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Wisdom of Ben Sira 38:15-17
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 38:15-17
New Catholic Bible
15 One who sins against his Maker
will fall into the hands of the physician.[a]
Prolonging One’s Mourning Serves No Purpose[b]
16 My child, shed tears for one who has died,
and as one in great sorrow, begin the lament.
Bury the body with proper ceremony,
and do not neglect to honor the grave.
17 Let your weeping be bitter and your wailing passionate;
make your mourning worthy of the departed.
Mourn for a day or two to avoid criticism;
then be comforted in your sorrow.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 38:15 Will fall into the hands of the physician: some early MSS read: “will be defiant toward the physician.”
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 38:16 Not knowing the lot reserved for the dead, the author finds comfort in arguments from common sense. Likewise in the matter of affliction, he has no use for excesses and submits himself to the reality of life that God has made. In the first Christian writing, Paul the Apostle will proclaim another hope: we will rise again with Christ (1 Thes 4:13-14).
