Sirach 21:1-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Various Sins
21 Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more,
but ask forgiveness for your past sins.(A)
2 Flee from sin as from a snake,
for if you approach sin it will bite you.
Its teeth are lion’s teeth
and can destroy human lives.(B)
3 All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
there is no healing for the wound it inflicts.
4 Panic and insolence will waste away riches;
thus the house of the proud will be uprooted.[a]
5 The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God,[b]
and his judgment comes speedily.(C)
6 Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner’s steps,
but those who fear the Lord repent in their heart.(D)
7 The mighty in speech are widely known;
when they slip, the sensible person knows it.
8 Those who build their houses with other people’s money
are like those who gather stones for their own burial mounds.(E)
9 An assembly of the lawless is like a bundle of tinder,
and their end is a blazing fire.(F)
10 The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones,
but at its end is the pit of Hades.(G)
Wisdom and Foolishness
11 Those who keep the law control their thoughts,
and the fulfillment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.(H)
12 Those who are not clever cannot be taught,
but there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.(I)
13 The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood
and their counsel like a life-giving spring.(J)
14 The mind[c] of a fool is like a broken jar;
it can hold no knowledge.(K)
15 When intelligent people hear a wise saying,
they praise it and add to it;
when fools[d] hear it, they laugh at[e] it
and throw it behind their backs.(L)
16 The chatter[f] of fools is like a burden on a journey,
but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.(M)
17 The utterance of sensible people is sought in the assembly,
and they ponder their words in their minds.
Acts 19:21-41
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Riot in Ephesus
21 Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.”(A) 22 So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.(B)
23 About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way.(C) 24 A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans.(D) 25 These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, “Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. 26 You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods.(E) 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.”
28 When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(F) 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and people[a] rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travel companions.(G) 30 Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; 31 even some officials of the province of Asia[b] who were friendly to him sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.(H) 33 Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people.(I) 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven?(J) 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our[c] goddess.(K) 38 If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another.(L) 39 If there is anything further[d] you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
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Sirach 22:6-22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
6 Like music in time of mourning is ill-timed conversation,
but a thrashing and discipline are at all times wisdom.[a](A)
Wisdom and Folly
9 Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together
or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
10 Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man,
and at the end he will say, “What is it?”
11 Weep for the dead, for they have left the light behind,
and weep for the fool, for they have left intelligence behind.
Weep less bitterly for the dead, for they are at rest,
but the life of the fool is worse than death.(B)
12 Mourning for the dead lasts seven days,
but for the foolish or the ungodly it lasts all the days of their lives.(C)
13 Do not talk much with senseless people
or visit unintelligent people.[b]
Stay clear of them, or you may have trouble
and be spattered when they shake themselves off.
Avoid them and you will find rest,
and you will never be wearied by their lack of sense.
14 What is heavier than lead?
And what is its name except “Fool”?
15 Sand, salt, and a piece of iron
are easier to bear than a stupid person.(D)
16 A wooden beam firmly bonded into a building
is not loosened by an earthquake;
so the mind firmly resolved after due reflection
will not be afraid in a crisis.(E)
17 A mind settled on an intelligent thought
is like plaster decoration that makes a wall smooth.
18 Fences[c] set on a high place
will not stand firm against the wind;
so a timid mind with a fool’s resolve
will not stand firm against any fear.(F)
The Preservation of Friendship
19 One who pricks the eye brings tears,
and one who pricks the heart makes clear its feelings.
20 One who throws a stone at birds scares them away,
and one who reviles a friend destroys a friendship.(G)
21 Even if you draw your sword against a friend,
do not despair, for there is a way back.
22 If you open your mouth against your friend,
do not worry, for reconciliation is possible.
But as for reviling, arrogance, disclosure of secrets, or a treacherous blow—
in these cases any friend will take to flight.(H)
Footnotes
- 22.6 Other ancient authorities add 22.7–8:
Children who are brought up in a good life conceal the lowly birth of their parents. Children who glory in contempt and ignorance stain the nobility of their kindred. - 22.13 Other ancient authorities add For being without sense he will despise everything about you
- 22.18 Other ancient authorities read Pebbles
Acts 20:1-16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Paul Goes to Macedonia and Greece
20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left for Macedonia.(A) 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece, 3 where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, so he decided to return through Macedonia.(B) 4 He was accompanied[a] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.(C) 5 They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas, 6 but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.(D)
Paul’s Farewell Visit to Troas
7 On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight.(E) 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. 9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bending over him took him in his arms and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”(F) 11 Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. 12 Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
The Voyage from Troas to Miletus
13 We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there, for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. 14 When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and[b] the day after that we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.(G)
Read full chapterNew Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.