Sirach 21
21
On sin
1My child, if you have sinned,
don’t do it any longer,
and pray concerning your previous sins.
2Run away from sin
like you would from a snake:
If you go near it, it will bite you.
Its teeth are lion’s teeth,
destroying a person’s life.
3All lawlessness is a two-edged sword,
and there’s no healing for its wound.
4Alarm and insolence will strip away wealth;
thus will an arrogant person’s house
be uprooted.
5The petition of the poor goes
from their mouth to God’s ears,
and his judgment comes quickly.
6Anyone who hates reproof
walks in the footsteps of a sinner,
and those who fear the Lord
will turn back to him from the heart.
7Those who are powerful in speech
are widely known,
but those who are thoughtful
know when they slip.
8Those who build their houses
with another person’s money
are like those who gather stones
for their own burial mound.
9A gathering of lawless people
is the same as bundled flax;
their end is a flaming fire.
10The path of sinners
is made level with stones,
but its end is the pit of hell.#21.10 LXX Hades; Heb Sheol
Wisdom and folly
11Those who keep the Law
become masters of their thoughts;
fearing the Lord
leads ultimately to wisdom.
12Those who aren’t clever
won’t receive instruction,
but there is a kind of cleverness
that makes troubles multiply.
13The knowledge of the wise
will increase like a flood,
and their counsel is like
a stream of life.
14The mind#21.14 LXX entrails of a fool is like a broken jar:
it can’t hold knowledge.
15If those who understand
hear a wise word;
they will praise it and add to it.
Those who like to indulge themselves
hear it and are displeased,
and they turn their back on it.
16A fool’s endless talk
is a burden while on a journey,
but grace will be found
on the lips of the intelligent.
17The speech of the prudent
will be sought out in an assembly,
and its members will take their words
to heart.
18Like a house in disrepair,
so is wisdom to the foolish,
and the knowledge of ignorant people
will not stand up to examination.
19Education is shackles
on the feet of the ignorant,
like manacles on their hand.
20Fools raise their voice in laughter,
but clever people will smile subtly
in silence.
21To the prudent,
education is like a gold ornament,
like a bracelet on the arm.
22The foolish enter quickly into a house,
but experienced people
will be ashamed to do so.#21.22 Heb An honorable person will stand outside.
23The senseless peer into a house
through the door,
but the educated will stand outside.
24Ignorance causes people to listen
through a door,
but the prudent will be distressed
at the dishonor of doing so.
25The lips of strangers
will report these things,
but the words of the prudent
will be placed on a balance.
26Fools say whatever is on their minds,
but the wise remain mindful
of what they say.
27When the ungodly
curse their enemies,#21.27 LXX the satan
they curse themselves.
28Those who whisper stain themselves,
and they will be hated
by their neighbors.
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Sirach 21: CEB
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