SIRACH 5

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¹Set not thy heart upon thy goods; And say not, They are sufficient for me.

²Follow not thine own mind and thy strength, To walk in the desires of thy heart;

³And say not, Who shall have dominion over me? For the Lord will surely take vengeance on thee.

⁴Say not, I sinned, and what happened unto me? For the Lord is longsuffering.

⁵Concerning atonement, be not without fear, To add sin upon sins:

⁶And say not, His compassion is great; He will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: For mercy and wrath are with him, And his indignation will rest upon sinners.

⁷Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord; And put not off from day to day: For suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth; And thou shalt perish in the time of vengeance.

⁸Set not thine heart upon unrighteous gains: For thou shalt profit nothing in the day of calamity.

⁹Winnow not with every wind, And walk not in every path: Thus doeth the sinner that hath a double tongue.

¹⁰Be stedfast in thy understanding; And let thy word be one.

¹¹Be swift to hear; And with patience make thine answer.

¹²If thou hast understanding, answer thy neighbour; And if not, let thy hand be upon thy mouth.

¹³Glory and dishonour is in talk: And the tongue of a man is his fall.

¹⁴Be not called a whisperer; And lie not in wait with thy tongue: For upon the thief there is shame, And an evil condemnation upon him that hath a double tongue.

¹⁵In a great matter and in a small, be not ignorant;