Ben Sira 28:5-15

5 If you cannot get rid of your anger, you have no hope of forgiveness - you are only a human being.
6 Think about it! Some day you will die, and your body will decay. So give up hate and live by the Lord's commands,
7 the commands in the covenant of the Most High. Instead of getting upset over your neighbor's faults, overlook them.
8 If you stay out of arguments, you will not sin so much, because a hot temper gets them started.
9 It is sinful to break up a friendship by creating hostility among people who get along well together.
10 The more fuel, the hotter the fire. The more stubbornness, the hotter the argument. And the stronger or richer people are, the angrier they can afford to become.
11 An argument that blazes out suddenly can lead to violence.
12 You can blow on a spark to make it glow, or you can spit on it to put it out. Either way, you do it with your mouth.
13 Gossips and liars deserve to be cursed, because they have been the ruin of many people who were minding their own business. 1
14 Many have had their lives ruined and have been driven from their homes because of people who meddled in their business. Such unwanted interference has resulted in the destruction of strong cities and the homes of respected people.
15 Meddlers have caused faithful wives to be divorced, robbed of everything they had worked for.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 28.13-26Ben Sira 51.2-6;James 3.5-12.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.