Font Size
Ben Sira 27
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 27
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 27
1 For the sake of profit many sin,
and the struggle for wealth blinds the eyes.(A)
2 A stake will be driven between fitted stones—
sin will be wedged in between buying and selling.
3 Unless one holds fast to the fear of the Lord,
with sudden swiftness will one’s house be thrown down.
4 When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do people’s faults when they speak.[a]
5 The furnace tests the potter’s vessels;
the test of a person is in conversation.(B)
6 The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so speech discloses the bent of a person’s heart.(C)
7 Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested.
8 If you strive after justice, you will attain it,
and wear it like a splendid robe.
9 Birds nest with their own kind,
and honesty comes to those who work at it.
10 A lion lies in wait for prey,
so does sin for evildoers.
11 The conversation of the godly is always wisdom,
but the fool changes like the moon.
12 Limit the time you spend among the stupid,
but frequent the company of the thoughtful.
13 The conversation of fools is offensive,
and their laughter is wanton sin.
14 Their oath-filled talk makes the hair stand on end,
and their brawls make one stop the ears.
15 The wrangling of the proud ends in bloodshed,
and their cursing is painful to hear.(D)
16 Whoever betrays a secret destroys confidence,[b]
and will never find a congenial friend.(E)
17 Cherish your friend, keep faith with him;
but if you betray his secrets, do not go after him;
18 For as one might kill another,
you have killed your neighbor’s friendship.
19 Like a bird released from your hand,
you have let your friend go and cannot recapture him.
20 Do not go after him, for he is far away,
and has escaped like a gazelle from a snare.
21 For a wound can be bandaged, and an insult forgiven,
but whoever betrays secrets does hopeless damage.(F)
Malice, Anger and Vengeance
22 Whoever has shifty eyes plots mischief
and those who know him will keep their distance;
23 In your presence he uses honeyed talk,
and admires your words,
But later he changes his tone
and twists the words to your ruin.(G)
24 I have hated many things but not as much as him,
and the Lord hates him as well.(H)
25 A stone falls back on the head of the one who throws it high,(I)
and a treacherous blow causes many wounds.
26 Whoever digs a pit falls into it,
and whoever lays a snare is caught in it.[c]
27 The evil anyone does will recoil on him
without knowing how it came upon him.
28 Mockery and abuse will befall the arrogant,
and vengeance lies in wait for them like a lion.
29 Those who rejoice in the downfall of the godly will be caught in a snare,
and pain will consume them before they die.
30 Wrath and anger, these also are abominations,
yet a sinner holds on to them.
Footnotes
- 27:4–7, 11–15 The importance of effective speech is a favorite wisdom topic; e.g., cf. 20:1–8, 18–20; 22:27–23:15.
- 27:16–28:11 Betrayal of confidence through indiscretion destroys friendship and does irreparable harm (27:16–21); cf. 22:22. False friendship based on hypocrisy and deceit is hateful to Ben Sira and, he adds, to God as well (27:22–24); it soon becomes a victim of its own treachery (27:25–27). The same fate awaits the malicious and vengeful (27:28–28:1). They can obtain mercy and forgiveness only by first forgiving their neighbor, being mindful of death and of the commandments of the Most High (28:2–7). And they must avoid quarrels and strife (28:8–11).
- 27:26 This expresses a popular idea of act and consequence; an evil (or good) deed is repaid by an evil (or good) result. The frequent metaphor is the digging of a hole for another to fall into; cf. Prv 26:27; Ps 7:14; 9:16; Eccl 10:8.
Sirach 27
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 27
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
27 Many have committed sin for a trifle,[a]
and whoever seeks to get rich will avert his eyes.
2 As a stake is driven firmly into a fissure between stones,
so sin is wedged in between selling and buying.
3 If a man is not steadfast and zealous in the fear of the Lord,
his house will be quickly overthrown.
Tests in Life
4 When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains;
so a man’s filth remains in his thoughts.
5 The kiln tests the potter’s vessels;
so the test of a man is in his reasoning.
6 The fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree;
so the expression of a thought discloses the cultivation of a man’s mind.
7 Do not praise a man before you hear him reason,
for this is the test of men.
Reward and Retribution
8 If you pursue justice, you will attain it
and wear it as a glorious robe.
9 Birds flock with their kind;
so truth returns to those who practice it.
10 A lion lies in wait for prey;
so does sin for the workers of iniquity.
Varieties of Speech
11 The talk of the godly man is always wise,
but the fool changes like the moon.
12 Among stupid people watch for a chance to leave,
but among thoughtful people stay on.
13 The talk of fools is offensive,
and their laughter is wantonly sinful.
14 The talk of men given to swearing makes one’s hair stand on end,
and their quarrels make a man stop his ears.
15 The strife of the proud leads to bloodshed,
and their abuse is grievous to hear.
Betraying Secrets
16 Whoever betrays secrets destroys confidence,
and he will never find a congenial friend.
17 Love your friend and keep faith with him;
but if you betray his secrets, do not run after him.
18 For as a man destroys his enemy,
so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor.
19 And as you allow a bird to escape from your hand,
so you have let your neighbor go, and will not catch him again.
20 Do not go after him, for he is too far off,
and has escaped like a gazelle from a snare.
21 For a wound may be bandaged,
and there is reconciliation after abuse,
but whoever has betrayed secrets is without hope.
Hypocrisy and Retribution
22 Whoever winks his eye plans evil deeds,
and no one can keep him from them.
23 In your presence his mouth is all sweetness,
and he admires your words;
but later he will twist his speech
and with your own words he will give offense.
24 I have hated many things, but none to be compared to him;
even the Lord will hate him.
25 Whoever throws a stone straight up throws it on his own head;
and a treacherous blow opens up wounds.
26 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and he who sets a snare will be caught in it.
27 If a man does evil, it will roll back upon him,
and he will not know where it came from.
28 Mockery and abuse issue from the proud man,[b]
but vengeance lies in wait for him like a lion.
29 Those who rejoice in the fall of the godly will be caught in a snare,
and pain will consume them before their death.
Anger and Vengeance
30 Anger and wrath, these also are abominations,
and the sinful man will possess them.
Footnotes
- Sirach 27:1 One ancient authority reads gain
- Sirach 27:28 Other authorities read proud men
Sirach 27
Good News Translation
Sirach 27
Good News Translation
27 1 Many people have sinned while looking for a profit; if you want to be rich you have to keep blinders on your eyes. 2 It is hard to remove a peg that is stuck between two stones of a house, and it is just as hard to remove dishonesty from buying and selling. 3 Unless you are determined in your fear of the Lord, your house is going to come down on you.
Speech Reflects True Feelings
4 Your talk shows your faults; it is like a sieve that separates out the rubbish. 5 The way you think shows your character just as surely as a kiln shows any flaws in the pottery being fired. 6 (A)You can tell how well a tree has been cared for by the fruit it bears, and you can tell a person's feelings by the way he expresses himself. 7 Never praise anyone before you hear him talk; that is the real test.
Honesty
8 If you try to be honest, you can be, and it will improve your character as handsome clothing improves your appearance. 9 Birds come to roost with those of their own kind, and the habit of honesty comes to those who try to be honest. 10 Sin waits for those looking for a chance to sin, just as a lion waits for prey.
Foolish Talk
11 When devout people talk, what they say always makes sense, but foolish people are always contradicting themselves. 12 When you find yourself with stupid people, look for some excuse to leave, but when you are with serious-minded people, stay as long as you can.
13 The stories that foolish people tell are offensive, and they make jokes about the worst kinds of sin. 14 When such people curse, it is enough to make your hair stand on end, and when they start arguing among themselves, all you can do is to stop up your ears. 15 It is painful to listen to them insult each other, and such blustering can lead to violence.
Betraying Secrets
16 (B)If you repeat secrets that have been told to you, you are destroying the confidence others have in you, and you will never have a close friend. 17 Respect your friends, and keep faith with them. If you do betray a friend's confidence, you may as well forget you have a friend. 18 You have killed that friendship just as surely as if you had taken a weapon and killed an enemy. 19 Your friend is gone. You can no more get him back than you can get a bird to come back to your hand once you let it go. 20 Don't bother going after him. It's too late. He is gone, like a deer escaped from a trap. 21 Wounds can be bandaged and insults can be forgiven, but if you betray a confidence, it is hopeless.
Hypocrisy
22 When someone starts winking at you, he has something bad in mind, and nothing can stop him from going through with it. 23 When he's with you, his talk is so nice! He compliments you on every word you say. But behind your back it's a different story; he will take what you have said and turn it against you. 24 There is nothing in the world that I hate as much as a person like that—and the Lord hates him too.
25 Throw a stone straight up in the air and it will come down on your head. Strike a blow, and you yourself will be wounded. 26 People who set traps fall into them themselves. 27 People who hurt others will be hurt by their own actions and will have no idea why.
28 Arrogant people insult others and make fun of them,[a] but someone is waiting like a lion for a chance to take revenge on them. 29 Those who are happy to witness the downfall of devout people are going to fall into a trap and die a painful death.
Resentment
30 Anger and a hot temper are horrible things, but sinners have both.
Footnotes
- Sirach 27:28 insult others...them; or will be insulted and mocked.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.