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29 For deeper than the sea are her thoughts,
    and her counsels, than the great abyss.

30 Now I, like a stream from a river,[a]
    and like water channeling into a garden—
31 I said, “I will water my plants,
    I will drench my flower beds.”
Then suddenly this stream of mine became a river,
    and this river of mine became a sea.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:30–33 Ben Sira again speaks about himself. He had at first drawn a small portion of the water of wisdom for his own private benefit, but finding it so useful, he soon began to let others share in this boon by teaching them the lessons of wisdom. Like the words of the prophets, Ben Sira’s instruction is valuable for all generations (v. 33). The comparison to prophecy is bold and unique.