Ben Sira 34:5-15

5 Dreams, divination, and omens are all nonsense. You see in them only what you want to see.
6 Unless the Most High has sent you the dream, pay no attention to it.
7 Dreams have misled many people; they put their faith in them, only to be disappointed.
8 The Law is complete without such falsehood. Wisdom, as spoken by the righteous, is also complete without it.
9 A well-traveled person with wide experience knows many things and talks sense.
10 You can't know much if you haven't experienced much, but travel can make you more clever.
11 In my own travels I have seen many things and learned more than I can put into words.
12 I have been in danger of death many times, but I have always been able to escape by relying on past experience.
13 Those who fear the Lord will live, because they have put their trust in the one who can save them.
14 Fear the Lord, and you will have nothing else to fear. If your trust is in him, you will never act like a coward.
15 People who fear the Lord are fortunate, because they know where they can look for help.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. [Probable text] You see . . . to see; [Greek] The mind has an imagination like a woman in labor.
  • [b]. A well-traveled; [some manuscripts have] An educated.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.