devoid of knowledge and impenetrable to it (vv. 12, 14, 18–19); their will rejects it (v. 15); their talk is burdensome (v. 16), their laughter unrestrained (v. 20), their conversation shallow and meddlesome (vv. 25–26); their conduct is bold and rude (vv. 22–24); their abuse of others redounds on themselves (vv. 27–28).
- 21:26 A clever play on words.
- 21:27 Curse their adversary: the curse of the godless often recoils on their own head; cf. Gn 27:29; Nm 24:9.
Sirach 21
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 21
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Various Sins
21 Have you sinned, my son? Do so no more,
but pray about your former sins.
2 Flee from sin as from a snake;
for if you approach sin, it will bite you.
Its teeth are lion’s teeth,
and destroy the souls of men.
3 All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
there is no healing for its wound.
4 Terror and violence will lay waste riches;
thus the house of the proud will be laid waste.
5 The prayer of a poor man goes from his lips to the ears of God,[a]
and his judgment comes speedily.
6 Whoever hates reproof walks in the steps of the sinner,
but he that fears the Lord will repent in his heart.
7 He who is mighty in speech is known from afar;
but the sensible man, when he slips, is aware of it.
8 A man who builds his house with other people’s money
is like one who gathers stones for his burial mound.[b]
9 An assembly of the wicked is like tow gathered together,
and their end is a flame of fire.
10 The way of sinners is smoothly paved with stones,
but at its end is the pit of Hades.
Wisdom and Foolishness
11 Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts,
and wisdom is the fulfilment of the fear of the Lord.
12 He who is not clever cannot be taught,
but there is a cleverness which increases bitterness.
13 The knowledge of a wise man will increase like a flood,
and his counsel like a flowing spring.
14 The mind of a fool is like a broken jar;
it will hold no knowledge.
15 When a man of understanding hears a wise saying,
he will praise it and add to it;
when a reveler hears it, he dislikes it
and casts it behind his back.
16 A fool’s narration is like a burden on a journey,
but delight will be found in the speech of the intelligent.
17 The utterance of a sensible man will be sought in the assembly,
and they will ponder his words in their minds.
18 Like a house that has vanished, so is wisdom to a fool;
and the knowledge of the ignorant is unexamined talk.
19 To a senseless man education is fetters on his feet,
and like manacles on his right hand.
20 A fool raises his voice when he laughs,
but a clever man smiles quietly.
21 To a sensible man education is like a golden ornament,
and like a bracelet on the right arm.
22 The foot of a fool rushes into a house,
but a man of experience stands respectfully before it.
23 A boor peers into the house from the door,
but a cultivated man remains outside.
24 It is ill-mannered for a man to listen at a door,
and a discreet man is grieved by the disgrace.
25 The lips of strangers will speak of these things,[c]
but the words of the prudent will be weighed in the balance.
26 The mind of fools is in their mouth,
but the mouth of wise men is in[d] their mind.
27 When an ungodly man curses his adversary,[e]
he curses his own soul.
28 A whisperer defiles his own soul
and is hated in his neighborhood.
Footnotes
- Sirach 21:5 Gk his ears
- Sirach 21:8 Other authorities read for the winter
- Sirach 21:25 The Greek text of this line is uncertain
- Sirach 21:26 Other authorities omit in
- Sirach 21:27 Or curses Satan
Sirach 21
Good News Translation
Sirach 21
Good News Translation
Sin
21 My child, have you sinned? Don't do it again, and pray for forgiveness for what you have already done. 2 Avoid sin as if it were a snake. If you get too near, it will sink its teeth into your soul like a lion, and destroy you. 3 Every lawless act leaves an incurable wound, like one left by a double-edged sword.
4 If a person is insolent and arrogant, he may lose everything he has.
5 (A)When poor people pray, God hears them and quickly answers their prayers.
6 If you refuse to accept correction, you are committing a sin; and if you fear the Lord, you will make a sincere change in your ways.
7 Someone may be famous as a good speaker, but when he is wrong, a sensible person will detect it.
8 Anyone who borrows money to build a house is just collecting stones for his own tomb.[a]
9 A group of people who have no respect for the Law is like a pile of kindling; they will meet a fiery end. 10 The road that sinners walk is smooth and paved, but it leads to the world of the dead.
Wisdom and Foolishness
11 Whoever wants to keep the Law must learn what the Law means. If you fear the Lord in every sense of the term, you will have wisdom. 12 You have to be intelligent to learn anything; but there is such a thing as just pretending to be intelligent, which only makes people bitter. 13 A wise person's knowledge is like a river that never runs dry, like an everflowing stream of good advice.
14 A fool, on the other hand, has a mind like a jar with a hole in it; anything he learns is soon lost.
15 When an educated person hears something that shows insight, it stimulates his mind and leads him on to other ideas. But when someone who is satisfied with ignorance hears it, he won't like it, and will forget it as soon as he can. 16 Listening to a foolish person talk is like traveling with a heavy load on your back, but it is a pleasure to hear what intelligent people have to say. 17 The assembly will be eager to hear from an intelligent person and will take his opinion seriously.
18 To an ignorant person, wisdom is as useless as a house gone to ruin. He has never even thought about the things he is so sure of. 19 To a person without any sense, an education is like handcuffs, 20-21 but to a sensible person, it is like gold bracelets. An intelligent person will smile quietly while a fool roars with laughter. 22-23 A stupid person will peep into someone's house through the door and then march right in, but someone with experience and good manners will have enough respect to wait outside. 24 Eavesdropping at doors is bad manners, and anyone with a sense of decency would be ashamed to do it.
25 Presumptuous people talk about things that are none of their business,[b] but the wise will consider the consequences of what they say. 26 Fools say whatever comes to mind; wise people think before they speak.
27 When a wicked person curses his enemy[c] he is cursing himself.
28 A gossip ruins his own character, and everyone in the neighborhood hates him.
Footnotes
- Sirach 21:8 his own tomb; some manuscripts have the winter.
- Sirach 21:25 Probable text Presumptuous...business; Greek The lips of strangers speak of these things.
- Sirach 21:27 his enemy; or Satan.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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