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Wisdom of Ben Sira 28:11-13
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 28:11-13
New Catholic Bible
11 A sudden quarrel kindles a fire,
and a hasty dispute leads to bloodshed.
12 If you blow on a spark, it will flare into a flame;
if you spit on it, it will die out;
yet you achieve both results with your mouth.
The Greatest Scourge Is the Tongue[a]
13 Cursed be the gossipers and the double-tongued,
for they destroy many who live in harmony.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 28:13 The evil tongue inflames conflicts and destroys reputations; it is evil personified. The just preserve themselves from its blows and refrain from lending a willing ear to it. James was surely thinking of this advice when he wrote his Letter (Jas 3:1-12).
