Sirach 5
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1 Set not thy heart upon unjust possessions, and say not: I have enough to live on: for it shall be of no service in the time of vengeance and darkness.
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2 Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:
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3 And say not: How mighty am I? and who shall bring me under for my deeds? for God will surely take revenge.
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4 Say not: I have sinned, and what harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a patient rewarder.
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5 Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:
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6 And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.
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7 For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.
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8 Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.
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9 For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.
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10 Be not anxious for goods unjustly gotten: for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity and revenge.
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11 Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so is every sinner proved by a double tongue.
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12 Be steadfast in the way of the Lord, and in the truth of thy judgment, and in knowledge, and let the word of peace and justice keep with thee.
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13 Be meek to hear the word, that thou mayst understand: and return a true answer with wisdom.
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14 If thou have understanding, answer thy neighbour: but if not, let thy hand be upon thy mouth, lest thou be surprised in an unskilful word, and be confounded.
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15 Honour and glory is in the word of the wise, but the tongue of the fool is his ruin.
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16 Be not called a whisperer, and be not taken in thy tongue, and confounded.
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17 For confusion and repentance is upon a thief, and an evil mark of disgrace upon the double tongued, but to the whisperer hatred, and enmity, and reproach.
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18 Justify alike the small and the great.