Sirach 27

¹Many have sinned for profit. He who seeks to multiply wealth will turn his eye away.

²As a nail will stick fast between the joinings of stones, so sin will thrust itself in between buying and selling.

³Unless a person holds on diligently to the fear of the Lord, his house will be overthrown quickly.

⁴In the shaking of a sieve, the refuse remains, so does the filth of man in his thoughts.

⁵The furnace tests the potter’s vessels; so the test of a person is in his thoughts.†⇄ (23 connections)

⁶The fruit of a tree discloses its cultivation, so is the utterance of the thought of a person’s heart.⇄ (1 connection)

⁷Praise no man before you hear his thoughts, for this is how people are tested.

⁸If you follow righteousness, you will obtain it, and put it on like a long robe of glory.

⁹Birds will return to their own kind, so truth will return to those who practice it.

¹⁰The lion lies in wait for prey. So does sin for those who do evil.

¹¹The discourse of a godly man is always wise, but the fool changes like the moon.†⇄ (10 connections)

¹²Limit your time among people void of understanding, but persevere among the thoughtful.†⇄ (18 connections)

¹³The talk of fools is offensive. Their laughter is wantonly sinful.

¹⁴Their talk with much swearing makes hair stand upright. Their strife makes others plug their ears.

¹⁵The strife of the proud leads to bloodshed. Their abuse of each other is a grievous thing to hear.

¹⁶He who reveals secrets destroys trust, and will not find a close friend.¶⇄ (3 connections)

¹⁷Love a friend, and keep faith with him; but if you reveal his secrets, you shall not follow him;

¹⁸for as a man has destroyed his enemy, so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor.

¹⁹As a bird which you have released out of your hand, so you have let your neighbor go, and you will not catch him again.

²⁰Don’t pursue him, for he has gone far away, and has escaped like a gazelle out of the snare.

²¹For a wound may be bound up, and after abuse there may be reconciliation; but he who reveals secrets is without hope.

²²One who winks the eye contrives evil things; and those who know him will keep their distance.

²³When you are present, he will speak sweetly, and will admire your words; but afterward he will twist his speech and set a trap in your words.

²⁴I have hated many things, but nothing like him. The Lord will hate him.

²⁵One who casts a stone straight up casts it on his own head. A deceitful blow opens wounds.† (1 connection)

²⁶He who digs a pit will fall into it. He who sets a snare will be caught in it.† (1 connection)

²⁷He who does evil things, they will roll back upon him, and he will not know where they came from.

²⁸Mockery and reproach are from the arrogant. Vengeance lies in wait for them like a lion.

²⁹Those who rejoice at the fall of the godly will be caught in a snare. Anguish will consume them before they die.

³⁰Wrath and anger, these also are abominations. A sinner will possess them.