Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 34

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 34

Regarding Dreams

1Vain and false hopes are for the senseless,

and dreams lend wings to fools.

2The person who believes in dreams

is like one who grabs at shadows

and chases after the wind.

3What is seen in a dream is simply a reflection,

a face looking at itself in a mirror.

4Nothing clean can come from something unclean, can it?

In the same way, truth cannot come from something false.

5Divinations, omens, and dreams are unreal.

The mind has fantasies just like a woman in labor hopes for something.

6Unless they are sent as visions from the Most High,

pay no attention to them.

7For dreams have deceived many,

and those who have trusted in them have been disappointed.

8The law is perfect without such deceptions as dreams.

Wisdom is complete when it is spoken by the faithful.

Experience and Travel Bring Knowledge

9A person who has traveled much will know many things,

and a person of experience knows what he is talking about.

10A person with little experience knows little,

but a person grows more resourceful as he travels.

11I have seen many things by traveling

and learned more than I could ever say.

12I have often been in mortal danger

but have escaped because of my many experiences.

Fear of the Lord Brings Blessing

13Those who fear the Lord will live,

for their hope is in him who has saved them.

14Those who fear the Lord will not be timid.

They will not be afraid for the Lord is their hope.

15Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Just think whom they look to for support!

16The Lord watches over those who love him.

He is their mighty shield and strong support,

a shelter from the scorching wind and midday sun,

a safeguard against stumbling, and a help against falling.

17He revives the soul and makes the eyes sparkle;

he gives health and life and blessing.

Insincere Worship

18The sacrifice of something wrongfully obtained is blemished,

and the gifts of the lawless are not acceptable.

19The Most High does not accept the gifts of the wicked

or forgive their sins for a multitude of sacrifices.

20Those who offer a sacrifice seized from the poor

are like those who slaughter a son before his father’s eyes.

21Bread is life for the needy and the poor.

Whoever deprives them of it is a murderer.

22Those who take away a person’s livelihood are murderers.

Those who deprive an employee of wages shed blood.

23When one builds up and another tears down,

what do they gain except hard work?

24When one prays for something and another curses it,

which request will the Lord honor?

25If a person touches a corpse, washes, and then touches it again,

what good did washing do?

26In the same way, if people fast over their sins

and then commit them again,

who will listen to their prayers?

What good does their act of humility do?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation Catholic Edition, copyright © 2016 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by: Tyndale House Publishers Inc.