Wisdom of Ben Sira 21:2-4

New Catholic Bible

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.
⁴ Panic and violence will wipe out riches;
    similarly the house of the proud man will be laid waste.^[a]