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Wisdom of Ben Sira 5:9-11
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 5:9-11
New Catholic Bible
Be Resolute and in Control of Yourself[a]
9 Do not winnow in every wind,
or walk along every road.[b]
10 Be steadfast in your convictions
and consistent in your speech.
11 Be quick to listen
but deliberate in offering your answer.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 5:9 Those who have few words are appreciated by all. This wisdom is suspicious of the dynamism of human beings and leads, above all, to condemnation of opportunism and instability. People must “be” rather than “seem to be.”
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 5:9 Do not winnow in every wind, or walk along every road: this is the author’s way of condemning duplicity. Some early MSS add: “as is the way of the double-tongued sinner,” which appears to be a doublet of verse 1.
