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Wisdom of Ben Sira 15:9-11
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 15:9-11
New Catholic Bible
9 Praise is unseemly on the lips of a sinner,
for its source has not been God.
10 Praise is uttered only by the tongue of the wise,
and the Lord himself prompts it.
God’s Providence and Human Freedom[a]
God Created Man and Left Him Free[b]
11 Do not say, “God is responsible for my falling away,”
for you ought not do[c] what he hates.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 15:11 Sin infests life; it seems ineradicable. This is a mystery of the human condition.
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 15:11 The Lord is horrified by sin and cannot be the origin of evil. Even though human beings are created by God and none of their acts escapes God, they remain completely masters of their destiny (Gen 2:16f; Deut 30:15). Life and death, i.e., fidelity and impiety, are offered each day to the dramatic choice of humans.
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 15:11 You ought not do: some early MSS read: “he does not do.”
