Sirach 34
False visions and dreams are empty and misleading, and those who rely on them will be led astray. Only divine revelations are trustworthy, and the word of the law will be fulfilled without deception. Experience and wisdom come from being tested and learning from mistakes, and those who fear God will be blessed and protected by His providence. The Lord does not accept offerings from the wicked or those who exploit the poor, and true righteousness is not achieved through empty rituals or hypocrisy.
1
The hopes of a senseless man are empty and false; and dreams extol the imprudent
2Like one who chases a shadow and pursues the wind, so also is one who pays attention to lying visions
3In the vision of dreams, one thing represents another, as when a mask is before the face of a man
4What can be cleansed by the unclean? And what truth can be spoken from a lie
5Erroneous divinations and false signs and the dreams of evildoers are emptiness
6For your heart suffers from imagination, like a woman suffering in childbirth. Unless it is a visitation sent from the Most High, you should not set your heart upon it
7For dreams have caused many to go astray, and those who have hoped in them have fallen away
8The word of the law will be fulfilled without a lie, and wisdom will be made plain in the mouths of the faithful
9He who has not been tested, what does he know? A man with much experience will consider many things. And whoever has learned much will explain with understanding
10He who has no experience knows little. And he who has done many things has made many mistakes
11He who has not been tested, what kind of things can he know? He who has been deceived will be more cunning
12I have seen much by wandering, and the customs of many things
13At times, I have even been in danger of death because of these things, but I was freed by the grace of God
14The spirit of those who fear God is sought, and they will be blessed by his providence
15For their hope is in him who saves them, and the eyes of God are on those who love him
16Those who fear the Lord will tremble at nothing, and they will not be terrified. For he is their hope
17The soul of him who fears the Lord is blessed
18To whom should he look, and who is his strength
19The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him. He is a powerful Protector, a Firmament of virtue, a Shelter from the heat, and a Covering from the midday sun
20a Guardian from offenses, and a Helper from falling, who exalts the soul and illuminates the eyes, and who gives health and life and blessing
21An immolation from iniquity is a stained oblation, and the derisions of the unjust are not well pleasing
22The Lord is only for those who persevere for him in the way of truth and justice
23The Most High does not approve of the gifts of the iniquitous. Neither does he have respect for the oblations of the unjust; neither will he forgive their sins because of the multitude of their sacrifices
24Whoever offers a sacrifice from the substance of the poor is like one who sacrifices the son in the sight of his father
25The bread of the indigent is the life of the poor. Whoever cheats them out of it is a man of blood
26Whoever takes away the bread of sweat is like one who kills his neighbor
27He who sheds blood, and he who cheats the hired hand out of his wages, are brothers
28When one builds and another destroys, what benefit do they have from their labor
29When one prays and another curses, whose voice will God heed
30He who washes himself after touching the dead, and then touches him again, what was the benefit of his washing
31Similarly, a man who fasts for his sins, and then does the same again, what was the benefit of his humbling himself? Who will heed his prayer
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