Ben Sira 21:1-11

1 My child, have you sinned? Don't do it again, and pray for forgiveness for what you have already done.
2 Avoid sin as if it were a snake. If you get too near, it will sink its teeth into your soul like a lion, and destroy you.
3 Every lawless act leaves an incurable wound, like one left by a double-edged sword.
4 If a person is insolent and arrogant, he may lose everything he has.
5 When poor people pray, God hears them and quickly answers their prayers. 1
6 If you refuse to accept correction, you are committing a sin; and if you fear the Lord, you will make a sincere change in your ways.
7 Someone may be famous as a good speaker, but when he is wrong, a sensible person will detect it.
8 Anyone who borrows money to build a house is just collecting stones for his own tomb.
9 A group of people who have no respect for the Law is like a pile of kindling; they will meet a fiery end.
10 The road that sinners walk is smooth and paved, but it leads to the world of the dead.
11 Whoever wants to keep the Law must learn what the Law means. If you fear the Lord in every sense of the term, you will have wisdom.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 21.5Ben Sira 35.17-19.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. his own tomb; [some manuscripts have] the winter.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.