Sirach 34:29-31

Common English Bible

²⁹ One person prays,
and another person curses;
    to whose voice will the master listen?
³⁰ When people bathe after touching
a corpse and touch it again,
    what have they gained by washing?
³¹ So when people fast because of their sins,
    and then go and do the same
    things again,
    who will listen to their prayer,
    and what did they gain
    by humbling themselves?