Sirach 28

28He that taketh vengeance shall find vengeance from the Lord,

And his sins ⁽God⁽ will surely keep ⁽in memory⁽.

Forgive thy neighbour the injury ⁽done to thee⁽,

And then, when thou prayest, thy sins will be forgiven.

Man cherisheth anger against another;

And doth he seek healing from God?

On a man like himself he hath no mercy;

And doth he make supplication for his own sins?

He, being flesh, nourisheth wrath;

Who will make atonement for his sins?

Remember thy last end, and cease from enmity;.

⁽Remember⁽ corruption and death, and abide in the commandments.

Remember the commandments, and be not wroth with thy neighbour;

And ⁽remember⁽ the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance.

Keep far from strife, and sins will keep far from thee:

For a passionate man kindleth strife;

And a sinful man stirreth up strife among friends,

And casteth enmity in the midst of the peaceful.

According to its fuel, so will the fire burn;

And according to the vehemence of the strife, so doth it increase;

And according to the might of a man, so is his wrath;

And according to ⁽his⁽ wealth, so doth he increase his anger.

Strife begun in haste kindleth fire,

And a hasty quarrel leadeth to bloodshed.

If thou blow a spark it burneth, and if thou spit upon it it is quenched;

And both come out of thy mouth.

Curse the whisperer and double-tongued,

For it hath destroyed many that were at peace.

The third tongue hath taken many captive,

And hath dispersed them among many nations;

Even strong cities hath it destroyed,

And laid waste the dwellings of the great.

The third tongue hath cast out brave women,

And deprived them of their labours.

He that hearkeneth thereto shall not find rest,

Neither shall be dwell in quietness.

The stroke of a whip maketh a mark,

But the stroke of the tongue breaketh bones.

Many have fallen by the edge of the sword,

But not ⁽so many⁽ as they that have fallen through the tongue.

Happy the man that is sheltered therefrom,

And that hath not passed through the wrath thereof;

That hath not drawn the yoke thereof,

And that hath not been bound with its bands.

For its yoke is a yoke of iron,

And its bands are bands of brass.

The death thereof is an evil death,

And the rest of Hades is better than hers.

⁽But⁽ it hath no power over the godly,

They will not be burned in her flame;

They that forsake the Lord shall fall into it,

And she will burn among them, and not be quenched;

As a lion shall she be sent upon them,

And as a leopard shall she destroy them.

For as thou enclosest thy vineyard with thorns,

So make doors and bolts for thy mouth.

Thou makest a bolt for thy silver and gold,

Make a balance and weight for thy words.

Take heed that thou slip not thereby,

Lest thou fall before him that ensnareth.