Sirach 19
19
1A worker who is always drunk
will never get rich,
and people who are careless
with small things
will gradually slip
into poverty.
2Even a wise man can be deceived
by wine and women,
and men who visit prostitutes
are taking terrible risks.
3Death will come suddenly,
then their bodies will rot
and be eaten by worms.
4If you trust people too quickly,
you aren't very smart.
If you sin, you harm yourself.
5And if you are happy about evil,
you will be judged guilty.
Rumors and Gossip
6Trouble doesn't stay
where gossip is hated.
7It doesn't cost you a thing
to forget a rumor.
8So don't tell it to your enemies
or even your friends,
unless you would be doing wrong
by not speaking up.
9People may be listening
and watching,
and if you repeat gossip,
they might start hating you.
10Treat rumors as secrets
to be kept until you die;
they can even make you feel
as though you might explode,
but be brave—you won't.
11It's harder for a fool
not to repeat gossip,
than for a woman in labor
not to give birth
12or a soldier to ignore an arrow
sticking out of his leg.
* 13Talk to friends or neighbors
if you hear that they
have wronged you
or said something to harm
your reputation.
14If they didn't do it,
you will find out,
and if they did,
they won't do it again.
15Talk to them and get the truth,
because you should not believe
everything you hear.
16We are all guilty
of saying things
that we didn't really mean.
17So don't threaten your friends
before you talk with them,
and always obey the Law
of God Most High.
Fear the Lord
18 #
Gn 2.9; 3.22-24. If you fear the Lord,
he will accept you,
and if you are wise,
he will give you his love.
19If you learn and follow
the Lord's commands,
you will please him,
and he will allow you to eat
fruit from the tree
that lets you live forever.#19.18,19 tree … forever: Verses 18,19 are not in some manuscripts.
20Fearing the Lord
and obeying his Law
are really the same
as having wisdom.
21If slaves refuse to do
what they are told,
their master will be angry
even if they later obey.
22Sin isn't the source of Wisdom,
and so sinners cannot give
good advice.
23Some people are clever
in doing disgusting things;
others are fools only because
they never learned wisdom.
24It is better to fear the Lord
and not be so intelligent,
than to be very smart
and to break his Law.
25Some people are highly skilled
at being unfair
and can even twist your kindness
to help them win
their case in court.
26Some dishonest people
act like they are mourning,
27hiding their faces from you
and pretending not to listen.
But they will use your words
to take advantage of you
when no one is looking.
28They may not be able
to do so now,
but they will wrong you
the first chance they get.
29Merely by looking at people
you know what they are like.
And the first time you meet,
you can tell if someone
has good sense
30by what they wear
and how they walk or laugh.
Currently Selected:
Sirach 19: CEVDCI
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.