Sirach 21
21
Sirach 21
Various Sins
1 #
Sir 5.5
Have you sinned, my child? Do so no more,
but ask forgiveness for your past sins.
2 #
Prov 23.32
Flee from sin as from a snake,
for if you approach sin it will bite you.
Its teeth are lion’s teeth
and can destroy human lives.
3All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword;
there is no healing for the wound it inflicts.
4Panic and insolence will waste away riches;
thus the house of the proud will be uprooted.#21.4 Other ancient authorities read laid waste
5 #
Ex 3.9; Job 34.28; Ps 34.6 The prayer of the poor goes from their lips to the ears of God,#21.5 Gk his ears
and his judgment comes speedily.
6 #
Prov 12.1; 15.10 Those who hate reproof walk in the sinner’s steps,
but those who fear the Lord repent in their heart.
7The mighty in speech are widely known;
when they slip, the sensible person knows it.
8 #
Hab 2.6
Those who build their houses with other people’s money
are like those who gather stones for their own burial mounds.
9 #
Isa 1.31; Sir 16.6 An assembly of the lawless is like a bundle of tinder,
and their end is a blazing fire.
10 #
Prov 7.27
The way of sinners is paved with smooth stones,
but at its end is the pit of Hades.
Wisdom and Foolishness
11 #
Sir 1.18, 26 Those who keep the law control their thoughts,
and the fulfillment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
12 #
Sir 19.25
Those who are not clever cannot be taught,
but there is a cleverness that increases bitterness.
13 #
Prov 13.14; 18.4; Sir 24.25, 26 The knowledge of the wise will increase like a flood
and their counsel like a life-giving spring.
14 #
Jer 2.13; Sir 19.12 The mind#21.14 Syr Lat: Gk entrails of a fool is like a broken jar;
it can hold no knowledge.
15 #
Prov 1.5; 9.9 When intelligent people hear a wise saying,
they praise it and add to it;
when fools#21.15 Syr: Gk revelers hear it, they laugh at#21.15 Syr: Gk dislike it
and throw it behind their backs.
16 #
Eccl 10.12; Sir 20.13; 22.15 The chatter#21.16 Syr: Gk explanation of fools is like a burden on a journey,
but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.
17The utterance of sensible people is sought in the assembly,
and they ponder their words in their minds.
18 #
Prov 15.2
Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool,
and the knowledge of the ignorant is meaningless talk.
19To the senseless, education is fetters on their feet
and like manacles on their right hands.
20 #
Eccl 7.4, 6; Sir 19.30 Fools raise their voices when they laugh,
but the wise#21.20 Syr Lat: Gk clever smile quietly.
21To the sensible, education is like a golden ornament
and like a bracelet on the right arm.
22 #
Prov 25.17; 1 Tim 5.13 The foot of a fool rushes into a house,
but an experienced person waits respectfully outside.
23A boor peers into the house from the door,
but a cultivated person remains outside.
24It is ill-mannered for a person to listen at a door;
the discreet would be grieved by the disgrace.
25 #
Sir 28.25
The lips of babblers speak of what is not their concern,#21.25 Other ancient authorities read The lips of strangers speak of these things
but the words of the prudent are weighed in the balance.
26 #
Prov 14.33; 29.11; Sir 8.17 The mind of fools is in their mouth,
but the mouth of the wise is in#21.26 Other ancient authorities omit in their mind.
27 #
Ps 109.6, 7; Jn 8.44 When ungodly people curse an adversary,
they curse themselves.
28Whisperers degrade themselves
and are hated in their neighborhoods.
Currently Selected:
Sirach 21: NRSVUE
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.