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Wisdom of Ben Sira 21:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 21:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 21
Sin and Sinners[a]
1 My child, have you sinned? Do not sin anymore,
and ask forgiveness for your past sins.
2 Flee from sin as from a snake,
for it will bite you if you approach it.
Its teeth are like a lion’s teeth
and can take away human lives.
3 All law-breaking is like a two-edged sword;
the wound it inflicts cannot be healed.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 21:1 The way of sinners leads to perdition (whose symbol is the netherworld), the place without hope (v. 10). But God takes into consideration the prayer and repentance of the poor, i.e., the lowly.