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Ben Sira 28
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 28
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 28
1 The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance;
indeed he remembers their sins in detail.(A)
2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.(B)
3 Does anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the Lord?(C)
4 Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself,
yet seek pardon for one’s own sins?
5 If a mere mortal cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
6 Remember your last days and set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!(D)
7 Remember the commandments and do not be angry with your neighbor;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.
8 Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer,
for the hot-tempered kindle strife;
9 The sinner disrupts friendships
and sows discord among those who are at peace.(E)
10 The more the wood, the greater the fire,(F)
the more the cruelty, the fiercer the strife;
The greater the strength, the sterner the anger,
the greater the wealth, the greater the wrath.
11 Pitch and resin make fire flare up,
and a hasty quarrel provokes bloodshed.
The Evil Tongue[a]
12 If you blow on a spark, it turns into flame,
if you spit on it, it dies out;
yet both you do with your mouth!
13 Cursed be gossips and the double-tongued,
for they destroy the peace of many.(G)
14 A meddlesome tongue subverts many,
and makes them refugees among peoples.
It destroys strong cities,
and overthrows the houses of the great.
15 A meddlesome tongue drives virtuous women from their homes,
and robs them of the fruit of their toil.
16 Whoever heed it will find no rest,
nor will they dwell in peace.
17 A blow from a whip raises a welt,
but a blow from the tongue will break bones.
18 Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,
but not as many as by the tongue.(H)
19 Happy the one who is sheltered from it,
and has not endured its wrath;
Who has not borne its yoke
nor been bound with its chains.
20 For its yoke is a yoke of iron,
and its chains are chains of bronze;
21 The death it inflicts is an evil death,
even Sheol is preferable to it.
22 It will have no power over the godly,
nor will they be burned in its flame.
23 But those who forsake the Lord will fall victim to it,
as it burns among them unquenchably;
It will hurl itself against them like a lion,
and like a leopard, it will tear them to pieces.
24 As you fence in your property with thorns,
so make a door and a bolt for your mouth.(I)
25 As you lock up your silver and gold,
so make balances and scales for your words.
26 Take care not to slip by your tongue
and fall victim to one lying in ambush.
Footnotes
- 28:12–26 Further treatment of sins of the tongue and the havoc that results; cf. 5:9–6:1; 19:5–17; 20:18–26; 23:7–15. Gossips and the double-tongued destroy domestic peace (vv. 12–16). The whip, the sword, chains, even Sheol, are not so cruel as the suffering inflicted by an evil tongue (vv. 17–21). Not the godly but those who forsake the Lord are victims of their evil tongues (vv. 22–23). Therefore, guard your mouth and tongue as you would guard treasure against an enemy (vv. 24–26).
Sirach 28
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 28
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
28 He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord,
and he will firmly establish[a] his sins.
2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,
and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
3 Does a man harbor anger against another,
and yet seek for healing from the Lord?
4 Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself,
and yet pray for his own sins?
5 If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath,
who will make expiation for his sins?
6 Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity,
remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments.
7 Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance.
8 Refrain from strife, and you will lessen sins;
for a man given to anger will kindle strife,
9 and a sinful man will disturb friends
and inject enmity among those who are at peace.
10 In proportion to the fuel for the fire, so will be the burning,
and in proportion to the obstinacy of strife will be the burning;[b]
in proportion to the strength of the man will be his anger,
and in proportion to his wealth he will heighten his wrath.
11 A hasty quarrel kindles fire,
and urgent strife sheds blood.
The Evil Tongue
12 If you blow on a spark, it will glow;
if you spit on it, it will be put out;
and both come out of your mouth.
13 Curse the whisperer and deceiver,
for he has destroyed many who were at peace.
14 Slander[c] has shaken many,
and scattered them from nation to nation,
and destroyed strong cities,
and overturned the houses of great men.
15 Slander[d] has driven away courageous women,
and deprived them of the fruit of their toil.
16 Whoever pays heed to slander[e] will not find rest,
nor will he settle down in peace.
17 The blow of a whip raises a welt,
but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.
18 Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,
but not so many as have fallen because of the tongue.
19 Happy is the man who is protected from it,
who has not been exposed to its anger,
who has not borne its yoke,
and has not been bound with its fetters;
20 for its yoke is a yoke of iron,
and its fetters are fetters of bronze;
21 its death is an evil death,
and Hades is preferable to it.
22 It will not be master over the godly,
and they will not be burned in its flame.
23 Those who forsake the Lord will fall into its power;
it will burn among them and will not be put out.
It will be sent out against them like a lion;
like a leopard it will mangle them.
24 See that you fence in your property with thorns,
lock up your silver and gold,
25 make balances and scales for your words,
and make a door and a bolt for your mouth.
26 Beware lest you err with your tongue,[f]
lest you fall before him who lies in wait.
Footnotes
- Sirach 28:1 Other authorities read closely observe
- Sirach 28:10 Other authorities place this line at the end of the verse, or omit it
- Sirach 28:14 Gk a third tongue
- Sirach 28:15 Gk a third tongue
- Sirach 28:16 Gk it
- Sirach 28:26 Gk with it
Sirach 28
Good News Translation
Sirach 28
Good News Translation
28 1 The Lord is taking note of your sins, and if you take vengeance on someone, the Lord will take vengeance on you. 2 (A)But if you forgive someone who has wronged you, your sins will be forgiven when you pray. 3 You cannot expect the Lord to pardon you while you are holding a grudge against someone else. 4 You yourself are a sinner, and if you won't forgive another person, you have no right to pray that the Lord will forgive your sins. 5 If you cannot get rid of your anger, you have no hope of forgiveness—you are only a human being. 6 Think about it! Some day you will die, and your body will decay. So give up hate and live by the Lord's commands, 7 the commands in the covenant of the Most High. Instead of getting upset over your neighbor's faults, overlook them.
Arguments
8 If you stay out of arguments, you will not sin so much, because a hot temper gets them started. 9 It is sinful to break up a friendship by creating hostility among people who get along well together. 10 The more fuel, the hotter the fire. The more stubbornness, the hotter the argument. And the stronger or richer people are, the angrier they can afford to become. 11 An argument that blazes out suddenly can lead to violence. 12 You can blow on a spark to make it glow, or you can spit on it to put it out. Either way, you do it with your mouth.
Vicious Talk
13 (B)Gossips and liars deserve to be cursed, because they have been the ruin of many people who were minding their own business. 14 Many have had their lives ruined and have been driven from their homes because of people who meddled in their business. Such unwanted interference has resulted in the destruction of strong cities and the homes of respected people. 15 Meddlers have caused faithful wives to be divorced, robbed of everything they had worked for. 16 Anyone who pays attention to slander can never find peace of mind. 17 A whip can raise a welt, but a vicious tongue can break bones. 18 More people have died as a result of loose talk than were ever killed by swords. 19-20 Count yourself lucky if you have been spared the experience of having irresponsible talk directed against you—if you have never had that iron yoke around your neck or those heavy chains on your legs. 21 Slander leads to a miserable death; but in fact, you'd be better off dead.
22 Devout people, however, cannot be overcome by slander; they cannot be burned by its flames. 23 Its victims are those who have abandoned the Lord; once the fire of slander has been lit among them, it cannot be put out. Slander will pounce on them like a lion and tear them to pieces like a leopard.
24 Don't you fence in your property? Don't you lock up your money? 25 Well, be just as careful with what you say. Weigh every word, and have a lock ready for your mouth. 26 Someone may be waiting for you to slip, and if you are not careful, you will stumble over your own words and fall down in front of him.
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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