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Wisdom of Ben Sira 14:3-5
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 14:3-5
New Catholic Bible
Treat Yourself Well, and Be Generous[a]
3 Wealth serves no purpose for the stingy man;
of what use are riches to the covetous?
4 He deprives himself only to amass wealth for others,
and others will live luxuriously on his possessions.
5 To whom will a person be generous when he is stingy with himself?
He does not even enjoy his own riches.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 14:3 The thought of death should detach people from riches, for these do not follow them into the grave. It is far better for them to use their wealth profitably for themselves and their friends. The author was not yet aware of the promises of eternity; for him, the pact with the netherworld (v. 16)—i.e., with the place without hope where the dead sojourn—signals the end one day of all the pain that people give themselves.
