Sirach 15  Good News Translation

15 If you fear the Lord, you will do this. Master his Law, and you will find Wisdom. ² She will come to welcome you, like a mother or a young bride. ³ She will give you wisdom and knowledge like food and drink. ⁴ Rely on her for support, and you will never know the disgrace of failure. ⁵ She will make you more honored than all your neighbors; when you speak in the assembly, she will give you the right words. ⁶ You will find happiness and genuine joy; your name will be remembered forever.

⁷ But people who are foolish or sinful will never even catch sight of Wisdom. ⁸ She will have nothing to do with conceited people; she never enters the mind of liars. ⁹ It is not appropriate for a sinner to sing hymns of praise, because his worship is insincere. ¹⁰ A hymn should be an expression of wisdom, inspired by the Lord himself.

Free Will

^11 (A)Don't blame the Lord for your sin; the Lord does not cause what he hates.^{[a] 12} Don't claim that he has misled you; he doesn't need the help of sinners to accomplish his purposes. ¹³ The Lord hates evil in all its forms, and those who fear the Lord find nothing attractive in evil. ¹⁴ When, in the beginning, the Lord created human beings, he left them free to do as they wished. ¹⁵ If you want to, you can keep the Lord's commands. You can decide whether you will be loyal to him or not. ¹⁶ He has placed fire and water before you; reach out and take whichever you want. ¹⁷ You have a choice between life and death; you will get whichever you choose. ¹⁸ The Lord's wisdom and power are great and he sees everything. ¹⁹ He is aware of everything a person does, and he takes care of those who fear him. ²⁰ He has never commanded anyone to be wicked or given anyone permission to sin.