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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.
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