Don¡¯t bear grudges
1 He who demands revenge will suffer the vengeance of the Lord who keeps a
strict account of his sins.
2 Forgive the mistakes of your neighbor and you may ask that your sins be
forgiven.
3 If a man bears resentment against another, how can he ask God for healing?
4 If he has no compassion on others, how can he pray for forgiveness for his
sins?
5 As long as he, mere flesh, is resentful, who will obtain his pardon?
6 Remember your end and give up hatred; keep in mind your final corruption
in the grave and keep the commandments.
7 Remember the commandments and do not bear grudges against your neighbor.
Re member the covenant with the Most High and overlook the offense.
8 Refrain from quarreling and you will avoid sin; the hot-headed man sparks
off disputes.
9 The sinner causes trouble between friends, sowing discord among peaceful
people.
10 Fire burns when fuel is thrown on it; stubbornness drags out the
discussion.
The more powerful the man, the greater his rage; his anger will be in
proportion to his riches.
11 A sudden quarrel sparks off a fire; a hasty dispute leads to bloodshed.
12 Blow on a spark and it ignites; spit on it and it dies out: both come
from your mouth.
13 Cursed be the gossiper with his spite ful tongue. He has destroyed many
who lived peacefully.
14 The vicious tongue has demolished many and hounded them from nation to
nation. It has ruined powerful cities and laid low great households.
15 The vicious tongue has cast out wives who were beyond reproach, depriving
them of the fruit of their work.
16 Whoever listens to it will never find rest or be able to live in peace.
17 The whip leaves a mark but the lash of the tongue shatters bones.
18 Many have been felled by the sword but many more have perished by the
tongue.
19 Happy he who has escaped it and has not been exposed to its fury, who has
not been weighed down by its yoke or been tied up in its chains.
20 For it is a yoke of iron and its chains are bronze.
21 It brings a miserable death. Actual death is better!
22 But it will not tyrannize those who keep faith, it will not consume their
soul.
23 Those who desert the Lord will be its vic tims, it will burn them without
being burnt up itself; it will lunge at them like a lion, and rip them apart
like a leopard.
24 Look, you put a fence around your property and protect your silver and
gold.
25 In the same way, make weights and scales for your words and put a bolted
door at your mouth.
26 Beware of a slip of the tongue when you speak, lest you fall in front of
those who lie in wait for you.